In 1996 the group acquired its first UK rail franchises, Gatwick Express and Midland Mainline.

Midland Mainline ( legal name Midland Main Line Limited, company no 3007934 ) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated the Midland Main Line franchise from April 1996 until November 2007.

Midland Mainline ran fast and semi-fast passenger services from London to the East Midlands and Yorkshire, on the Midland Main Line.

InterCity Midland Mainline were probably the forgotten operator in the 1990s.

All this changed in 1999 when Midland Mainline introduced a new timetable and new trains.

* All Midland Mainline services ( except The Master Cutler morning up service ) called at Leicester with the fastest journey time to and from London of 1 hour 9 minutes.

Midland Mainline rail bus link ran between Corby town centre and Kettering railway station

Midland Mainline operated a limited service between St Pancras and Leeds, with three early morning departures from Leeds and four evening return trips from St Pancras.

Midland Mainline had plans for a regular service between St Pancras and Leeds via Nottingham, the Erewash Valley Line, Sheffield and Barnsley but these were rejected by the Strategic Rail Authority.

Midland Mainline operated weekend services between St Pancras and York via Doncaster.

From May 2003 until September 2004 Midland Mainline operated an hourly service between St Pancras and Manchester Piccadilly at the request of the Strategic Rail Authority whilst the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Manchester underwent engineering work using former Virgin CrossCountry High Speed Trains.

Former Virgin Cross-Country High Speed Trains were used and after overhaul were repainted into Midland Mainline livery.

Categorised as a long distance operator Midland Mainline compared favourably to other operators in its category.

The last performance figures for Midland Mainline published by the Office of Rail Regulation were a Public Performance Measure of 92. 9 % for the third quarter of the financial year 2007 / 8 and a Monthly Annual Average of 92. 4 %.

Midland Mainline was also awarded Passenger Operator of the Year 2006.

Midland Mainline trains boasted a buffet car, known as the MM's Bar, which served hot and cold food and drinks.

Midland Mainline was the only operator to offer complimentary free tea and coffee to all passengers, including those in standard class.

Midland Mainline inherited a fleet of High Speed Trains from British Rail.

In October 1997 Midland Mainline ordered seventeen Class 170 Turbostar trains to operate stopping services.

In February 2002 Midland Mainline ordered sixteen four-carriage and seven nine-carriage Class 222 Meridian trains based on the Virgin Cross Country Class 220 Voyager, but with developments to improve passenger comfort and address some of the criticisms aimed at the Voyager.

To cover for a shortage of High Speed Trains Midland Mainline hired two Fragonset Class 47s to top and tail a HSBC Rail Mark 2 set on a morning service from Nottingham to St Pancras and evening return to Sheffield from February until October 2002.

The Alabama Midland was absorbed by the Atlantic Coast Line which merged in the 1980s with Seaboard Air Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line.

In 1846 the L & BR merged with the Grand Junction Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Western Railway, which in turn was later absorbed into the London Midland and Scottish Railway, before finally passing into the hands of the nationalised British Rail in 1948 to become part of the West Coast Main Line as it is known today.

The Leicester and Swannington Railway was later absorbed by the Midland Railway.

The Glasgow and South Western Railway also set up their works here, producing nearly 400 locomotives by the time it was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923.

It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921.

Formed by amalgamation in 1865, it was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923.

Under the terms of the Railways Act 1921, the LNWR and MR amalgamated ( together with some others ) at the start of 1923 to form the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, which then absorbed both the NLR and the N & SWJR.

A final round of reorganisation in 1999 saw Lowland Omnibuses absorbed into Midland Bluebird Ltd and a new company, First Edinburgh Ltd.

On 1 July 1860 the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway absorbed both the Worcester & Hereford Railway and the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway to form the West Midland Railway.

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway ( LMS ), who had absorbed the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, bought 13 steam railcars in 1926 and 1927, one of which was allocated to Goole shed for work on the Axholme Joint Railway.

The vast majority of the line was built and operated by the Highland Railway with a small section of the line between Perth and Stanley built by the Scottish Midland Junction Railway, amalgamated with the Aberdeen Railway to become the Scottish North Eastern Railway in 1856, and then absorbed by the Caledonian Railway in 1866.

All the above constituents were absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923.

In 1845, the Midland Railway, which had already bought the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, also absorbed the Bristol and Gloucester Railway.

In 1923, grouping resulted in the Midland Railway being absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway ( LMS ), and the line continued in a joint arrangement between the Great Western and the LMS.

The Furness Railway took over the U & LR on 21 January 1862 and was absorbed into the London Midland & Scottish Railway on 1 January 1923.

Although the LNWR provided the passenger services, the CK & PR continued to operate as a separate company until the 1923 Grouping, when it was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.

The LNWR was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in the 1923 railway grouping and, in 1927, it added a crossover between the fast and slow lines.

Opened by the Blackpool and Lytham Railway, then absorbed by the Preston and Wyre Joint Railway, the station joined the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923.

Bamford station was built by the Dore and Chinley Railway, a company which was absorbed by the Midland Railway prior to opening.

Although the Midland Railway ( MR ) purchased these eleven locomotives from the contractors in July 1845, and absorbed the Bristol & Gloucester Railway ( and the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway ) on 3 August 1846, the locomotives were not given MR numbers until February 1847, when they became nos.

Withdrawals began in 1928, five years after the Midland had been absorbed into the LMS.