Railway Regulation Act 1844
Encyclopedia
The Railway Regulation Act 1844 was a British
Act of Parliament
introduced as a means of providing a minimum standard for rail
passenger travel.
". During that year, a select committee had produced six reports on the railways, at the behest of the Board of Trade
under its President, W.E.Gladstone
.
The original bill had been far-reaching for its time - even proposing state ownership of the railways. Although nothing so revolutionary passed into law, it is mainly remembered for its provisions that:
In return the railway operator was exempted from paying duty on third class passengers. The price was, in fact, not cheap for the ordinary working people of the day. An additional requirement however was that they should be allowed to take up to 56 lb (25.4 kg). of luggage with them, free of charge. It helped those who needed to move in search of work thus, as Smith points out, its benefit was to improve the labour supply.
s. The reason for the reluctance was a fear of losing revenue if passengers who could afford to travel in second class switched to third class if facilities there became bearable.. Some companies continued to run more inferior third or fourth class trains in addition to the minimum standard parliamentary train.
It was the Midland Railway
that broke the mould by providing three compartments, glazed windows and an oil lamp in the roof, though this caused much resentment amongst its competitors. Finally in 1875 the standard of third class was upgraded and second class was abolished - by simply relabelling the coaches. It is difficult to appreciate, in this day and age, the scandal this caused. It was suggested that the railway was encouraging the working class to have ideas above its station in life - that it would bring "the 'lower orders' nearer to equality with their 'betters' " Sir James Allport, general manager of the Midland Railway, in a speech said "If there is one part of my public life on which I look back with more satisfaction, it with reference to the boon we conferred on third-class travellers..."
In time all the other railways followed suit, and because they were legally obliged to provide third class, the oddity of first and third, but no second - except on boat trains, persisted into the twentieth century, until third class was eventually rebranded in 1956, and then further rebranded as 'standard' to remove negative associations.
See also Cheap Trains Act 1883
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
introduced as a means of providing a minimum standard for rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
passenger travel.
The prior situation
Until that time there were three or more classes of carriage provided, with third class usually being no more than an open goods wagon, often without seats, sometimes referred to sarcastically as "StanhopesStanhope (carriage)
The stanhope was a gig, buggy or light phaeton, typically having a high seat and closed back. It was named after Captain Hon. Henry FitzRoy Stanhope The stanhope was a gig, buggy or light phaeton, typically having a high seat and closed back. It was named after Captain Hon. Henry FitzRoy Stanhope...
". During that year, a select committee had produced six reports on the railways, at the behest of the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
under its President, W.E.Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
.
Contents of the Act
These led to legislation entitled in full An Act to attach certain Conditions to the construction of future Railways authorised by any Act of the present or succeeding sessions of Parliament; and for other Purposes in relation to Railways, usually referred to, in short, as "Gladstone's Act" or the "1844 Railway Regulation Act".The original bill had been far-reaching for its time - even proposing state ownership of the railways. Although nothing so revolutionary passed into law, it is mainly remembered for its provisions that:
- One train with provision for carrying third-class passengers, should run on every line, every day, in each direction, stopping at every station.
- The fare should be 1d. (½p) per mile.
- Its average speed should not be less than 12 miles per hour (19.3 km/h).
- Third-class passengers should be protected from the weather and be provided with seats.
In return the railway operator was exempted from paying duty on third class passengers. The price was, in fact, not cheap for the ordinary working people of the day. An additional requirement however was that they should be allowed to take up to 56 lb (25.4 kg). of luggage with them, free of charge. It helped those who needed to move in search of work thus, as Smith points out, its benefit was to improve the labour supply.
Rail company reaction
The reaction of many railway companies was a grudging acceptance of the letter, if not the spirit of the legislation, and so they provided the minimum one train per day with facilities for third class passengers at a useless time of day such as very early in the morning or very late at night. These were the original Parliamentary trainParliamentary train
A Parliamentary train or Parly is, nowadays, a British English term for a train that operates a Parliamentary service - that is to say a token service to a given station, thus maintaining a legal fiction that either the station or, in some cases, the whole line is open, although in reality the...
s. The reason for the reluctance was a fear of losing revenue if passengers who could afford to travel in second class switched to third class if facilities there became bearable.. Some companies continued to run more inferior third or fourth class trains in addition to the minimum standard parliamentary train.
It was the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
that broke the mould by providing three compartments, glazed windows and an oil lamp in the roof, though this caused much resentment amongst its competitors. Finally in 1875 the standard of third class was upgraded and second class was abolished - by simply relabelling the coaches. It is difficult to appreciate, in this day and age, the scandal this caused. It was suggested that the railway was encouraging the working class to have ideas above its station in life - that it would bring "the 'lower orders' nearer to equality with their 'betters' " Sir James Allport, general manager of the Midland Railway, in a speech said "If there is one part of my public life on which I look back with more satisfaction, it with reference to the boon we conferred on third-class travellers..."
In time all the other railways followed suit, and because they were legally obliged to provide third class, the oddity of first and third, but no second - except on boat trains, persisted into the twentieth century, until third class was eventually rebranded in 1956, and then further rebranded as 'standard' to remove negative associations.
See also Cheap Trains Act 1883
Cheap Trains Act 1883
The Cheap Trains Act 1883 marked the beginning of worker's train services. It removed the passenger duty on any train charging less than a penny a mile and obliged the railway companies to operate a larger number of cheap trains....
.