Accordingly, British Rail opted to invest in the expansion of its offerings in this area, launching the Motorail brand in 1966 along with the opening of a dedicated terminal at Kensington Olympia.

Despite efforts towards retention, the alleged hostility of the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising Roger Salmon to Motorail proved decisive.

During September 1999, the franchised train operator First Great Western relaunched a service from London Paddington to Penzance; however, this was withdrawn six years later.

On 7 April 1909 the Great Western Railway started a formal service for the conveyance of motor cars through the Severn Tunnel.

[4] This service, which was operated between June and September, conveying both car and driver for £15 return (equivalent to £497 in 2023)[7] inclusive of sleeping berth.

[12] During 1966, the Motorail brand was introduced in conjunction with the opening of a dedicated terminal for the service at Kensington Olympia,[13][14] selected for its abundant existing rail connections to various other parts of Britain, which made it a natural hub.

[4] Motorail operated from London to many places including Penzance, Plymouth, Fishguard Harbour, Brockenhurst, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Perth, Inverness and Fort William.

Amid the preparations for the privatisation of British Rail, there was a determined effort to curtail or entirely end unprofitable non-essential activities; the Motorail services, which reportedly carried roughly 20,000 cars per year by this point, had been operated at a significant loss for some time already.

[1] North-East Fife MP Menzies Campbell has alleged that Motorail's continued existence had been stymied by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising Roger Salmon, and criticised the lack of public consultancies on the issue.

[21] Accordingly, during late May 1995, the remaining seven Motorail services, which ran between London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, and Fort William, ceased entirely.