London Transport

London Transport was a public authority created in 1933 to run most public transport in London, apart from main line railways.

It was authorised by the London Passenger Transport Act 1933, and from 1 July 1933 the new London Passenger Transport Board then controlled buses, coaches, trolleybuses, trams and the Underground.

The LPTB was created by statute but was owned by the former operators, who were given interest-paying stock in return for their businesses.

London Transport was nationalised on 1 January 1948, when the Board became the London Transport Executive, a subsidiary of the British Transport Commission.

When the Commission was wound up at the end of December 1962, the LTE was replaced by the London Transport Board. The Board only lasted until December 1969, when the Underground and Central Buses were passed to the Greater London Council, where LT again became known as the London Transport Executive. However, the trading name continued to be London Transport.

Country Buses and Green Line Coaches were separated from London Transport at the same time and became the property of the new National Bus Campany, which had been created by provisions of the Transport Act 1968.

The Greater London Council was dissolved in 1986, and the LTE was replaced by London Regional Transport. This became known as LRT until 1990, when the previous trading name of London Transport was revived.

The final change began in 2000, when the new Greater London Authority, which had an executive Mayor, set up Transport for London. TfL was to run public transport and also be the highway authority and licence taxis in Greater London. The government wished to create Public-Private Partnerships to maintain the Underground but the Mayor Ken Livingstone did not agree. As a result, London Regional Transport continued to run the Underground until the last PPP contracts could be signed, which were completed in 2003. London Regional Transport was then wound up on 15 July 2003.

Brief chronology

1929
2 December: Unification of London public transport announced in Parliament
1933
13 April: London Passenger Transport Act receives Royal Assent
1 July: London Passenger Transport Board vesting day
31 July: Piccadilly Line extension completed (Oakwood-Cockfosters)
1935
LPTB ‘New Works Programme’ published
Abolition of trams announced, to be replaced by trolleybuses
Several Underground extensions planned
1938
Major build of replacement tube rolling stock begins
1939
13 July: First ‘RT’ bus unveiled
3 September: War declared with Germany



20 November: Bakerloo Line extended to Stanmore via new tunnels between Baker Street and Finchley Road, and along former Metropolitan Line branch from Wembley Park
1945
15 August: Peace restored (‘V-J Day’), following surrender of Japan
1947
6 August: Transport Act receives Royal Assent
1948
1 January: London Transport Executive [British Transport Commission] vesting day
1952
5 July: Last trams run until 2000 (below)
1954
28 April: Most trolleybuses to be replaced by new Routemaster diesel bus
1959
28 February: Acton Town-South Acton section of District Line closes
1960
12 September: Last steam LT passenger service (Chalfont & Latimer-Chesham)
1962
8 May: Last trolleybuses run
1 August: Transport Act receives Royal Assent [abolishing British Transport Commission]
1963
1 January: London Transport Board vesting day
31 July: London Government Act [creating Greater London Council to replace London County Council] receives Royal Assent



1968
1 September: First section of Victoria Line opens (Walthamstow Central-Highbury & Islington)
1969
25 July: Transport (London) Act receives Royal Assent
1970
1 January: London Transport Executive [Greater London Council] vesting day. Country Buses and Green Line coaches transferred to London Country, a new subsidiary of the National Bus Company
1971
23 July: Victoria Line completed to Brixton, except Pimlico station, which opens 14.09.1972
1975
19 July: First section of Piccadilly Line extension to Heathrow opens (Hounslow West (new station)-Hatton Cross)
1979
1 May: First section of Jubilee Line opens to traffic (Stanmore-Charing Cross)
1984
26 June: London Regional Transport Act receives Royal Assent
1985
1 April: London Regional Transport vesting day
16 July: Local Government Act [dissolving Greater London Council] receives Royal Assent
1994
21 July: Croydon Tramlink Act receives Royal Assent
1999
14 May: First section of Jubilee Line extension opens (Stratford-North Greenwich); Green Park-Charing Cross closed to public traffic
11 November: Greater London Authority Act receives Royal Assent
2000
11 May: Trams enter service as Croydon Tramlink in Croydon/Wimbledon/Beckenham areas
3 July: Greater London Authority and Transport for London start work
2002
February: London Regional Transport board approves Public-Private Partnerships
December: PPP contract signed with Tube Lines
2003
April: Two PPP contracts signed with Metrolink
15 July: London Underground Ltd is transferred to Transport for London (at 00.01hrs)
London Regional Transport wound up

Contact us     Copyright statement     Site map     Terms and Conditions