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39-621: The railways came into public ownership as a result of the Transport Act 1947 . When they were privatised in 1997, operational infrastructure became the responsibility of Railtrack and then Network Rail . The Historical Railways Estate (formerly known as the Closed-line Estate and the Burdensome Estate) is the land and infrastructure associated with closed lines. This transferred to BRB (Residuary) Limited , which

78-616: A fraction of the infilling or demolition work. Among the structures was Queensbury Tunnel in West Yorkshire which had already been partially infilled and which Highways England proposed to abandon despite local plans to incorporate it into the proposed Bradford-Halifax Greenway. The issue came to a head in May/June 2021 when a bridge carrying the B6259 road over the dismantled Eden Valley Railway , close to Musgrave railway station ,

117-653: A later date. The same section allowed the number and names of these executives to be varied as necessary. The road haulage industry bitterly opposed nationalisation, and found allies in the Conservative Party . Once the Conservatives were elected in 1951 , road haulage was soon privatised and deregulated, but the railways and buses remained regulated, and were left under the control of the British Transport Commission. Following

156-800: A new way to determine the nature of major works to the disused railway structures it manages; proposals will be reviewed by the company's Stakeholder Advisory Forum which includes representatives from the Department for Transport, Sustrans , Railway Paths Ltd, the Railway Heritage Trust, the HRE Group, the Heritage Railway Association , Natural England , Historic England (also representing Cadw ), Historic Scotland and ADEPT. Transport Act 1947 The Transport Act 1947 ( 10 & 11 Geo. 6 . c. 49)

195-529: A number of executives set up to manage specified sections of the industry under schemes of delegation. The Act was part of the nationalisation agenda of Clement Attlee 's Labour government, and took effect from 1 January 1948. In Northern Ireland , the Ulster Transport Authority acted in a similar manner. The government also nationalised other means of transport such as: canals, sea and shipping ports, bus companies, and eventually, in

234-537: A result of doubts about the desirability of dependence on the private car, following the 1973 oil crisis , and the almost total lack of specific provision for cyclists in most British cities, in contrast to some other European countries. A decade earlier, the Beeching Axe closed many British railways that the government considered underused and too costly. One such railway was the former Midland Railway line between central Bristol and Bath , closed in favour of

273-786: A safe condition, but has worked with other organisations to restore and repurpose some. Examples include Castlefield Viaduct in Manchester, which the National Trust is converting into an elevated park , inspired by the High Line in New York City. Between 2013 and 2021, the Highways Agency/Highways England infilled 51 structures at a cost of £8.01M and, in January 2021, it was revealed that

312-467: Is the planned section of the Bodmin & Wenford Railway between Boscarne Junction and Wadebridge . In 2000, requests by EWS and English China Clays to reopen former rail links for freight paths such as the former Weedon to Leamington Spa line were objected to by the charity. Sustrans refused to support the application unless the rail promoter provided an alternative cycle track; EWS responded it

351-631: The Big Lottery 's 'Living Landmarks; The People's Millions' competition, following a public vote. In 2015, Sustrans ran the Campaign for Safer Streets, which encouraged people to write to Prime Minister David Cameron to encourage him to commit to funding safer walking and cycling routes to schools. In October 2015, Sustrans released its first Bike Life report. It was a survey of residents in seven UK cities, undertaken in conjunction with local councils and transport authorities, attempting to assess

390-806: The Second World War , the Big Four railway companies of the grouping era were effectively bankrupt, and the Act was intended to bring about some stability in transport policy. As part of that policy, British Railways was established to run the railways. (The Transport Act 1948 later transferred the lines in Northern Ireland formerly of the LMS, the Northern Counties Committee , to the Ulster Transport Authority .) Shares in

429-601: The 2004/05 financial year, its income was £23.6 million: £2.1 million from supporters' donations, £8.5 million from the Department for Transport and a further £2.5 million from the National Opportunities Fund specifically for the Safe Routes projects. Additional funding comes from charitable grants and trusts, local government, and the sales of maps and books. In Scotland in 2020, in response to

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468-645: The COVID-19 pandemic, £30 million of Spaces for People funding was granted to Sustrans by the Scottish Government to assist local authorities and statutory bodies in Scotland to provide safe walking and cycling infrastructure. The National Cycle Network was officially opened in June 2000, when 5,000 mi (8,000 km) had been completed, although some routes had been open for over a decade. In 2005

507-645: The Cycling Embassy of Great Britain criticised Sustrans for the extensive use of "shared use" provision—in which cycle routes are placed on pavements and footpaths without separation from pedestrians—in designs that Sustrans prepared for London. In 2016, the University of the West of England 's Centre for Transport and Society identified shared use designs, and in particular Sustrans Design Guidance which encouraged such designs, because shared-use paths can offer

546-429: The application, the council's planning committee unanimously refused retrospective planning permission on 16 June 2022. Restoration of Great Musgrave bridge to its former condition, together with additional strengthening, could cost an estimated £431,000, in addition to the £124,000 spent on the initial infilling work. National Highways agreed to abide by an enforcement notice issued by Eden District Council which requires

585-490: The company had plans to demolish or infill a further 134 bridges and tunnels. This provoked opposition on the grounds that many of the structures had some potential to be repurposed for railway reopening schemes or active travel routes. No evaluation was made of their heritage or environmental value. Campaigners claimed that the proposed action was disproportionate as most of the condemned structures presented no significant risks and, in many cases, appropriate maintenance would cost

624-531: The country. Many civil engineers expressed shame and embarrassment at the negative impact on their professional reputation. The DfT commissioned a review from the walking and cycling charity Sustrans , which was published in March 2022 and identified viable reuses for two thirds of the structures affected as part of the National Cycle Network or in local schemes. National Highways has developed

663-472: The current state of cycling in the UK. It covered areas such as safety, provision of cycling infrastructure and people's attitudes towards cycling. In 2020–2021, Sustrans' executive team had a combined payroll cost of £715,000 , with its CEO receiving over £110,000 . The National Cycle Network was the first project to receive Millennium Commission funding in 1995. Sustrans has many sources of funding, and in

702-580: The face of much opposition, road haulage. All of these transport modes, including British Railways, were brought under the control of a new body, the British Transport Commission (BTC). The BTC was a part of a highly ambitious scheme to create a publicly owned, centrally planned, integrated transport system. In theory, the BTC was to co-ordinate different modes of transport, to co-operate and supplement each other instead of competing. This

741-507: The figure had risen to over 420,000,000 journeys. The data collected by Sustrans to compile monitoring reports, from traffic counters and user surveys, showed that National Cycle Network usage is predominantly urban and on traffic-free sections. Furthermore, surveys show that only 35% of usage on urban sections of the NCN is for leisure purposes. In 2018, Sustrans published the "National Cycle Network Review: Paths for Everyone" report which reviewed

780-434: The guaranteed income provided by the wartime government and the temporary surge in rail traffic caused by the restrictions on other forms of transport during and immediately after the war. The exchange of potentially worthless private stock for government gilts based on a valuation during an artificially created boom could thus be considered a very good deal. Despite nationalisation and the creation of British Railways (BR),

819-646: The infill to be removed and the surrounding landscape restored to its condition prior to the infilling works. This notice became effective on 11 October 2022 and the work must be completed within 12 months. Work was under way in August 2023 to remove the infill material. The backlash against the Great Musgrave infill scheme became national news and, in July 2021, the government intervened to pause infilling and demolition schemes at dozens of other railway bridges across

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858-725: The more direct, former Great Western Railway between the cities. Led by John Grimshaw , Cyclebag leased part of the old route and together with many volunteers and the help of Avon County Council (Bristol and Bath were then part of the County of Avon) turned it into its first route, the Bristol & Bath Railway Path . In the early 1980s, when unemployment rose, the organisation took advantage of government schemes to provide temporary employment to build similar "green routes". British Waterways and Cyclebag collaborated to improve towpaths along some canals , which resulted in increased use of

897-596: The network is on previously existing and mostly minor roads, in which motor traffic will be encountered. In Scotland, Sustrans has established partnership teams, embedding officers in local councils as well as NHS Scotland , the Scottish Environment Protection Agency , Scottish Natural Heritage , and Transport for Edinburgh . Sustrans was formed in Bristol in July 1977 as Cyclebag by a group of cyclists and environmentalists , as

936-407: The network reached 10,000 mi (16,000 km). In urban areas, almost 20% of the network is free from motor traffic, though these sections can account for up to 80% of use. The more rural parts of the network see less motor traffic and are used primarily for leisure cycling. Sustrans estimated that in 2005, the network carried 232,000,000 journeys by all classes of non-motorized users. In 2010,

975-550: The quality and usage of the Network and set out a vision for its future. It estimated that in 2017–2018, 4.4 million users carried out 786 million cycling and walking trips on the Network. Sustrans has opponents within organisations that wish to reduce road haulage and motor travel by promoting the expansion of the modern railway network. It has also received criticism from members of the heritage railway movement. It has been accused of being uncompromising on route sharing; an example

1014-466: The rail system changed little, and was left in much the same way as it had been before nationalisation. BR was divided into six administrative regions: Eastern , London Midland , North Eastern , Scottish , Southern and Western . These closely mirrored the regions covered by the former companies in England and Wales, although with the addition of a separate Scottish Region. The North Eastern Region

1053-498: The railway companies were exchanged for British Transport Stock , with a guaranteed 3% return chargeable to the BTC, and were repayable after forty years. The level of compensation paid has proved to be a matter of historical controversy. Some commentators, including The Economist and the London Stock Exchange stated that because the government based the levels of compensation for former railway shareholders on

1092-467: The same date. Sustrans Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network . Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network , which has created 12,763 miles (20,540 kilometres) of signed cycle routes throughout the United Kingdom, including 5,273 mi (8,486 km) of traffic-free paths. The rest of

1131-509: The structures, 2,243, are in England; 608 are in Scotland, and 379 are in Wales; 77 of the structures are listed buildings . Many structures that were once part of the HRE have been transferred to other organisations to be repurposed, often as part of cycling and walking routes. One such structure is Bennerley Viaduct , now owned by Railway Paths Ltd. NH is funded only to maintain the structures in

1170-401: The towpaths, especially by cyclists. In 1983, the charity Sustrans was founded. It had 11 directors (trustees, members, and board members of the charity) chosen by the existing board. The executive board was composed of the chief executive, John Grimshaw, and one of the two company secretaries. By the early 1990s, Sustrans had a growing number of supporters, and the network of national routes

1209-678: The two organisations who wrote a letter of complaint to Nick Harris, the company’s Acting Chief Executive. The action provoked a public outcry. Lord Faulkner , vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Industrial Heritage, raised the matter in the House of Lords , describing it as "cultural vandalism". Highways England was required to apply for retrospective planning permission for the infilling works, to which Eden District Council received 911 objections and two expressions of support. Advised by planning officers to reject

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1248-404: The valuation of their shares in 1946 (when the whole railway infrastructure was in a run-down and dilapidated state because of war damage and minimal maintenance) the railways were acquired comparatively cheaply. However, others point out that three of the Big Four were effectively bankrupt before the onset of war in 1939 and were only saved from the ignominy of actually declaring bankruptcy by

1287-535: Was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Under the terms of the Act, the railway network, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were nationalised and came under the administration of the British Transport Commission . The BTC was responsible to the Ministry of Transport for general transport policy , which it exercised principally through financial control of

1326-440: Was an uneconomic provision for both reopening and building replacement pathway expenses. Sustrans have occasionally been criticised by other cycling organisations and activists over allegedly giving approval to cycle facilities regarded by critics as inadequate or dangerous, allowing local councils and similar bodies to reject criticism by pointing out that Sustrans have approved of the design being questioned. In 2013, for example,

1365-522: Was dissolved in 2013, and the HRE was transferred to the Highways Agency, which later became Highways England (HE) and then National Highways (NH). NH states that the HRE comprises 2,055 bridges, 152 tunnels, 93 viaducts and aqueducts , 643 partially dismantled structures, 181 earthworks , and 106 other sites. The miscellaneous sites include plots of land, former roads, and monuments or memorials built by railway companies. The vast majority of

1404-587: Was emerging. In 1995, it was granted £43.5 million from the Millennium Lottery Fund to extend the National Cycle Network to smaller towns and rural areas, as well as launch the "Safe Routes to Schools" project, based on earlier state projects in Denmark. The five-year project, Connect2 was launched in 2006, and it aimed at improving local travel in 79 communities by creating new walking and cycling routes. In 2007, it received £50 million from

1443-712: Was eventually amalgamated with the Eastern Region, reflecting the English operations of the 1923–1947 London and North Eastern Railway . Fifteen years later, under the Transport Act 1962 , Harold Macmillan 's Conservative government dissolved the British Transport Commission and created the British Railways Board to take over railway duties from 1 January 1963 and the Transport Holding Company to take over bus operations from

1482-463: Was infilled with more than 1,600 tonnes of aggregate and concrete. The structure spanned a five-mile section of trackbed which local rail enthusiasts hoped to restore, linking the Eden Valley and Stainmore railways to create an 11-mile tourist line between Appleby and Kirkby Stephen . Highways England claimed to have consulted both railways prior to the work taking place, but this was denied by

1521-822: Was to be achieved by means of fare and rate adjustments. In practice, very little integration between modes ever materialised. Section 5 of the Act provided for the setting up of a number of executives within the BTC: the Railway Executive ; the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive ; the Road Transport Executive ; and the London Transport Executive were to be created immediately, with the Hotels Executive to be set up at

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