Editing Mainline Freight (section)

==History==
'''Mainline Freight''' was created in 1994 along with [[Transrail Freight|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.<ref name="re1">Sources:
*{{citation| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=q4i0QrixNI0C| title=  Report of the Hundred and Twenty Fifth Round Table on Transport Economics Held in Paris on 28th-29th November 2002 on the Following Topic: European Integration of Rail Freight Transport | author=C. Nash| author2= T. Fowkes| editor = European Conference of Ministers of Transport. Economic Research Centre| publisher = OECD Publishing| year =2004 | chapter = Rail Privatisation in Britain – Lessons for the rail freight industry : 2. The privatisation process| isbn= 9789282113196 |at = C. Trainload, p. 70; C1 EWS, pp. 70–1 = |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=q4i0QrixNI0C&pg=PA63 }}
*{{citation| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hFDrKNKmJ8UC| title= The dynamics of freight transport development: a UK and Swiss comparison| author = Philippe Thalmann| publisher = Ashgate Publishing| year = 2004| isbn= 9780754637561|at = The Privatisation of the Freight Business, pp. 34–35}}</ref> It was initially and briefly named "Trainload Freight South East Limited" before being re-branded in September 1994.<ref>{{citation| url = http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk| title = WebCHeck – Select and Access Company Information| publisher = [[Companies House]]}}, see entries for MAINLINE FREIGHT LIMITED, Company No. 02938986</ref>

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 Ltd.|Wisconsin Central]], for a combined total of £225.15million (approximately $349 million).<ref name="re1"/><ref name="rp275">{{cite web|url = https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1996/nov/27/rail-privatisation| work = [[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|title = Rail Privatisation| date = 27 December 1996| publisher = Hansard, House of Commons, UK| at = volume 296, 275W}}</ref><ref>{{citation| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n3_v197/ai_18135844/| journal = Railway Age| date = March 1996| title = WC group buys British freight services – Wisconsin Central buys Loadhaul, Transrail and Mainline Freight| publisher = Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation}}</ref> The management of Mainline Freight, backed by [[Candover Investments|Candover]] and [[Associated British Ports]] also formed a bidding consortium for the three former [[Trainload Freight]] companies.<ref>{{cite press release| url = http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=58074| title = ABP HOLDINGS PLC IN CONSORTIUM LED BY CANDOVER TO BID FOR TRAINLOAD FREIGHT| date = 11 November 1995| agency = PR Newswire}}</ref> The three companies together with [[Rail Express Systems]] were formed into a new company, [[DB Cargo UK|English Welsh & Scottish]] (EWS).<ref name="re1"/><ref name="rp275"/>