About Great Rail
Great Rail is a Travel & Hospitality company based in York (United Kingdom) founded in 1981, and was acquired by Vitruvian Partners in May 2025. Tour operator services centered on rail journeys are provided. Great Rail has completed 1 acquisition, including Vacations By Rail. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Peter Liney. Its website greatrail.com draws about 492 thousand monthly visits. Its focus areas include Travel and Hospitality and Tour Operators.
Company details
Great Rail was established in 1981 in York, United Kingdom, within the tourism sector. Tour operator services are offered, with a focus on rail-based travel experiences. Operations are managed from the UK base, covering itinerary planning, bookings, and guided tours across domestic and international routes. Leadership is provided by CEO Peter Liney, ensuring structured service delivery to clients seeking organized rail excursions.
- Headquarters York, United Kingdom
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTravel & Hospitality
- Website category Travel and Tourism
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website greatrail.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Vitruvian Partners (May 2025)
- InvestorsBarings
& 3 more
- Investments & Acquisitions
- Acquired by
Funding Insights of Great Rail
- Total Rounds 1
- Investors Count 1
All 1 funding rounds of Great Rail with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2018 | Debt – Conventional | – | – |
4 investors in total: 4 institutional.
Investors in Great Rail
Great Rail has secured backing from 4 investors, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Barings, Duke Street and ECI Partners.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Private fund focused on debt and equity investments in real estate and multiple sectors | 1762 | barings.com | London, United Kingdom | |
Private equity investments in Europe are managed by Duke Street. | dukestreet.com | London, United Kingdom | ||
| ecipartners.com | ||||
Growth equity investments are directed toward expanding startups across sectors. | vitruvianpartners.com | London, United Kingdom |
Investor details for Great Rail
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People of Great Rail
38 people are tracked at Great Rail (14 in leadership, 24 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Peter Liney | CEO | Leadership |
Michelle Cording | Marketing Director | Leadership |
Daniel Tangen | Head Of Marketing Solutions | Leadership |
Andrew Stewart | Chief Financial Officer | Leadership |
David Riley | Chief Executive Officer | Leadership |
Jonathan Skolnick | Group Revenue Director | Leadership |
Steve Lee | Chief Operating Officer | Leadership |
Keith Clarke | Operations Director | Leadership |
Rob Payne | Chief Commercial Officer (cco) | Leadership |
Rebecca Brooke | Executive Assistant To Chief Executive Officer | Leadership |
Sarah McMullen McIpd | People Director | Leadership |
Kerry Jenkin | Chief Information Officer | Leadership |
Eoin Kenneally | Global e-commerce Director | Leadership |
Julian Appleyard | Commercial Director | Leadership |
Agne Baksyte | Paid Social Manager | Team |
Martin Motz | Tour Manager (part Time) | Team |
Helen Gaines | Global Campaign & Planning Manager | Team |
Madeleine McKie | Ecommerce Manager | Team |
Stephen Clarke | Senior Customer Insight Manager | Team |
Justin P. | Tour Manager | Team |
18 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Great Rail
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Investments & Acquisitions by Great Rail
Great Rail has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include Vacations By Rail.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Train vacation packages and services are offered worldwide. | vacationsbyrail.com | Chicago, United States | 2004 | Aug 2019 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Great Rail
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- Acquired stakes
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- Exports
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Timeline of Great Rail
6 dated milestones of Great Rail across 44 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Great Rail is founded.
- Exit Acquired by ECI Partners.
- Exit Acquired by Duke Street.
- Funding First funding round.
- Acquisition Acquires Vacations By Rail.
- Exit Acquired by Vitruvian Partners.
Web traffic of Great Rail
The website of Great Rail (greatrail.com) receives about 492.5K visits a month and ranks #140,998 among all websites worldwide, #4,030 in Travel and Tourism.
- Monthly visits492.5K
▲ 37.3% vs previous month
- Unique visitors206.4K
per month
- Global rank#140,998
among all websites
- Category rank#4,030
Travel and Tourism · Travel and Tourism
- Bounce rate56%
- Pages per visit2.1
- Average visit1 min 07 sec
- DevicesDesktop 13% · Mobile 87%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Great Rail. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
railtrail.co.uk | railtrail.co.uk | 100% | #1,711,987 | – | |
| trailfinders.com | 93% | 1.2M | #70,933 | View details | |
tripadvisor.co.uk | tripadvisor.co.uk | 81% | #2,076 | – | |
| coxandkings.co.uk | 81% | 1.1K | #14,087,934 | View details | |
familiesworldwide.co.uk | familiesworldwide.co.uk | 75% | #2,093,825 | – | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Great Rail
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Related news about Great Rail
Complete news archive for Great Rail
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Frequently Asked Questions about Great Rail
Great Rail was founded in 1981 and raised its 1st funding round 37 years after it was founded.
Great Rail is headquartered in York, United Kingdom.
Peter Liney is the CEO of Great Rail, as recorded in our data.
Great Rail was established in 1981 in York, United Kingdom, within the tourism sector. Tour operator services are offered, with a focus on rail-based travel experiences. Operations are managed from the UK base, covering itinerary planning, bookings, and guided tours across domestic and international routes. Leadership is provided by CEO Peter Liney, ensuring structured service delivery to clients seeking organized rail excursions.
Great Rail has made 1 acquisition, including Vacations By Rail.
Great Rail has 4 investors. Key investors include Barings, Duke Street, ECI Partners, and Vitruvian Partners.
Yes. Great Rail was acquired by Vitruvian Partners in May 2025.
The website of Great Rail receives about 492 thousand visits a month and ranks #140,998 among all websites worldwide.