Passenger traffic on the GCR was never heavy because it was the last main line to be built and had difficulty competing against longer-established rivals (especially the Midland Railway from its terminal at St Pancras) for the lucrative intercity passenger business.
Passagertrafikken på GCR blev aldrig overvældende, muligvis fordi det var den sidste hovedbane, der blev bygget, hvilket medførte de havde svært med at konkurrere mod de mere etablerede rivaler (især Midland Railway og deres endestation St Pancras) om de lukrative InterCity-tog.