Records of the Ministry of Transport and successors, International Transport Division...

Records of the International Transport Divisions, established to oversee all issues relating to international inland transport, railways, roads, waterways and ports, and the Channel Tunnel Project, reflect the international aspects of the divisions' functions and the administrative, financial and legal aspects of research and development of the Channel Tunnel Division.

They include:

• files of the International Transport division, MT 89.
• records of the Channel Tunnel divisions to 1975, MT 144; Channel Tunnel reports, MT 179; Channel Tunnel Unit unregistered papers, MT 181; Microfilm Channel Tunnel plans, MT 185.
• British Channel Tunnel Company Ltd, copies of project files, MT 172; and unregistered records, MT 180.

Topics

Railways

Transport management

Research

Ministry of Transport and successors, International Transport Divisions, 1963-1986

An International Inland Transport Branch was established in 1948, becoming the International Transport Division in 1963. It was set up to deal with all matters concerning international inland transport as affecting railways, roads, waterways and ports.

In 1964, the Channel Tunnel Division was established when a Channel Tunnel Group was set up in the Ministry of Transport following a report issued by a joint working group of French and British officials, entitled Proposals for a Fixed Channel Link (Cmd 2137).

The Group was responsible for policy on the Channel Tunnel project, the co-ordination of inter-departmental studies relating to a tunnel, consultation with interested bodies in the UK, liaison and joint studies with French officials, and participation in the work of the Anglo-French Commission of Surveillance for the geological and geophysical study of the Channel.

Early in 1967 the Group became known as the Channel Tunnel Division, responsible for the co-ordination of work on the Channel Tunnel project and joint Anglo-French consultations and studies

In 1972 the division was replaced by the Channel Tunnel Studies Unit, which was responsible for the supervision of the British government's interest in studies relating to the Channel Tunnel project, including the organisational, financial, legislative and physical planning aspects of the project. In 1973 the Unit was renamed the Channel Tunnel Unit. In 1975 the Channel Tunnel project was abandoned on account of escalating costs, and in 1976 the Channel Tunnel Unit was disbanded. Bridges Engineering Division took responsibility for any residual Channel Tunnel interests.

In 1980, the International Transport Division of the Department of Transport was given responsibility for the appraisal of and policy relating to cross-Channel link proposals. The Channel Fixed Link Division of the International Transport Directorate assumed responsibility for general policy relating to the fixed link, along with financial, organisational and technical matters relating to the project in 1985.

In 1986, the Channel Tunnel Fixed Link Division was added to the International Transport Directorate.