The 'Bland Report' officially titled ''Report of the Board of Enquiry into the Victorian Land Transport System - Victoria 1971-72'', was a report prepared by
Sir Henry Bland (1909-1997) for the Victorian Government in 1972.
The Bland Report recommended major changes to Victorian Railway operations including closure of many of the less profitable branch lines, opening railways to competition from road transport operators, on a market basis, introduction of contract road buses, rationalisation of freight operations and creation of regional freight centres. A substantial reduction in the number of railway employees resulted from these changes. In both its scope and consequences, the Bland Report was similar to the
Beeching Review in Britain.
A major outcome of the report was the Railways (Amendment) Act 1972 which passed the management and operation of the railways from the
Victorian Railways Commissioners to a Victorian Railways Board made up of up to seven members, with six initially appointed with
A.G. Gibbs as the first chairman. The Board was in turn replaced in 1983 when the Transport Act 1983 was passed.
See also
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Ashworth Improvement Plan
The Ashworth Improvement Plan was a report that recommended a number of improvements to be made to the electrified suburban railways of inner city Melbourne, Australia. It was produced in 1940 by a committee headed by John Marmaduke Ashworth, t ...
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Operation Phoenix
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1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan
The 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan was a road and rail transport plan for Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia, instituted by Henry Bolte's state government. Most prominently, the plan recommended the provision of an extens ...
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New Deal
The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
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Victorian Transport Plan
The Victorian Transport Plan was a transport planning framework for the state of Victoria, Australia announced on 9 December 2008 by then Premier of Victoria, John Brumby. The plan was submitted to the Government of Australia for funding appro ...
References
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Rail transport in Australia
1972 in rail transport
Rail transport in Victoria (state)
Bland Report
Bland Report
Bland Report
Bland Report