British Transport Commission
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The British Transport Commission 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. The BTC came into operation on 1st January 1948 under the terms of the Transport Act 1947. The Commission did not, however, directly operate transport services - these were the responsibility of the Commission's Executives. The Railway Executive traded as "British Railways".
The Commission was also permitted to "secure the provision" of road passenger services, although it did not have powers of compulsory purchase of bus operators. Nevertheless, the Tilling Group sold its bus interests to the BTC in September 1948, as did the Red and White Group in 1950.
The first chairman of the BTC was Lord Hurcomb.
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 therefore abolished by Harold Macmillan's Conservative government under the Transport Act, 1962, with its railway responsibilities being transferred to the British Railways Board, its waterways responsibilities to the British Waterways Board, its road passenger operations to the Transport Holding Company and road haulage to British Road Services (BRS).
The British Transport Museum was at Clapham, south London. It closed in the early 1970s and was superceded by the National Railway Museum at York and the London Transport Museum (now in Covent Garden).
The BTC had its own police force - the British Transport Police - which was formed chiefly by the amalgamation of the various railway constabularies. Notwithstanding the abolition of the BTC, the British Transport Police continues to exist. The BTC heraldic shield is still displayed on the BTP badge.
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