AGY-1166 | Department of Railways

Full description

The Transport (Division of Functions) Act, 1932 (No.31, 1932) which was assented to on 19 November 1932 (1) and commenced on 29 December 1932 (2), abolished the Board of Transport Commissioners and created a Ministry of Transport. There were to be three Departments - the Department of Railways, the Department of Road Transport and Tramways, plus the Department of Main Roads - each controlled by a Commissioner. The structure of the Railways Department included the following branches
* Secretariat
* Legal and Estates Branch
* Finance Branch
* Traffic Branch
* Mechanical Branch
* Way and Works Branch
* Electrical Branch
* Signal & Telegraph Branch and
* Stores Branch.

The New South Wales Transport and Highways Commission was established by the Transport and Highways Act, 1950 and exercised a supervisory role over the Department of Railways from 22 May 1950 until 25 August 1952. This Commission’s purpose was to plan for the provision of an ‘efficient, adequate, economical and properly integrated system of public transport’ (3) The Commission had wide powers enabling it to:
ensure that the branches of the Ministry of Transport were efficiently conducted;
review policy for the development of transport throughout the State;
consider and make recommendations concerning any proposal from the agencies, which comprised the Ministry of Transport and co-ordinate, their annual budgets, and
‘control and direct’ the branches of the Ministry. In order to perform these functions the Commission could inspect the offices and examine records and have access to all properties and other assets. (4)

The Department of Railways was abolished when the Public Transport Commission Act, 1972 (Act No. 53, 1972) (5) assented to 17 October 1972 (6) created the Public Transport Commission which incorporated the Department of Railways, and the Department of Government Transport.

Endnotes
1. New South Wales Government Gazette No.169, 25 November 1932, p.4184.
2. New South Wales Government Gazette No.193, 29 December 1932, p.4591.
3. Transport and Highways Act, 1950 (Act N0 10, 1950) s. 8 (1) (a).
4. Ibid s. 9.
5. New South Wales Government Gazette No.110, 20 October 1972, p.4115.
6. New South Wales Government Gazette No.110, 20 October 1972, p.4148.