The Hull Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway and Dock Company (H&BR) was promoted by interests in Hull seeking to break the monopoly held by the NER and Hull Dock Company, which was holding back the development of the port of Hull, and to encourage the export of coal through Hull from the rapidly expanding South Yorkshire coalfield. The H&BR was authorised in 1880 and opened in 1885 at the same time as the Alexandra Dock. The H&BR ran from Alexandra Dock in Hull to Cudworth, outside Barnsley. In Hull the route from Alexandra Dock was built at a high level to avoid the many road crossings that would otherwise have been needed. It had two branches: to Wath on Dearne and to Denaby. It connected with other railways serving the coalfield including the GCR, the L&YR and MR. Its passenger terminus was at Cannon Street in Hull and its head office was in Charlotte Street, a short distance away. It had works at Springfield, Hull although it did not build its own locomotives. Its main traffic was coal. After initial fierce price competition with the NER and the Hull Dock Company, which led to the H&BR going into receivership for a short period, the H&BR and the NER worked closely together. In 1914 they opened the jointly owned King George V Dock. The Hull Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway and Dock Company changed its name to the Hull & Barnsley Railway in 1905.

Welsh Railway company formed in 1882. The 29 mile line running from the Rhondda Valley to Swansea fully opened in 1895. The Great Western Railway were given powers to run the company's system in 1906, and the line became a part of the GWR in 1923.