Leicester was one of the first cities (though then a town) to be served by a railway when the Leicester and Swannington Railway built its terminus station at West Bridge on the western side of Leicester in 1832. The Leicester and Swannington Railway was built to supply the city of Leicester with coal from the mines in the north west of the county, this early entrant to the country’s network was later absorbed by the Midland Railway.

Leicester possessed seven railway stations. In addition to the only surviving Leicester station – London Road – three other main railway stations existed. The Leicester & Swannington station at West Bridge, which closed to passengers in 1928, was itself a replacement for the original West Bridge station that opened with the railway in 1832 but replaced by a larger station in 1893. Leicester Belgrave Road (Great Northern Railway) officially opened in 1883 and closed to passengers in 1962 and Leicester Central, part of the final major railway line to be built in the country, the Great Central Railway, opened in 1899, being closed in May 1969.

In addition, there were smaller stations within the city boundary at Humberstone Road on the Midland Railway main line, Humberstone on the GNR, and from 1874 until 1918, a halt at Welford Road which comprised a single platform on the Down main line which allowed access to the Cattle Market. At this halt, passengers were allowed to leave the trains but not to board them, necessitating a walk to London Road station to make their return journey.

Accompanying each section of this book are maps that hopefully give the reader some idea of where the various lines of the railway passed through the city, sadly the majority of it no longer in existence, although traces of structures still exist if you look closely enough.