Britain’s railways were nationalised 70 years ago – let’s not do it again

Cowie, Jonathan

Abstract

It is 70 years since the era of public rail ownership began in Great Britain. The British Transport Commission formally took control of the operation and planning of the whole network, having been brought into existence by Clement Attlee’s Labour government under the Transport Act 1947 (the name British Rail didn’t appear until 1965).

At the time, the network was in dire need of investment. The Railways Act 1921 had consolidated over 100 operators into “the big four” – Great Western; London, Midland & Scottish; London & North Eastern; and Southern Railways. They had been financially squeezed by rules that forced them to carry freight at rates that were often unprofitable, and competition from an emerging road sector that had been prioritised for public investment.

• Acceptance Date: Dec 28, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Jan 1, 2018
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Feb 1, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 30, 2019
• Keywords: British Rail, nationalisation
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1028048