British Transport Commission facts for kids

The British Transport Commission (BTC) was a large organization in Great Britain. It was created by the government after World War II in 1948. Its main job was to manage and connect all the public transport systems. This included railways, canals, and road transport for goods and people. The BTC aimed to make transport efficient, affordable, and well-connected across the country.

The BTC started operating on January 1, 1948. It took over many existing transport companies. This included the four biggest railway companies in Britain. It also took over 55 other railway businesses and 19 canal companies. Plus, 246 road haulage (goods transport) firms joined the BTC. Even the London Passenger Transport Board, which ran transport in London, became part of it.

What the BTC Owned and Did

The BTC was one of the biggest organizations in the world. It owned a huge amount of transport stuff! When it started, it had:

• 52,000 miles (84,000 km) of railway tracks.
• 1,260,000 railway vehicles for freight and services.
• 40,000 railway coaches for passengers.
• 20,148 locomotives (train engines).
• 93,000 road vehicles.
• 2,050 miles (3,300 km) of canals.
• 122 steamships.
• 54 hotels.
• 52,000 houses.

In 1953, the BTC had about 877,000 staff working for it.

How the BTC Was Organized

At first, the BTC didn't run the transport services directly. Instead, it had special groups called 'Executives'. These groups were in charge of different parts of the transport system. There were Executives for:

• Docks & Inland Waterways
• Hotels
• London Transport
• Railways
• Road Transport

The Railway Executive was known as "British Railways". Later, the Road Transport Executive split into two: Road Haulage (for goods) and Road Passenger (for people).

Different BTC Activities

The BTC was involved in many different areas:

• Advertising: British Transport Advertising sold ad space on vehicles and buildings.
• Buses: The BTC bought many bus companies, like the Tilling Group. It also made its own buses through companies like Bristol Commercial Vehicles. In London, the BTC ran both the red city buses and the green country buses.
• Docks: British Transport Docks managed 32 ports that used to belong to railway companies. Today, this is known as Associated British Ports.
• Films: The BTC even had its own film company, British Transport Films. They made movies about transport.
• Hotels & Catering: The BTC took over hotels and food services from the railway companies. These later became British Transport Hotels.
• Museums: The BTC collected old railway items and created museums. This led to the National Railway Museum in York and the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. They also set up the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum.
• Police: The British Transport Commission Police (BTCP) was formed. It combined police forces from different railway companies. This force is now called the British Transport Police.
• Railways: This included British Railways and the London Underground.
• Road Haulage: This was about transporting goods by road. It included companies like Pickfords and many smaller firms. These were later organized into British Road Services (BRS).
• Shipping: The BTC ran ship services that used to belong to railway companies. These ships went to places like France and Ireland.
• Tramways: The BTC also managed the tramways in South London. These were eventually stopped by 1952.
• Travel & Holidays: The BTC owned the travel agent company Thomas Cook & Son.
• Waterways: This included canals and rivers used for transport. Today, these are managed by the Canal and River Trust and Scottish Canals.

In 1953, the way the BTC was organized changed. Most of the 'Executives' were removed. The BTC then took more direct control. The railways were reorganized into six Area Railway Boards in 1955.

Why the BTC Ended

By the late 1950s, the BTC was having big money problems. This was mainly because the railways were losing money. People also said the BTC was too complicated and didn't connect the different transport systems well enough. For example, tickets and timetables were not always integrated.

Because of these problems, the government decided to close down the BTC. This happened under the Transport Act 1962. The BTC was replaced by five new organizations on January 1, 1963:

• British Railways Board (for railways, hotels, and some shipping)
• British Transport Docks Board (for docks)
• British Waterways Board (for canals and waterways)
• London Transport Board (for London buses and the London Underground)
• Transport Holding Company (for other interests like shipping, travel, and road transport)

Even though the BTC was abolished, the British Transport Police still exists today. The old BTC symbol is even on their police badge!

Leaders of the BTC

Here are the people who led the British Transport Commission:

• 1947 – 1953: Sir Cyril Hurcomb
• 1953 – 1961: Gen. Sir Brian Robertson, Bt.
• 1961 – 1965: Dr. Richard Beeching