The Cabinet Papers banner

You are here: Cabinet Papers home > Browse by theme > Infrastructure, energy and natural resources > Railways

Railways

At the beginning of the 20th century, approximately 130 rail companies provided competitive services in Britain. In 1911, a departmental committee on railways recommended that regulated cooperation would serve the national interest better than unrestrained competition.

Related documents

Rationalisation and reorganisation

Cabinet Conclusion 6. Future Transport Policy. 7 June 1920 (PDF, 10.177MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Interim Revision of Railway Rates, Tolls and Charges. 11 August 1920" (PDF, 2.595MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 2. Future Transport Policy. 11 November 1920 (PDF, 1.434MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Draft Railways Bill. Memorandum by the Minister of Transport. 21 March 1921 (PDF, 18.291MB)

Wartime and nationalisation

Cabinet Conclusion 5. Nationalisation of Transport. 15 April 1946 (PDF, 1.817MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Nationalisation of Transport. Memorandum by the Minister of Transport. 10 April 1946 (PDF, 1.553MB)

Conservatives and a profitable network

Cabinet Memorandum. Road and Rail Transport: Note by the Lord President of the Council. 18 April 1952 (PDF, 0.575MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Road and Rail Transport: Note by the Secretary of the Cabinet. 22 April 1952 (PDF, 0.645MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. The Transport Bill. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Co-ordination of Transport, Fuel and Power. 28 October 1952" (PDF, 8.753MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. The British Transport Commission. Note by the Lord Chancellor. 20 September 56 (PDF, 1.453MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. British Transport Commission. Note by the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation. 21 September 56 (PDF, 10.412MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 2. British Transport Commission. 23 February 1960 (PDF, 1.404MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. British Transport Commission. 17 March 1960 (PDF, 1.617MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. British Transport Commission. Memorandum by the Prime Minister. 16 March 1960 (PDF, 0.463MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. British Transport Commission. 9 December 1960 (PDF, 0.428MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Reorganisation of the Nationalised Transport Undertakings. Memorandum by the Minister of Transport. 7 December 1960 (PDF, 2.752MB)

The Beeching Report

Cabinet Conclusion 5. British Transport Commission. 14 March 1961 (PDF, 0.881MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 7. Railways Board. 14 March 1963 (PDF, 1.757MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 6. Railways Board. 21 March 1963 (PDF, 1.176MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. The Re-shaping of British Railways. Memorandum by the Minister of Transport. 19 March 1963 (PDF, 1.073MB)

Railway Network Plan revised

Cabinet Conclusion 7. The Railways. 22 October 1964 (PDF, 2.482MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 6. The Railways. 19 January 1965 (PDF, 0.802MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Rail Closures. Memorandum by the Minister of Transport. 9 March 1965 (PDF, 0.740MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 3. Transport Policy. 7 July 1966 (PDF, 1.506MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Transport Policy: Draft White Paper. Memorandum by the Minister of Transport. 5 July 1966 (PDF, 11.098MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 5. Railway Policy. 25 July 1967 (PDF, 2.266MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Railway Policy: Main Report of Joint Steering Group. Memorandum by the Minister of Transport. 21 July 1967 (PDF, 19.254MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 3. Transport Policy. 30 October 1967 (PDF, 1.954MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Railway Policy: Draft White Paper. Memorandum by the Minister of Transport. 26 October 1967 (PDF, 13.171MB)

Search using Beeching British Transport Commission

Further reading

Wolmar, C., A New History of the Railways in Britain (London: Atlantic, 2007)
Loft, C., Government, the railways and the modernization of Britain: Beeching's last trains (New York: Routledge, 2006)
Gourvish, T., British Railways 1948-1973: A Business History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986)

Content

Related Links

Government who's who

Print this page content