Writing in The Times, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said his aim was to inject competition and improve the passenger experience: "For too long, passengers have had no choice and even less joy. We're not here to copy. We're here to raise standards, spark innovation and give people a better way to travel."
Over the past few days, some 140 trains and locomotives of all shapes and sizes, from the oldest to the newest, have converged on Derby to pay homage to the 200th anniversary of the first passenger railway service.