British Rail 1974-1997: From Integration to Privatisation

Author:   Terry Gourvish (, Director, Business History Unit, London School of Economics)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
ISBN:  

9780199250059


Pages:   736
Publication Date:   28 March 2002
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
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British Rail 1974-1997: From Integration to Privatisation


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Overview

Britain's privatised railways continure to provoke debate about the organisation, financing, and development of the railway system. This important book, written by Britain's leading railway historian, provides an authoritative account of the progress made by British Rail prior to privatisation, and a unique insight into its difficult role in the government's privatisation planning from 1989. Based on free access to the British Railway Board's rich archives, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of the main themes: a process of continuous organisational change; the existence of a persistent government audit; perennial investment restraints; the directive to reduce operating costs and improve productivity; a concern with financial performance, technological change, service quality, and the management of industrial relations; and the Board's ambiguous position as the Conservative government pressed home its privatisation programme. The introduction of sector management from 1982 and the 'Organising for Quality' initiative of the early 1990s, the Serpell Report on railway finances of 1983, the sale of the subsidiary businesses, the large-scale investment in the Channel Tunnel, and the obsession with safety which followed the Clapham accident of 1988, are all examined in depth. In the conclusion, the author reviews the successes and failures of the public sector, rehearses the arguments for and against integration in the railway industry, and contrasts what many have termed 'the golden age' of the mid-late 1980s, when the British Rail-government relationship was arguably at its most effective, with what has happened since 1994.

Full Product Details

Author:   Terry Gourvish (, Director, Business History Unit, London School of Economics)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.70cm , Height: 4.10cm , Length: 23.60cm
Weight:   1.144kg
ISBN:  

9780199250059


ISBN 10:   0199250057
Pages:   736
Publication Date:   28 March 2002
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Introduction: British Rail After Twenty-Five Years of Nationalisation Part I: Railways Under Labour, 1974-1979 2: Operating the 1974 Railways Act: Financial Results, Organisational Responses, and Relations with Government 3: Operations, Productivity, and Technological Change Part II: The Thatcher Revolution? British Rail in the 1980s 4: Sector Management and New Performance Targets 5: The Serpell Report 6: Cost Control and Investment in the Post-Serpell Railway 7: Selling the Subsidiary Businesses Part II: On the Threshold of Privatisation: Running the Railways, 1990-1994 8: Business Performance, Pricing, and Productivity 9: Investment and the Channel Tunnel 10: Safety Part IV: Responding to Privatisation, 1981-1997 11: The Privatisation Debate and 'Organising for Quality' 12: Reorganising for Privatisation, 1992-1994 13: Endgame, 1994-1997 Appendices

Reviews

`The Channel Tunnel is only one of many fascinating topics discussed in the book. Other key topics include the burying of the highly critical Serpell Report, the demise of the Advanced Passenger Train, the response to the Clapham accident of 1988, the branding and marketing of the InterCity network and Network South East, the development of provincial commuter lines, and the sale of ancilliary businesses, such as railway workshops.' Business History


British Rail 1974-1997 is a fascinating work. Its length and detail constitute a rare, thorough, and largely unbiased examination of policy formulation over an extended period for a major national railway system. The Journal of Transport History To this chronicle, Dr Gourvish adds thoughtful and persuasive evaluations, well grounded in business organisation and economic theory. This is an extraordinary resource for scholars in business and transport history. The Journal of Transport History Terry Gourvish is the recognised authority on the history of British Railways as a nationalised industry, and the expectations of readers familiar with his previous work will not be disappointed. The book will be a definitive scholarly source of reference for decades to come. Business History ... important insights into the informal operations of the Board. Business History If you want to understand how British Rail was shaped as an organisation and business in the 20 or so years before privatisation, this is the book to read. Railnews, This is a truly monumental work. It is Gourvish's analysis of the issues that gives the book its special interest and authority. Grahame Boyes, Journal of the Railway and Canal Historical Society This book is a must-read and a must-have. Roger Ford, Modern Railways


British Rail 1974-1997 is a fascinating work. Its length and detail constitute a rare, thorough, and largely unbiased examination of policy formulation over an extended period for a major national railway system. The Journal of Transport History To this chronicle, Dr Gourvish adds thoughtful and persuasive evaluations, well grounded in business organisation and economic theory. This is an extraordinary resource for scholars in business and transport history. The Journal of Transport History Terry Gourvish is the recognised authority on the history of British Railways as a nationalised industry, and the expectations of readers familiar with his previous work will not be disappointed. The book will be a definitive scholarly source of reference for decades to come. Business History ... important insights into the informal operations of the Board. Business History If you want to understand how British Rail was shaped as an organisation and business in the 20 or so years before privatisation, this is the book to read. Railnews, This is a truly monumental work. It is Gourvish's analysis of the issues that gives the book its special interest and authority. Grahame Boyes, Journal of the Railway and Canal Historical Society This book is a must-read and a must-have. Roger Ford, Modern Railways


Author Information

Terry Gourvish has been Director of the Business History Unit at the London School of Economics since 1989. Previously he was the Dean of the School of Economic and Social Studies at the University of East Anglia.

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