Which railway used the first successful public railway electric telegraph system?

The Great Western Railway used the first successful public railway electric telegraph system.

William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone installed their telegraph on part of the Great Western Railway in England in 1838. The system sent messages between Paddington and West Drayton, helping railway staff communicate quickly along the line.

Railway telegraphy was important because trains could not be managed safely by face-to-face communication alone as lines became longer and busier. Telegraph messages allowed stations and signal staff to share information about train movements.

The Cooke–Wheatstone telegraph used several needles to indicate letters. It was designed with railway operation in mind, unlike some later systems that became general public communication networks. The technology helped establish the close relationship between railways, signalling and electrical communication.