Transport Act 1962

3 Duty and powers of Railways Board

(1) It shall be the duty of the Railways Board in the exercise of their powers under this Act to provide railway services in Great Britain and, in connection with the provision of railway services, to provide such other services and facilities as appear to the Board to be expedient, and to have due regard, as respects all those railway and other services and facilities, to efficiency, economy and safety of operation.

(2) The Railways Board shall co-operate with the London Board for the purpose of ensuring that the railway services provided by the Railways Board in the London Passenger Transport Area are properly coordinated with the services provided by the London Board, and shall afford to the London Board such information of proposed changes in their railway services in the said Area, and such opportunities for consultation, as the London Board may reasonably require for that purpose.

(3) Subject to this Act, the Railways Board shall have power—

(a) to carry goods and passengers by rail within Great Britain,

(b) in the circumstances specified in the next following section, to carry goods and passengers by road,

(c) to operate the harbours owned or managed by the Railways Board, and to provide port facilities at those harbours,

(d) to consign goods on behalf of other persons from any place in Great Britain, or from any place to which the Railways Board have themselves carried the goods in question to any other place, whether in Great Britain or elsewhere,

(e) to store within Great Britain goods which have been or are to be carried by the Railways Board, and, so far as any premises provided for the purposes of that or any other part of their business are not required for those purposes, to use them to provide facilities for the storage of other goods,

(f) to enter into and carry out agreements—

(i) with carriers outside Great Britain for the through carriage of goods and passengers under one contract or at a through charge or in the same vehicles or containers, and

(ii) with any person engaged in coastal shipping for co-ordinating the activities of that person with those of the Board, and in particular for facilitating the through carriage of goods, for the quoting of through rates and for the pooling of receipts or expenses.

(4) Subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall not be construed as imposing, either directly or indirectly, any form of duty or liability enforceable by proceedings before any court to which the Board would not otherwise be subject.