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Railways Act 1921
 | |
| Long title | 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 Committee. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 11 & 12 Geo. 5. c. 55 |
| Introduced by | Eric Geddes |
| Territorial extent | Great Britain |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 19 August 1921 |
| Commencement | 1 January 1923 |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The Railways Act 1921 (11 & 12 Geo. 5. c. 55),[1] also known as the Grouping Act, was an act of Parliament 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 "Big Four".[2] The system of the "Big Four" lasted until the nationalization of the railways in 1947.[3]
During World War I, the British government took control, although not ownership, of British railways.[3][4] 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 the war. The provisions of the act took effect from the start of 1923.
- ^ Railways Act 1921, HMSO, 19 August 1921
- ^ Acworth, W. M. (1923). "Grouping Under the Railways Act, 1921". The Economic Journal. 33 (129): 19–38. doi:10.2307/2222914. ISSN 0013-0133.
- ^ a b Channon, Geoffrey (1981). "The Great Western Railway under the British Railways Act of 1921". The Business History Review. 55 (2): 188–216. doi:10.2307/3114895. ISSN 0007-6805.
- ^ Sherrington, C. E. R. (1924). "Some Economic Results of the British Railways Act of 1921". The American Economic Review. 14 (2): 227–239. ISSN 0002-8282.
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