National Rail is a brand name describing the 26
railway companies (
TOCs - Train Operating Companies) of the
British railway system, which use the infrastructure of
Network Rail, maintained by
Railtrack. The organising body of National Rail is
ATOC - the Association of Train Operating Companies. Previously
British Rail was the
UK state rail operator.
Passenger train services are mainly run by franchises named after the area they serve (eg South Central, Great Western, etc.), but railtour operators and freight distribution companies (such as Freightliner and EWS) also exist.
National Rail website (
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk)