Beeching report download

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December Reorganisation of the Nationalised Transport Undertakings. The Transport Act of abolished the British Transport Commission and replaced it with the British Railways Board, which administered a number of local boards. The railways were given complete freedom on commercial policy and five years' relief from the repayment of debt.

Dr Richard Beeching was appointed to implement the reorganisation. His mandate was essentially to make the railways pay. The report identified profitable and unprofitable services and revealed great unevenness in the use and profitability of railways.

It recommended the widespread closure of uneconomic routes. Initially, Harold Wilson 's Labour government continued with the policy of closing uneconomic lines, although it came under increasing pressure from backbenchers. By way of an introduction to the report I have also included a brief, potted background history but deliberately steered away from a more 'revisionist' approach as I'm sure readers have already made up their own minds as to its efficacy and impartiality.

In addition to these factors pertaining to the railway itself, external factors beyond the ambit of British Rail were also having a major impact on its operation. The huge growth in car ownership had drastically reduced the number of potential passengers for the railways and the commensurate huge growth in road haulage had decimated the utilisation of railway goods services.

The general thinking of the Department of Transport, under Minister of Transport Ernest Marples co-owner of Marples Ridgway Ltd, a civil engineering and motorway construction contractor , was that an attempt to solve the problems with British Rail by spending had failed and a more radical approach was required.