Regulation of Railways Act 1868

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Regulation of Railways Act 1868 [1]
Act of Parliament
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Variant 1, 2022).svg
Long title An Act to amend the Law relating to Railways.
Citation 31 & 32 Vict. c. 119
Territorial extent United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent 31 July 1868
Other legislation
Amended by Statute Law Revision Act 1875
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Regulation of Railways Act 1868 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Regulation of Railways Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 119) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is one of the Railway Regulation Acts 1840 to 1893.

It was enacted following the first murder on the railways, that of Thomas Briggs by Franz Muller near Hackney in 1864. [2]

The Act made new provisions for:

Despite the legislation, it was not until 1899 that internal emergency wires came to be used on the majority of trains. [2]

The Act also made provision for the construction and working of a railway as a light railway, 'subject to such conditions and regulations as the Board of Trade may from time to time impose or make'. Section 28 of the Act laid down maximum permitted axle weights and specified that 'the regulations respecting the speed of trains shall not authorize a rate of speed exceeding at any time twenty-five miles an hour'. [4] The Light Railways Act 1896 subsequently introduced more comprehensive legislation governing light railways.

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References

  1. This short title was conferred by the Regulation of Railways Act 1868, section 1
  2. 1 2 Colquhoun, Kate (19 May 2011). Mr Briggs Hat: The True Story of a Victorian Railway Murder. ISBN   9780748115679 . Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  3. "Provisions for the safety of passengers". Regulation of the Railways Act 1868. Parliament. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  4. "Light Railways". Regulation of the Railways Act 1868. Parliament. Retrieved 18 September 2019.