Catalogue description Transport Tribunal: Proceedings

The Railway Rates Tribunal was established by theTransport Act of 1947. This act transferred to the Tribunal the jurisdiction of the Railway and Canal Commission in respect of railways and canals.

The Tribunal established Schedules of Standard Charges for the Amalgamated Railway Companies with standard terms and conditions and other matters. The fixing of standard charges involved subsidiary inquiries - standard revenue, working expenses, packing regulations, conditions of carriage, appropriation of passenger and merchandise revenue, workmens' fares etc. In addition the Tribunal had to consider many individual applications for increase, reduction and continuance of exceptional rates

From 1927, standard charges and conditions had the force of Statutory Rules. The Tribunal was required to hold annual reviews of the standard charges to apply to independent railway companies the appropriate schedule of standard charges, to determine applications to add to or amend the classification, applications to amend the standard conditions in respect of owners risk and applications for consent to exceptional rates less than 5% or more than 40% below the standard.

A special procedure was prescribed for the hearing of applications of exceptional rates and alteration of the classification or owners risk conditions. Exceptional rates continued to occupy the Tribunal until 1953 when the British Transport Commission Merchandise Charges Scheme was submitted for confirmation. Alterations to the classification continued to be made for two or three years longer. The Tribunal also continued to hear a diminishing number of miscellaneous applications under the Railways Act 1921.

The Tribunal sat quarterly to hear alterations of the classification and owner's risk conditions and once a month to hear application for exceptional rates and agreed charges.

Other powers conferred on the Transport Tribunal were:

under the Local Government Act 1929 the Tribunal was required to approve a Railway Freight Rebates Scheme consequent on the derating of railway hereditaments. The operation of the scheme was reviewed annually.

By the Road and Rail Traffic Act 1933 the railway companies were permitted to make, with the approval of the Tribunal, agreed charges notwithstanding consequential inequalities. Application for agreed charges were abolished by the Transport Act 1953. A special procedure was applied to agreed charges.

By the London Passenger Transport Act 1933 the Tribunal inherited jurisdiction over the charges and services of the London Passenger Transport Board.

The Transport Act 1962 limited the jurisdiction of the Tribunal over the London Transport and Railway Boards to fixing maximum charges for the carriage of passengers by road or rail in London.