The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway was jointly owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway; those companies had long sponsored and operated the predecessor companies. It had the longest mileage of any joint railway in Great Britain. Formally opened in 1893, with the creation of the Joint Committee, it provided a link between the Midlands and East Coast fishing port of Yarmouth – traversing the popular ‘Broadland’ and ‘Poppyland’ areas of Norfolk. It was not until 1936 – well into the Grouping era – that its operation was taken over by the London & North Eastern Railway, retaining much of its independent character in later years. The area directly served was agricultural and sparsely populated, but seaside holidays had developed and many long-distance express trains used the M&GN from the territory of the parent companies, to the east coast. After 1945 the profitability of the network declined steeply, worsened by the seasonality of the business. Increasing competition by road transport along with BR operating losses caused the lines closure in 1959.