London's transport history from 1933
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The transport of London has, since 1933, been under a single control with various names. That control, generally speaking, bears responsibility for its underground railways, its buses and coaches and, initially, for its trams also.
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London Passenger Transport Board 1933-1948
The origin statutory body was set up by Act of Parliament on 13 April 1933 under the then Transport Minister Herbert Morrison. On 1 July 1933 the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) came into being, covering the "London Passenger Transport Area", (an area within a radius of 30 miles from Charing Cross, extending from Baldock in the north, to Brentwood in the east, Horsham in the south and High Wycombe in the west): in other words, beyond the boundaries of Greater London.
LPTB responsibilities
Under the Act the LPTB became responsible for the following concerns:
- Railways
- Tramways:
- London County Council; Barking; Bexley; Croydon; Dartford; East Ham; Ilford; Leyton; Walthamstow; West Ham; London United: Metropolitan Electric; South Metropolitan Electric
- Omnibuses and Coaches
- London General; London General Country Services; Overground; Tilling & British Automobile Traction; Green Line Coaches
The LPTB was also empowered to enter into co-ordination agreements with the main line companies concerning their London area suburban services.
In all some 92 transport and ancillary undertakings, with a total capital of c£120 million, came under the authority of the LPTB. From the date of transfer, central buses, trolleybuses, underground trains and trams were all painted what had been the “Underground” and “London General” red; country service buses and coaches, green. All coaches became “Green Line“. The word “Underground“ and the name of each line were to appear at all stations. The name “UndergrounD” (with large initial and final letters) was said to have been coined by Albert Henry Stanley in 1908 when he was General Manager of the United Electric group of railways.
London's transport 1948-2005
During this period the bodies controlling the transport of London have had a great many changes, reflecting the political changes of the day:
- 1948: LPTB responsibilities passed to the London Transport Executive (LTE), part of the British Transport Commission, which also controlled British Railways
- 1963: LTE gave way to the London Transport Board, reporting directly to the Minister of Transport
- 1 January 1970: The tube network and the Greater London area bus network passed to the London Transport Executive, reporting to the Greater London Council
- 1984: London Regional Transport (LRT) was created, reporting to the Secretary of State for Transport. The London Regional Transport Act contained provision for setting up subsidiary companies to run the Underground and bus services
- 1985: the incorporation of London Underground Limited (LUL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of LRT.
- 1988: ten individual line business units were created to manage the tube network
- 2000: Transport for London (TfL) set up when the Mayor of London and the London Assembly were established.
- 2003: LUL transferred to TfL when the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) agreement was completed.
See also
External links
- Transport for London website (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/)
- London's Transport Museum (http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/)
- London's Transport Museum Photographic Collection (http://photos.ltmcollection.org/)