Regional Railways (originally Provincial) was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail. It was created in 1982 and was the most subsidised (per passenger km) of the three sectors; upon formation, its costs were four times its revenue.[1] The sector was broken up into eight franchises during the privatisation of British Rail and ceased to exist on 31 March 1997.
Formation
Upon sectorisation in 1982, three passenger sectors were created: InterCity, operating principal express services; London & South East (renamed Network SouthEast in 1986) operating commuter services in the London area, and Provincial (renamed Regional Railways in 1989) responsible for all other passenger services.[1] In the metropolitan counties, local services were managed by the Passenger Transport Executives.