Big Four (British Railway Companies) - Big Four British Railway Companies Continuity - D

Big Four (British Railway Companies) - D

Big Four British Railway Companies Continuity

The areas served by the Big Four formed the basis of the British Railways regions as follows:

• The GWR became the Western Region.
• The English and Welsh parts of the LMS became the London Midland Region.
• The North Eastern Area of the LNER became the North Eastern Region.
• The remainder of the English part of the LNER (its Southern Area) became the Eastern Region.
• The SR became the Southern Region.
• The LMS and LNER in Scotland were united as the Scottish Region.
• The LMS-owned Northern Counties Committee in Northern Ireland was transferred to the newly created Ulster Transport Authority. Northern Ireland's rail network has remained separate from Great Britain's since.

The regions - whose powers were greatly enhanced during the 1950s under the Area Railways Boards - ceased to be operational units following sectorisation during the 1980s and were finally abolished in the run-up to privatisation in 1992.