Elaine Holt

"This is Britain's premier railway and there is a lot of pride in it among staff and passengers. What we are doing is trying to put some pride back in the railway. It is a company that has failed twice, and that inevitably has an impact on the service."

"huge amount of respect" for Hogg but there is evident impatience in her words – a directness that is also remarked upon by former colleagues."

"Towards the end of National Express's tenure they were scrabbling around to make money in any way they could, like charging for reservations, and quality was suffering"

"It is very early days. We have been here less than a year and we have had a lot to do in that time,"

"I think that because I didn't get A-levels and a degree, I always wanted to prove that I was as good as anyone else and I worked very hard."

"Like many young girls, I wanted to be an air stewardess, but I discovered that there was a lot more to travel and transport than working on a plane."

"In truth, the problems go back to 2006. The operators worked hard to make their payments, but I think decisions were taken that were quite short-term, and we've now got to try to put some of that right."