Railway nationalization
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Railway nationalization refers to the act of nationalizing rail transport assets, taking them into public ownership. Several countries have nationalized part or all of their railway system at different times.
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[edit] United Kingdom
Starting in 1923, there were four major British railway companies: The Great Western Railway, the Southern Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway, and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. In the United Kingdom during World War II, the railways were taken into state control. They were heavily damaged by enemy attacks and were run down aiding the war effort. After the war, the Transport Act 1947 provided for nationalizing the four major railways. On January 1, 1948, the railways were nationalized and British Rail was created. The privatisation of British Rail occurred between 1994 and 1997, wherein a complicated privatization took place to a series of private sector operators under contracts. In 2001 the track operator Railtrack went bankrupt; the replacement, Network Rail, is a quasi-state-owned entity.
[edit] Japan
In Japan, the Railway Nationalization Act of 1906 brought most of the country's private railway lines under public control. Between 1906 and 1907, 2,812 miles of track were purchased from seventeen private railway companies. The national railway network grew to about 4,400 miles of track, and private railways were relegated to providing local and regional services.
[edit] United States
After the United States entered World War I in 1917, the country's railways proved inadequate to the task of supplying the nation's war effort. On December 26, 1917, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson nationalized most American railways under the Federal Possession and Control Act, creating the United States Railroad Administration (USRA), which took control of the railways on December 28, 1917. The USRA introduced several reforms to increase efficiency and reduce costs, including standardizing rolling stock and steam locomotive designs. The war ended in 1918, and on March 1, 1920, the railways were handed back to their original owners.
[edit] Canada
In Canada, the government took control of several railways that fell into bankruptcy following World War I, including the Canadian Northern Railway, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and the Grand Trunk Railway. On December 20, 1918, the federal government created the Canadian National Railways (CNR), and placed the companies that it took control of under the CNR. Canadian National Railway was privatized in 1995.
[edit] France
In 1878, the French governement took over ten small failing railway companies and established the Chemin de Fer de l'État. The company absorbed the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest in 1908. In 1938, the French state French state took 51% ownership of the newly formed SNCF merging of France's five main railways (100% in 1982).
