Parliamentary Train
Preserved but no longer current.
By the Regulation of Railways Act of 1844 every railway in Great Britain was obliged to run at least one train a day over its system, at a minimum speed cf 12 m.p.h., calling at every station, at a fare not greater than Id. a mile. This was repealed in 1915.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Parliamentary Train” mean?
By the Regulation of Railways Act of 1844 every railway in Great Britain was obliged to run at least one train a day over its system, at a minimum speed cf 12 m.p.h., calling at every station, at a fare not greater than Id. a mile. This was repealed in 1915.
Is “Parliamentary Train” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.