Mainline Freight
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| Industry | Rail freight |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired by Wisconsin Central Ltd. |
| Successor | English Welsh & Scottish |
| Founded | 9 June 1994 as Trainload Freight South East |
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Islington, United Kingdom |
| Services | Freight train owner/operator |
| Parent | British Rail |
Mainline Freight was a trainload rail freight operator based in Islington, London, England with operations extending to Yorkshire in the north and Somerset in the west. It was formed from part of British Rail's Trainload Freight division as part of the privatisation of British Rail.
Mainline Freight, Loadhaul and Transrail were purchased by a consortium led by Wisconsin Central in 1996 and amalgamated into a new company, English Welsh & Scottish.
Mainline Freight was created in 1994 along with Transrail and Loadhaul as part of the broadly regional split of British Rail's Trainload Freight operations - Mainline Freight's centre of operations were South East England, and East Anglia, and the East Midlands. Three companies were created with the aim of promoting competition between the businesses. It was initially and briefly named "Trainload Freight South East Limited" before being re-branded in September 1994.
All three former Trainload Freight companies including Mainline Freight were acquired in February 1996 by 'North-South Railways': a company formed by a consortium led by US railroad company Wisconsin Central, for a combined total of £225.15million (approximately $349 million). The management of Mainline Freight, backed by Candover and Associated British Ports also formed a bidding consortium for the three former Trainload Freight companies. The three companies together with Rail Express Systems were formed into a new company, English Welsh & Scottish (EWS).
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