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British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, it became an independent statutory corporation in January 1963, when it was formally renamed the British Railways Board.
From the start of 1948, the railways were nationalised to form British Railways (latterly "British Rail") under the control of the British Transport Commission. [51] Though there were few initial changes to the service, usage increased and the network became profitable.
A History of the Great North of Scotland Railway ((reprint of 1950 edition published by Locomotive Publishing) ed.). Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-2592-4. H.A.Vallance (June 1996). History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands: Highland Railway. House of Lochar. ISBN 1-899863-07-9. Thomas, John (November 1969). The North British Railway Vol 1 ...
From the start of 1948, the "big four" were nationalised to form British Railways (latterly British Rail) under the control of the British Transport Commission. Although BR was a single entity, it was divided into six (later five) regional authorities in accordance with the existing areas of operation.
The Transport Act 1962 converted British Railways from being the trade name of a BTC activity to a separate public corporation, as the British Railways Board. As the last steam locomotives were withdrawn, the corporation's public name was re-branded in 1965 as British Rail (see British Rail brand names for a full history).
Great Britain's railway system was built by private companies, but it was nationalised by the Transport Act 1947 and was run from then onwards by British Railways (which traded as British Rail from 1965) until privatisation, which was begun in 1994 and completed in 1997. Infrastructure, passenger, and freight services were separated at that time.
Unlike British Rail, the Northern Ireland Railways remain state owned. The franchisee system for passenger rail effectively ended in March 2020, when the Department for Transport switched every passenger line to an "Emergency Measures Agreement", [ 10 ] whereby the franchisees would still operate the line, but the government would take all cost ...
The first for public use, and on cast iron rails, was the Lake Lock Rail Road formed in 1796 and opened in 1798. [7] [8] [9] Another early public railway, the Surrey Iron Railway obtained an Act of Parliament on 21 May 1801 to build a tram-road between Wandsworth and Croydon in what is now south London; the engineer was William Jessop. [10]