Privatisation of British Rail

The Thatcher administration developed a policy of selling off the nationalised industries into private ownership, or privatisation. As far as the railways were concerned, the government's policy had little effect during the whole period of the Thatcher administration except in relatively small areas, as it was considered that privatising core railway operations would be too difficult. The chain of British Transport Hotels was sold off, mainly one hotel at a time, in 1982; Sealink (U.K.) Limited was sold in 1984 to Sea Containers Limit ...

See also:

Privatisation of British Rail, Privatisation of British Rail - Situation in 1979, Privatisation of British Rail - 1980s developments, Privatisation of British Rail - The move to privatisation, Privatisation of British Rail - The Railways Act 1993, Privatisation of British Rail - Privatisation under Labour, Privatisation of British Rail - Organisational structure created by the Railways Act, Privatisation of British Rail - Changes to the structure since the Railways Act, Privatisation of British Rail - Effects of privatisation

Read more here: » Privatisation of British Rail: Encyclopedia II - Privatisation of British Rail - 1980s developments

British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. This period saw massive changes in the nature of the railway network: steam traction was eliminated in favour of diesel and electric power, passengers replaced freight as the main source of business, and the network was severely rationalised. British Rail - History. Including:

• British Rail - History
• British Rail - Background
• British Rail - Nationalisation
• British Rail - British Railways
• British Rail - 1955 Modernisation Plan
• British Rail - The Beeching Axe and the end of steam
• British Rail - British Rail
• British Rail - Sectorisation
• British Rail - Privatisation
• British Rail - Network
• British Rail - Locomotives and rolling stock
• British Rail - Locomotives
• British Rail - Coaches
• British Rail - Multiple units

Read more here: » British Rail: Encyclopedia - British Rail

British Rail - Background. The rail transport system in Great Britain developed during the 19th century. After the grouping of 1923 by the Railways Act 1921 there were four large British railway companies, each dominating its own geographic area. These were the Great Western Railway (GWR), the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), the London and North Eastern Railw ...

See also:

British Rail, British Rail - History, British Rail - Background, British Rail - Nationalisation, British Rail - British Railways, British Rail - 1955 Modernisation Plan, British Rail - The Beeching Axe and the end of steam, British Rail - British Rail, British Rail - Sectorisation, British Rail - Privatisation, British Rail - Network, British Rail - Locomotives and rolling stock, British Rail - Locomotives, British Rail - Coaches, British Rail - Multiple units

Read more here: » British Rail: Encyclopedia II - British Rail - History

History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails. As early as 1676 railed roads were in use in Northumberland to ease the conveyance of coal from the mines to the banks of the river at Newcastle-on-Tyne. These were simply straight and parallel rails of timber on which carts with rollers drawn by horses enabled several wagons to be moved simultaneously. Called tramroads (the early coal wagons were called drams), these primitive rails were superseded in 1793 when the then superintendent of the ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825

In the post-war world, lifestyles underwent radical changes, cars became affordable to the masses, new road and motorways were built. The railways on the other hand entered the post-war world with technologies and operating practices which had changed little since the Victorian era. The last 60 years have seen the railways stumbling to adjust to the new world. The railways attempts to modernise during the 1950s ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world

The modernisation plan of the mid to late 1950s, was intended to bring the railway system kicking and screaming into the 20th century. However most railway historians now regard it as a costly failure and a missed opportunity. The plan involved major projects of electrification and dieselisation of the existing network. However, the plan has been widely criticised since it failed to define what the railways were actually for, and failed to take into account the impact that the motor car, road transport and a changing society would have upon the railway system, and attempting to carry th ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan

In the 1980s the government of Margaret Thatcher was famously hostile to the railways. In 1983 a civil servant named David Serpell unvieled the 'Serpell Report' which called for another large scale round of closures. However this recieved massive opposition and was soon dropped. British Rail was subjected to severe fianancial constraints during the 1980s. By the early 1980s British Rail needed to replace lif ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s

During the First World War the whole system was taken under government control and run by the Railway Operating Division of the War Office. This revealed some advantages in running the railways with fewer companies, and after the war it was widely agreed that the required development of the rail network could not be achieved under the conditions that had existed before the war. Nationalisation of the railways, which had been mooted by William Gladstone as early as the 1830s, was considered, but was rejected by the government and the owners o ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period

The 1970s saw British Rail succesfully introduced high speed diesel train services in 1976 with the InterCity 125 High Speed Train (HST), on some services, and adoption of the InterCity brand. This created an increase in passengers using the railways and improved British Rail's fianances. Less succesfully, British Rail attempted to create a tilting train - The Advanced Passenger Train (APT), but this was later cancelled. ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s

For main article see Beeching axe. By the early 1960s the railways were running at a huge deficit, and patience with them by the government had run out. In 1962 the transport minister Ernest Marples appointed Richard Beeching as head of British Railways with a brief to cut the spiralling losses. His report The Reshaping of British Railways issued in 1963, concluded that much of the railway network carried little traffic and should be closed down. His report proposed a massive closures program w ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era

The Transport Act 1947 nationalised all private forms of mass transport in Great Britain. The British Transport Commission (BTC) was formed to oversee the working of the Act. To oversee the railways, the British Transport Commission Railway Executive, known as British Railways, came into being. Under the BTC's Railway Executive, the railways were organised into six regions: Eastern Region (ER) — southern LNER lines (region later amalgamated with the North Eastern Region). North Eastern Region (NER) — northern LNER l ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation

In the 16 years before the outbreak of WWII the new companies set about the tremendous task of rebuilding railways which had had little or no work done since 1918. Priority was new rolling stock: locomotives, coaches and wagons. As an example of the need for rationalisation, the LMSR took over 10,316 steam locomotives at the grouping: these comprised no fewer than 393 different classes. In the 1920s each of the companies produced some exceptional locomotives: LMSR: Royal Scot class 4-6-0 (1927); Sir Henry Fowler wa ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947

British Rail - Locomotives. Main articles: Steam locomotives of British Railways, and [[{{{2}}}]], and [[{{{3}}}]], and [[{{{4}}}]]See also:

British Rail, British Rail - History, British Rail - Background, British Rail - Nationalisation, British Rail - British Railways, British Rail - 1955 Modernisation Plan, British Rail - The Beeching Axe and the end of steam, British Rail - British Rail, British Rail - Sectorisation, British Rail - Privatisation, British Rail - Network, British Rail - Locomotives and rolling stock, British Rail - Locomotives, British Rail - Coaches, British Rail - Multiple units

Read more here: » British Rail: Encyclopedia II - British Rail - Locomotives and rolling stock

The financial success of these lines was beyond all expectations and interests in London and Birmingham soon planned to build two lines to link these cities with each other and with the L&M. These two lines were the London and Birmingham, designed by Robert Stephenson, which ran from Euston Square, London, to Curzon Street, Birmingham, and the Grand Junction, engineered by Joseph Locke, which ran from Curzon Street to an end-on junction with the Warrington and Newton Line, a branch of the L&M, at Dallam, near Warrington in Cheshire. ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress

Two railways were the pioneers in railway development in England. History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The next successful venture was the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). It is the one which is now considered to be the first true railway, in that it was specifically laid for use by steam locomotives, with cuttings and embankments, rather than using ropes to overcome gradients. It had been a project proposed several years before the S&DR, but ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923

Although the Government was in favour of the development of trunk railways to stimulate economic recovery (in which they were tremendously successful) and to facilitate the movement of troops in times of potential civil unrest, it was legally necessary that each line was authorised by a separate Act of Parliament. While there were entrepreneurs with the vision of an intercity network of lines, such as the Early East Midlands railway schemes, it was much easier to find investors in shorter st ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania

History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways. Great Central Railway (GCR): before 1897 the GCR was called the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, when it served those areas by means of an east-west line; it then built a line to London, and was renamed as the GCR. The line occupied the central position between the East and West Coast main lines (see below) and had its London terminus at Marylebone station. Since nationalisation the route has been truncated.

The financial success of the early railways was phenomenal, as they had no real competition. The roads were still very slow and in poor condition. Prices of fuel and food fell in cities connected to railways owing to the fall in the cost of transport. The layout of lines with gentle gradients and curves, originating from the need to help the relatively weak engines and brakes, was a boon when speeds increased, avoiding for the most part the need to re-survey the course of a line. Less than 20 years after the Liverpool line opened, it was possible to travel fro ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes

The original privatisation structure, created over the three years from 1 April 1994, consisted of: Infrastructure Owner: Railtrack took over ownership of all track, signalling and stations. Railtrack let out most of the stations to the passenger train operators, managing only a handful of the largest city termini itself, maintenance and renewal of the infrastructure was also contracted out to British Rail Infrastructure Services, leaving Railtrack's directly-employed staff consisting mostly of signallers. In the original ...

See also:

Privatisation of British Rail, Privatisation of British Rail - Situation in 1979, Privatisation of British Rail - 1980s developments, Privatisation of British Rail - The move to privatisation, Privatisation of British Rail - The Railways Act 1993, Privatisation of British Rail - Privatisation under Labour, Privatisation of British Rail - Organisational structure created by the Railways Act, Privatisation of British Rail - Changes to the structure since the Railways Act, Privatisation of British Rail - Effects of privatisation

Read more here: » Privatisation of British Rail: Encyclopedia II - Privatisation of British Rail - Organisational structure created by the Railways Act

The Labour government (elected in 1997 once the majority of the privatisation process had been completed) reneged on its earlier commitment to keep the railways in the public sector. Instead, it left the new structure in place, even completing the privatisation process with the last remaining sales. Its one innovation in the early years was the creation of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), initially in shadow form until the 2000 Transport Act received Royal Assent. However, Labour was forced to intervene in the wake of the Hatfield ...

See also:

Privatisation of British Rail, Privatisation of British Rail - Situation in 1979, Privatisation of British Rail - 1980s developments, Privatisation of British Rail - The move to privatisation, Privatisation of British Rail - The Railways Act 1993, Privatisation of British Rail - Privatisation under Labour, Privatisation of British Rail - Organisational structure created by the Railways Act, Privatisation of British Rail - Changes to the structure since the Railways Act, Privatisation of British Rail - Effects of privatisation

Read more here: » Privatisation of British Rail: Encyclopedia II - Privatisation of British Rail - Privatisation under Labour