| | 
British Railways Board Regional Railways
British Railways Board
| | |
British Railways Board Regional Railways
former BR business
was replaced by
British Railways Board TOUs >
start date
1982
end date
1997
owned by
British Railways Board
legal title
description
Regional Railways was one of three British Rail passenger business sectors. Routes originally described as ‘other provincial services’, became the Provincial sector in 1982 and then Regional Railways in 1989.
In the early 1980s commercial control was transferred from the Regions to the new sectors, and one of these was Provincial Railways, although the Regions continued to exist as train operators and managers of the infrastructure until the end of the decade.
New corporate identities were designed for all the businesses, including freight and parcels. The Regional Railways design included ‘flexmarks’ and the British Rail double arrows logo. The main typefaces were Joanna and Helvetica, with standard BR Rail Alphabet for signs.
At the end of the 1980s the Regions were abolished, with their remaining responsibilities being transferred to the businesses. All routes were allocated to one of the businesses, but some trains ran on the lines of another sector for part of their journeys.
As privatisation approached, the British Railways Board was instructed to set up ‘train operating units’ which would then be offered to the private sector as franchises.
Eight TOUs (Anglia, Cardiff Valleys, Merseyrail Electrics, Regional Railways Central, Regional Railways North East, Regional Railways North West, Regional Railways South Wales and West, ScotRail) were created from the Regional Railways business.
Some of these names survived when the TOUs had been replaced by franchises in 1996 and 1997. For example, the title Regional Railways North East was used by the first privatised operator on that network until May 1998.
service area
British Railways Board local and regional services in England, Scotland and Wales, excluding London and the south east
| |
| |
