32:
215:
as a mutually corrupting influence between railway and political interests. In his 9 March 1920 Cabinet paper, "Future
Transport Policy", he proposed five English groups (Southern, Western, North Western, Eastern and North Eastern), a London passenger group, and separate single groupings for Scotland and Ireland.
214:
executive. Geddes favoured using amalgamations to create privately owned regional monopolies, and suggested increased worker participation from pre-war levels. Geddes viewed the pre-war competition as wasteful, but was opposed to nationalisation, on the grounds that it led to poor management, as well
278:
Part 1 of the act dealt with the terms and procedure of the amalgamations of railway companies. The constituents and subsidiaries of the four groups were set out in the first schedule of the act. Companies that had not formed an amalgamation scheme by 1923 would be amalgamated under terms decided by
273:
With a view to the reorganisation and more efficient and economical working of the railway system of Great
Britain railways shall be formed into groups in accordance with the provisions of this Act, and the principal railway companies in each group shall be amalgamated, and other companies absorbed
248:
After consideration of the
Railways Bill, it was decided that the Scottish companies, originally destined to be a separate group, would be included with the Midland/North Western and Eastern groups respectively, in order that the three main Anglo-Scottish trunk routes should each be owned by one
49:
An Act to provide for the reorganisation and further regulation of
Railways and the discharge of liabilities arising in connection with the possession of Railways, and otherwise to amend the Law relating to Railways, and to extend the duration of the Rates Advisory
245:(Cmd. 1292), suggested four English regional groups and two Scottish groups. Scottish railway companies wanted to be incorporated into British groupings, and the RCA proposed five British regional monopolies including the Scottish businesses.
293:
Parts 5 and 6 dealt with light railways and general clauses respectively, with the general clauses of part 6 including the requirement of the railway companies to provide the
Minister of Transport with statistic and financial reports.
155:". The intention was to reduce inefficient internal competition between railway companies, and retain some of the benefits which the country had derived from a government-controlled railway system during and after the
394:
171:
had been built up by more than a hundred railway companies, large and small, and often, particularly locally, in competition with each other. The parallel railways of the East
Midlands, and the rivalry between the
151:
enacted by the
British government, and was intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, by "grouping" them into four large companies, dubbed the "
230:
787). That suggested the formation of six or seven regional companies, and suggested worker participation on the board of directors of the company. The white paper was opposed by the
191:
had been considered, and the
Railways Act 1921 is sometimes seen as a precursor to that, but the concept was rejected, and nationalisation was subsequently carried out after the
320:
The act took effect on 1 January 1923. On that date most of the mergers took place, although some had taken place during the previous year. The
February 1923 issue of
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287:
168:
426:
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234:(RCA) and by MPs representing railway companies' interests. The move to greater worker participation was strongly opposed by the RCA, but supported by the
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was given. The state control of the railways which began under war conditions during World War I was to continue for a further two years under the
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Outline of
Proposals as to the Future Organisation of Transport Undertakings in Great Britain and their Relation to the State
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remained outside the Big Four, continuing to be operated jointly by the successor companies. They included the
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238:. Worker-directors were not included in the final act, being replaced by agreed negotiating mechanisms.
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E McGaughey, 'Votes at Work in Britain: Shareholder Monopolisation and the ‘Single Channel’ (2018)
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E McGaughey, 'Votes at Work in Britain: Shareholder Monopolisation and the ‘Single Channel’ (2018)
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joint line in eastern England, the largest of the joint railways in terms of route mileage; the
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Institute of Railway Studies and Transport History (University of York) (February 2003),
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List of transport undertakings transferred to the London Passenger Transport Board
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768:. 3 August 1920. col. 711–713. Archived from the original on 19 July 2009
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made various amendments, which were accepted by the Commons on 19 August, and
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took place on 9 August 1921, and was passed with a majority of 237 to 62. The
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The four groups listed in the act, later known as the "Big Four" companies:
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the railways were under state control, which continued until 1921. Complete
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of 1914–1918. The provisions of the act took effect from the start of 1923.
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amalgamated them, along with London area bus and tram operations, into the
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On Different Tracks: Designing Railway Regulation in Britain and Germany
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Part 2 dealt with powers and regulation of the railway companies by the
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751:, retrospective on Railway Gazette articles relating to the grouping
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366:, largest in terms of both passenger and freight traffic; and the
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412:, who had been instrumental in securing the necessary exemption.
572:, Greenwood Publishing Group, pp.40-42, also Note 40. p.50,
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at Hastings, were two examples of such local competition.
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Sir Eric Geddes: Business and Government in War and Peace
525:
Fire and Steam: A New History of the Railways in Britain
427:
List of railway companies involved in the 1923 Grouping
269:
The opening paragraph of the Railways Act 1921 states:
437:
History of rail transport in Great Britain 1923–1947
16:
Legislation rationalising the British Railway System
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The North Eastern, Eastern, and East Scottish Group
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The North Western, Midland, and West Scottish Group
377:The London suburban railway companies, such as the
290:, and part 4 with employee wages and conditions.
796:
545:, Manchester University Press, pp. 88–90,
379:Underground Electric Railways Company of London
744:"The Railways Act and the Grouping, 1920-1923"
748:IRS&TH: Railway Readings, www.york.ac.uk
713:A History of British Labour Law, 1867-1945
609:A History of British Labour Law, 1867-1945
202:The form of the act was developed by the
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670:Portrait of the Cheshire Lines Committee
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647:"August : The Railways Act, 1921",
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178:London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
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825:Transport policy in the United Kingdom
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121:Text of statute as originally enacted
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387:London Passenger Transport Act 1933
249:company for their full length: the
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218:Geddes' proposals became the 1920
128:Revised text of statute as amended
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368:Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
672:. Ian Allan Limited. p. 7.
479:London and North Eastern Railway
391:London Passenger Transport Board
352:London and North Eastern Railway
37:Parliament of the United Kingdom
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761:Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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374:line in south-western England.
274:in manner provided by this Act.
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358:(CLC), LMS/LNER joint line in
315:Ministry of Transport Act 1919
232:Railway Companies' Association
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400:Other exempted railways were
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257:by the former group, and the
756:"The State And The Railways"
693:aniels, P.W.; Warnes, A.M.,
284:Railway and Canal Commission
143:. c. 55), also known as the
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243:Memorandum on Railways Bill
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79:Territorial extent
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212:North Eastern Railway
204:Minister of Transport
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445:The Southern Group
301:of the act in the
197:Transport Act 1947
141:11 & 12 Geo. 5
61:11 & 12 Geo. 5
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311:royal assent
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279:a tribunal.
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195:, under the
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145:Grouping Act
144:
136:
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104:Commencement
94:Royal assent
18:
220:white paper
208:Eric Geddes
183:During the
72:Eric Geddes
799:Categories
705:References
552:0719023459
360:Lancashire
50:Committee.
45:Long title
782:cite book
772:13 August
157:Great War
147:, was an
416:See also
381:and the
364:Cheshire
253:and the
176:and the
153:Big Four
56:Citation
265:The act
163:History
63:. c. 55
719:
676:
615:
576:
549:
481:(LNER)
477:, see
467:, see
457:, see
447:, see
488:Notes
471:(LMS)
461:(GWR)
393:(see
88:Dates
788:link
774:2023
717:ISBN
674:ISBN
613:ISBN
574:ISBN
547:ISBN
451:(SR)
362:and
297:The
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