London, Brighton, and South Coast, Midland, and South Eastern and Chatham, whilst decreased receipts were shown by the Lancashire and Yorkshire and London and North Western. Great efforts have been made to reduce goods train mileage, and this has resulted in a very considerable decrease of the total mileage, the reduction in 1903 amounting to 10,000,000 miles, this result being achieved in the face of an increased tonnage of goods carried amounting to 7,000,000 tons. There was, however, no reduction in passenger train mileage, but the year 1905 will probably see some efforts made in this direction.
Railway construction during 1904 has not been so extensive as in 1903, but in many directions electrification of existing steam lines is being carried out by companies at a pace which indicates a determination to maintain the suburban passenger traffic. The most important new railways opened have been the Harrow to Uxbridge Extension of the Metropolitan, and the Newcastle Extension of the North Eastern. The following table shows the principal extensions, &c., opened in the United Kingdom during 1904:—
| When opened | Mls. | ||
| Caledonian | Newton to Cathcart | Jan. 6th | 5 |
| East & West Yorkshire Union | Leeds Midland Station to Robin Hood | Jan. 4th. | 9 |
| Glasgow and South Western | Riccarton Loop Line | …… | — |
| Do. do. | Darvel and Lanarkshire Line | July 1st. | — |
| Great Northern and City | City (Finsbury Pavement) to Finsbury Park | Feb. 14th. | 3 |
| Great Western | Acton to Greenford and Northolt via Park Royal | Oct. 1st. | 6 |
| Do. | Honeybourne to Broadway | Aug. 1st. | 5 |
| Metropolitan | Harrow to Uxbridge | July 1st. | 6½ |
| Midland | Welsh Harp to Cricklewood | …… | — |
| North Eastern | Newcastle Extension | July 4th. | 35 |
| South Eastern and Chatham | Chislehorst—Bickley loop | July 1st. | — |
The direct mileage and sidings of the United Kingdom is estimated at 50,693 miles. The following shows the mileage open in the United Kingdom at the commencement of 1905:—
| England and Wales |
Scotland | Ireland | United Kingdom | |
| Miles | Miles | Miles | Miles | |
| Single lines | 5,197 | 2,169 | 2,638 | 10,004 |
| Double lines | 9,244 | 1,451 | 632 | 11,327 |
| Three lines | 194 | 22 | … | 216 |
| Four or more lines | 930 | 27 | … | 957 |
| Total. | 15,565 | 3,669 | 3,270 | 22,504 |
There is every probability that during 1905 and 1906 there will be a considerable amount of railway construction throughout the country, particularly in the neighbourhood of the important towns. Already there have been deposited for the next Session of Parliament, bills for extensions of the Kent and East Sussex Railway, Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton, the Barry Railway in Monmouthshire, a new railway in North London, &c. The system introduced of tapping the agricultural districts and
