北京正式修建的第一条铁路，是从中海瀛秀园至北海静心斋。火车行驶靠太监挽绳拉动，是专供慈禧奢华享乐的交通工具。北京第一座公用火车站马家堡火车站于光绪二十三年（1897)建成。光绪三十二年（1906），正阳门火车站建成并启用，车站由英国人修建，是当时全国最大的火车站。光绪三十五年（1909），京张铁路建成。这是中国首条不使用外国资金及人员，由中国人自行设计，投入营运的铁路。詹天佑是建设铁路的总工程师，后兼任京张铁路局总办。

The first railway station was built in Beijing which started from Zhonghai Yingxiuyuan in Zhonghai to Jinxinzhai in Beihai. The train was powered by eunuchs pulling the rope, and merely served as the entertainment transportation for Cixi, Empress Dowager of China. The first public railway station Majiapu Railway Station was built in the twenty-third year of Guangxu period (1897). In the thirty-second year of Guangxu period (1906), Zhengyang Gate Railway Station finished construction and opened to public, the station was built by Britain, and it was the largest station over the state. In the thirty-fifth year of Guangxu period (1909), Jingzhang Railway was built. It was the first railway designed and constructed by Chinese engineers, without any foreign capital or engineers. Zhan Tianyou served as the general engineer of the railway construction. Later on, he took post of general executive of Jingzhang Railway.