Editing British Rail (section)

=== The Beeching reports ===
[[File:Beeching2.svg|thumb|right|upright|Network for development proposed in 1965 report ''"The Development of the Major Trunk Routes"'' (bold lines) {{legend-line|black solid 2px|To be kept}}{{legend-line|yellow solid 2px|To be closed}}]]
{{Main|Beeching cuts}}
During the late 1950s, railway finances continued to worsen; whilst passenger numbers grew after restoring many services reduced during the war, and in 1959 the government stepped in, limiting the amount the BTC could spend without ministerial authority. A White Paper proposing reorganisation was published in the following year, and a new structure was brought into effect by the Transport Act 1962.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=116 |title = Transport Act 1962 |author = Her Majesty's Government |year = 1962 |via = The Railways Archive |publisher = Her Majesty's Stationery Office |access-date = 25 November 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070819224356/http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=116 |archive-date = 19 August 2007 |url-status = live  }}</ref> This abolished the commission and replaced it by several separate boards. These included a British Railways Board, which took over on 1 January 1963.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1093 |title = nationalarchives.gov.uk |access-date = 17 March 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180317104642/http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1093 |archive-date = 17 March 2018 |url-status = live  }}</ref>
[[File:British Railways Delivery Truck London 1962.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Scammell Scarab]] truck in British Railways livery, London, 1962. British Railways was involved in numerous related businesses, including road haulage.]]

Following semi-secret discussions on railway finances by the government-appointed Stedeford Committee in 1961, one of its members, [[Richard Beeching|Dr Richard Beeching]], was offered the post of chairing the BTC while it lasted and then became the first Chairman of the British Railways Board.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/beeching_prog1.shtml |title = Back to Beeching |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091003010237/http://www0.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/beeching_prog1.shtml |archive-date = 3 October 2009 |publisher = [[BBC Radio 4]] |date = 27 February 2010}}</ref>

A major traffic census in April 1961, which lasted one week, was used in the compilation of a report on the future of the network. This report – ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' – was published by the BRB in March 1963.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=13 |title = The Reshaping of British Railways – Part 1: Report |author = British Transport Commission |year = 1963 |via = The Railways Archive |publisher = Her Majesty's Stationery Office |access-date = 25 November 2006 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20101019045735/http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=13 |archive-date = 19 October 2010 |url-status = live  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=35 |title = The Reshaping of British Railways—Part 2: Maps |author = British Transport Commission |year = 1963 |via = The Railways Archive |publisher = Her Majesty's Stationery Office |access-date = 25 November 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061026155439/http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=35 |archive-date = 26 October 2006 |url-status = live  }}</ref> The proposals, which became known as the [[Beeching cuts]], were dramatic. A third of all passenger services and more than 4,000 of the 7,000 stations would close. Beeching, who is thought to have been the author of most of the report, set out some dire figures. One third of the network was carrying just 1% of the traffic. Of the 18,000 passenger coaches, 6,000 were said to be used only 18 times a year or less. Although maintaining them cost between £3{{nbsp}}million and £4{{nbsp}}million a year, they earned only about £0.5{{nbsp}}million.<ref>Richard Beeching "The Reshaping of British Railways", p. 15.</ref>

Most of the closures were carried out between 1963 and 1970 (including some which were not listed in the report), while other suggested closures were not carried out. The closures were heavily criticised at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=236 |title = The Economics and Social Aspects of the Beeching Plan |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605021806/http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=236 |archive-date = 5 June 2011 |author = Lord Stoneham |publisher = House of Lords |via = railwaysarchive.co.uk  |date = 1963}}</ref> A small number of stations and lines closed under the Beeching programme have been reopened, with further reopenings proposed.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8099912.stm |title = Move to reinstate lost rail lines |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090617194906/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8099912.stm |archive-date=17 June 2009 |publisher = BBC News |date = 15 June 2009}}</ref>

A second Beeching report, "The Development of the Major Trunk Routes", followed in 1965.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=14 |title = The Development Of The Major Railway Trunk Routes |via = The Railways Archive |publisher = British Railways Board |date = February 1965 |access-date = 27 March 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120418212554/http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=14 |archive-date = 18 April 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work = The Times |title = The Second Stage of Dr. Beeching's Reorganisation Proposals |date = 17 February 1965 |page = 8}}</ref> This did not recommend closures as such but outlined a "network for development"; the fate of the rest of the network was not discussed in the report.