The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the separate Ulster Transport Authority). Its general duty under the Transport Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6. c. 49) was to provide an efficient, adequate, economical and properly integrated system of public inland transport and port facilities within Great Britain for passengers and goods, excluding transport by air.
The BTC came into operation on 1 January 1948. Its first chairman was Lord Hurcomb, with Miles Beevor as Chief Secretary. Its main holdings were the networks and assets of the Big Four national regional railway companies: the Great Western Railway, London and North Eastern Railway, London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the Southern Railway. It also took over 55 other railway undertakings, 19 canal undertakings and 246 road haulage firms, as well as the work of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was already publicly owned. The nationalisation package also included the fleets of 'private owner wagons', which industrial concerns had used to transport goods on the railway networks.
Organisation The BTC was one of the largest industrial organisations in the world, and owned a vast number of transport-related assets. The assets owned at its creation included: of railway track, 1.3 million freight and service railway vehicles, 40,000 passenger railway coaches, 20,148 locomotives, 93,000 road vehicles, of canals, 122 steamships, 54 hotels and 52,000 houses. In March 1953, it had 877,000 staff.
At first, the commission did not directly operate transport services, which were the responsibility of the commission's executives. These bodies were separately appointed, and operated under what were termed 'schemes of delegation'. The act provided for five executives, covering Docks and Inland Waterways, Hotels, London Transport, Railways, and Road Transport.
The Railway Executive traded as British Railways. In 1949, Road Transport was divided into separate Road Haulage and Road Passenger Executives, though the latter proved short-lived.
The commission was permitted to "secure the provision" of road passenger services, although it did not have the general powers of compulsory purchase of bus operators. To obtain specific powers of acquisition it had first to draw up, and get approval for, a 'Road Scheme', area by area. Only one was published, the North East Area Road Scheme, though work began on a second scheme, covering East Anglia; this was never confirmed, as it was fiercely opposed by private and municipal operators.
The quasi-federal structure of commission and executives proved to be an obstacle to integration and was largely abolished by the Conservative government with effect from 1 October 1953 (the London Transport Executive alone survived). On 1 January 1955, the railways were re-organised on the basis of six area railway boards, which had a wide measure of operational autonomy under the commission's overall supervision. The commission took direct charge of the remaining assets, though these were significantly reduced by the Conservatives de-nationalising much of the road haulage sector. On 1 January 1955, separate managements were also set up for road haulage, hotels, docks and inland waterways.
Buses The Tilling Group sold its bus interests to the BTC in September 1948, as did the Red and White Group in 1950. The Midland Counties Electric Supply Company, a former subsidiary of Balfour Beatty, had three bus-operating subsidiaries: Mansfield District Traction Company; Midland General Omnibus Company; and the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Traction Company. Midland Counties Electric Supply had been nationalised in 1948 to become part of the newly-created British Electricity Authority (BEA), and on 1 April 1948, the BEA transferred its three bus fleets to the BTC. From the railway companies, the BTC also inherited non-controlling interests in many bus companies in the British Electric Traction Group. It also manufactured buses for its own use, through the subsidiaries Bristol Tramways (from 1955 Bristol Commercial Vehicles) and Eastern Coach Works. In London and the surrounding area, the BTC ran both the (red) London buses and the (green) country buses, including Green Line Coaches, through the London Transport Executive.
Docks and Inland Waterways These assets included canals and navigable rivers, mainly taken over from canal companies – such as the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company and Fellows Morton & Clayton – but also those bought out earlier by the pre-nationalisation railways. The Caledonian Canal was already state-owned. The assets passed to British Waterways in 1963, and later to the Canal & River Trust and Scottish Canals. As well as the canal infrastructure, BTC also managed canal carrying services.
British Transport Docks (today known as Associated British Ports), comprising 32 ports taken over from the railway companies, and was part of the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive.
Museums The BTC inherited the LNER's Railway Museum at York and appointed a Curator of Historical Relics to build up a national collection. Eventually, much of this collection was displayed at the Museum of British Transport at Clapham, south London. This closed in the early 1970s and was superseded by the National Railway Museum at York and the London Transport Museum (now in Covent Garden). The BTC also established the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum.
Railways and hotels This included British Railways, including ancillary activities like engineering workshops, and London Underground. The former LMS lines in Northern Ireland (see Northern Counties Committee) were sold to the Ulster Transport Authority in 1949.
A travel agent, Thomas Cook & Son, was part of the Railways Executive.
The former railway hotels and catering departments initially came under the control of the Railway Executive, but on 1 July 1948 they were transferred to the Hotels Executive. Between 1953 and 1963, the business operated as British Transport Hotel and Catering Services; and in 1963 it became the British Transport Hotels.
Road haulage This included the local road distribution networks of the pre-nationalisation rail companies, plus the removals company Pickfords, which the railways had owned jointly. To these were added numerous smaller independent concerns taken over at nationalisation, comprising all undertakings predominantly engaged in ordinary long-distance work for distances of or upwards. These networks were later re-organised as British Road Services (BRS).
Other activities British Transport Advertising sold space on premises and vehicles.
The BTC had its own film production company, British Transport Films.
The British Transport Commission Police was formed chiefly by the amalgamation of the various railway constabularies.
Former railway steamer services, primarily to France and Ireland and around the Scottish coast, and investments in Associated Humber Lines and the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company (including the Transport Ferry Service), were part of the Railway Executive. The passenger ferry services of the former railway companies were also operated; these eventually became Sealink.
The South London tramways of London Transport, all of which were abandoned by 5 July 1952, were part of the London Transport Executive.
Abolition By the late 1950s the BTC was in serious financial difficulties, largely due to the economic performance of the railways. It was criticised as an overly bureaucratic system of administering transport services and had failed to develop an integrated transport system (such as integrated ticketing and timetabling). It was abolished by Harold Macmillan's Conservative government under the Transport Act 1962 (10 & 11 Eliz. 2. c. 46) and replaced by five successor bodies: British Railways Board (railways, hotels and some shipping) British Transport Docks Board (docks) British Waterways Board (inland waterways) London Transport Board (London buses and the London Underground) Transport Holding Company (remaining interests, in shipping, travel and road transport)
These changes took effect on 1 January 1963. Notwithstanding the abolition of the BTC, the British Transport Police continues to exist, and the BTC heraldic shield is still displayed on the force's badge.
Legislation
The BTC sponsored a number of local acts of Parliament during its existence:
(11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. xxi) Authorised construction of three railway bridges, at Thornton, Fife; Oakley, Fife; and Roseburn Street, Edinburgh.
(12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. xxix) Authorised the widening of the Piccadilly and District lines between North Ealing station and Action North junction; widening the railway between Radford station and Basford station in Nottingham. Allowed the British Transport Commission to recover all the parliamentary deposits paid that had been required from any of the undertakings that became part of the commission. Created the British Transport Commission Police. Closed sections of the Swansea Canal, Monmouthshire Canal, and Aire and Calder Navigation.
(14 Geo. 6. c. liii)
(14 & 15 Geo. 6. c. xxiii) Authorised the stopping up of level crossing, the construction of a culvert, and to divert a stream. Gave compulsory purchase powers for the extension of a railway depot, and to build a railway turntable.
(14 & 15 Geo. 6. c. xxxix) Authorised widening of the Midland Main Line between Radford and Nottingham, widening of the railway between Manchester Exchange and Manchester Victoria, and construction of a new bridge at Langston Harbour.
(15 & 16 Geo. 6 & 1 Eliz. 2. c. xxxiv)
(1 & 2 Eliz. 2. c. xx) Authorised diversion of Old Craighall Road for a new bridge across the Edinburgh to Hawick line, and a spur between the Lothian Lines and the Edinburgh to Harwick line.
(1 & 2 Eliz. 2. c. xlii)
(2 & 3 Eliz. 2. c. xxx)
(2 & 3 Eliz. 2. c. lv)
(4 & 5 Eliz. 2. c. i) Authorised construction of the Craiglockhart Loop between Slateford Junction on the Edinburgh and Carstairs Line and Craiglockhart Junction on the Edinburgh Suburban Line.
(4 & 5 Eliz. 2. c. xxx) Authorised construction of the Victoria line between Victoria station and Walthamstow Central station. Closed sections of the River Ure Navigation (Ripon Canal), Lancaster Canal, Ashton Canal, Birmingham Canal Navigations (Ocker Hill Branch, Bloomfield to Deepfields Old Canal, Rotton Brunt Shortening, Churchbridge Locks), Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (Hatherton Branch), and Dudley Canal (Bumble Hole Branch)
(4 & 5 Eliz. 2. c. lxxiv)
(5 & 6 Eliz. 2. c. xxxiii)
(6 & 7 Eliz. 2. c. ii) Authorised a deviation of the Glasgow–Edinburgh via Falkirk line to allow the Summerhill viaduct to be replaced.
(6 & 7 Eliz. 2. c. xxviii)
(6 & 7 Eliz. 2. c. xliv)
(7 & 8 Eliz. 2. c. xxxvi) Authorised the reconstruction of five bridges carrying roads over railways in Scotland.
(7 & 8 Eliz. 2. c. xliv) Authorised widening of a railway bridge at Walmer, Kent; widening of the railway at Redhill; a deviation of the Southampton and Dorchester railway to allow the viaduct over the River Test to be rebuilt; construction of a length of railway at Seamer, Yorkshire; deviation of a length of railway at Lamesley to allow the Smithy Lane road bridge to be reconstructed; conversion of part of Woolley Tunnels on the Hallam Line into a cutting; construction of a length of railway at Colchester; conversion of part of the King's Cross Gasworks Tunnel into a cutting, with a bridge to carry Goods Way and an aqueduct to carry the Regent's Canal across the railway; a slipway at Fishbourne, Isle of Wight; jetties at Holyhead; and construction of a railway at Blaenau-Ffestiniog for access to the new Trawsfynydd nuclear power station.