British Rail 1974-1997

From Integration to Privatisation

Terry Gourvish

Unique account of the last fifteen years of nationalised railways in Britain
Based on unfettered access to British Rail's archives
Sheds light on the current problems of privatised railways

British Rail 1974-1997

From Integration to Privatisation

Terry Gourvish

Description

Britain's privatised railways continure to provoke debate about the organisation, financing, and development of the railway system. This important book, written by Britain's leading railway historian, provides an authoritative account of the progress made by British Rail prior to privatisation, and a unique insight into its difficult role in the government's privatisation planning from 1989. Based on free access to the British Railway Board's rich archives, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of the main themes: a process of continuous organisational change; the existence of a persistent government audit; perennial investment restraints; the directive to reduce operating costs and improve productivity; a concern with financial performance, technological change, service quality, and the management of industrial relations; and the Board's ambiguous position as the Conservative government pressed home its privatisation programme.

The introduction of sector management from 1982 and the 'Organising for Quality' initiative of the early 1990s, the Serpell Report on railway finances of 1983, the sale of the subsidiary businesses, the large-scale investment in the Channel Tunnel, and the obsession with safety which followed the Clapham accident of 1988, are all examined in depth. In the conclusion, the author reviews the successes and failures of the public sector, rehearses the arguments for and against integration in the railway industry, and contrasts what many have termed 'the golden age' of the mid-late 1980s, when the British Rail-government relationship was arguably at its most effective, with what has happened since 1994.

British Rail 1974-1997

From Integration to Privatisation

Terry Gourvish

Introduction: British Rail After Twenty-Five Years of Nationalisation
Part I: Railways Under Labour, 1974-1979
2.: Operating the 1974 Railways Act: Financial Results, Organisational Responses, and Relations with Government
3.: Operations, Productivity, and Technological Change
Part II: The Thatcher Revolution? British Rail in the 1980s
4.: Sector Management and New Performance Targets
5.: The Serpell Report
6.: Cost Control and Investment in the Post-Serpell Railway
7.: Selling the Subsidiary Businesses
Part II: On the Threshold of Privatisation: Running the Railways, 1990-1994
8.: Business Performance, Pricing, and Productivity
9.: Investment and the Channel Tunnel
10.: Safety
Part IV: Responding to Privatisation, 1981-1997
11.: The Privatisation Debate and 'Organising for Quality'
12.: Reorganising for Privatisation, 1992-1994
13.: Endgame, 1994-1997
Appendices

British Rail 1974-1997

From Integration to Privatisation

Terry Gourvish

Author Information

Terry Gourvish, Director, Business History Unit, London School of Economics

British Rail 1974-1997

From Integration to Privatisation

Terry Gourvish

Reviews and Awards

"British Rail 1974-1997 is a fascinating work. Its length and detail constitute a rare, thorough, and largely unbiased examination of policy formulation over an extended period for a major national railway system." - The Journal of Transport History

"To this chronicle, Dr Gourvish adds thoughtful and persuasive evaluations, well grounded in business organisation and economic theory. This is an extraordinary resource for scholars in business and transport history." - The Journal of Transport History

"Terry Gourvish is the recognised authority on the history of British Railways as a nationalised industry, and the expectations of readers familiar with his previous work will not be disappointed. The book will be a definitive scholarly source of reference for decades to come." - Business History

"... important insights into the informal operations of the Board." - Business History

"If you want to understand how British Rail was shaped as an organisation and business in the 20 or so years before privatisation, this is the book to read." - Railnews,

"This is a truly monumental work. It is Gourvish's analysis of the issues that gives the book its special interest and authority." - Grahame Boyes, Journal of the Railway and Canal Historical Society

"This book is a must-read and a must-have." - Roger Ford, Modern Railways