Railways Act 1993
| Act of Parliament | |
 Transport Act 1962 (Amendment) Act 1981 | |
Status: Amended | |
|---|---|
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Railways Act 1993 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. |
The Railways Act 1993 (c. 43) was introduced by
Background
While the administration of Margaret Thatcher had not done so, the Major government were determined to privatise British Rail. Railways in the 18th and 19th centuries had originally been built and run with private capital, but subsidised heavily by Parliament and communities who gave land for building through compulsory purchase. Rail was increasingly regulated, for instance under the Railways Act 1921, but was finally nationalised by the Transport Act 1947. Calls for reform of the nationalised system combined with people who believed only the private sector could run rail to ensure better service for passengers at cheaper cost. This led to the Railways Act 1993.
Contents
The legislation created a new regulatory regime for the railways, with the establishment of the
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2017) |
Consequences
The legislation enabled the
Railtrack
Railtrack collapsed in highly controversial circumstances in October 2001, and in October 2002 the company emerged from railway administration, a special state of insolvency for railway companies created by the Railways Act 1993, as Network Rail. Some commentators regard the creation of Network Rail and its taking maintenance in-house as the beginning of the reversal of rail privatisation.
Amendments
The legislation has been amended several times, most significantly by the Transport Act 2000, the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 and the Railways Act 2005.