News - Virgin trains
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Themes ScotRail RMT Network Rail Strike Cancellations Flooding Inverness Caledonian MacBrayne Weather West Coast Main Line Perth Arran Carstairs Strikes Avanti West Coast Glasgow District Subway ASLEF Gourock Glasgow Queen Street Carlisle Land Access Ben Alder Level Crossing Landslip Dalwhinnie
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A woman flew into a rage and pushed a train manager so hard he fell backwards from a platform into a train.
(Permalink) Crime Glasgow Central Virgin Trains |
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The last Virgin train left Euston on Saturday evening, ending Britain's longest-running rail franchise.
(Permalink) Avanti Virgin Trains |
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FirstGroup is to take over the running of the West Coast mainline train route, connecting London Euston to Glasgow Central, from December.
Along with Italian firm Trenitalia, FirstGroup said the route would pave the way for an era of high-speed rail. First Trenitalia replaces Virgin Trains, which was barred from bidding to keep the route. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the bid was part of a shift to a new model for rail. (Permalink) FirstGroup Grant Shapps Virgin Trains |
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Virgin Trains has announced changes to its advanced ticketing prices that could lead to customers saving around £7.1m per year.
Services on the East Coast will now allow customers to take advantage of cheaper advance fares on the day of travel, meaning that at the current rate of passenger walk-ups savings of £7.1m could be yielded from the change. (Permalink) Virgin Trains  Kings Cross: Virgin East Coast 43257 has just arrived at Kings Cross on the rear of the up Highland Chieftain from Inverness, on time at 15.51 after a 7 hour 56 minute journey.  Crawford Viaduct: A Virgin Pendolino from Edinburgh to London Euston crosses Crawford Viaduct on 17 March 2014.  York: 'Skyfall' DVT 82231 on a Virgin Trains East Coast service calling at York on 19 March 2015.  |
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Virgin Trains has completed its £40m programme of refurbishing its entire East Coast fleet.
The TOC has spent the last two years refurbishing its current fleet of 45 High Speed and Intercity 225 trains to improve passenger experience. The programme forms part of Virgin's wider pledge to invest £140m to transform travel on the East Coast network since it assumed control of the franchise in March 2015. David Horne, Virgin Trains' managing director on the east coast, said: 'Since we launched services on the East Coast Main Line in 2015 we have committed more than £40m to improving our existing fleet, to give customers the best possible experience when they travel with us. 'It gives me great pleasure to announce that we have completed our refurbishment programme, and passed another milestone on our journey towards totally transforming travel for our customers on the east coast.' (Permalink) Virgin Trains York: 'Skyfall' DVT 82231 on a Virgin Trains East Coast service calling at York on 19 March 2015.  Kings Cross: Virgin East Coast HST line-up at Kings Cross on 13 April 2015, with 43317; 43312; and an unidentified classmate awaiting their next turns.  Stirling: The VTEC 0755 Inverness - Kings Cross Highland Chieftain calls at Stirling on 1 April 2015. |
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An MP has vowed to fight a rail firm's 'barmy' price structure which has seen people charged more than three times as much to travel a shorter route.
Mark Menzies claims Virgin Trains is 'stinging' passengers between Preston and London by charging more than those leaving Lancaster on the same trains. Preston tickets cost up to £145 for a standard single in peak hours, while the longer journey can cost £42.50. Virgin said the costs reflect the high number of Preston business travellers. [From Mark Bartlett] (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Nearly 80 trainees are being sought to drive Britain’s newest express trains, Virgin Trains East Coast (Vtec) announced today. The 78 drivers will earn more than £57,000 when qualified. They are required for the operator’s new Azuma fleet, which is to run between Scotland and London from 2018. It will be the first time new drivers have been recruited for the route since before British Rail was privatised in the 1980s. They are needed because the fleet of 65 new trains will operate more frequent services between King’s Cross and Edinburgh, some of which run on to and from Aberdeen, Inverness and Glasgow. [From Richard Buckby]
(Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Workers on Virgin Trains East Coast have begun a 24-hour strike in a long-running dispute over jobs.
The RMT union said about 1,800 members, including train crew and some drivers, were taking action against threatened job cuts and disputes over working conditions and safety. General secretary Mick Cash said: 'RMT will not sit back while nearly 200 members' jobs are under threat.' Virgin Trains said it would be running a full timetable during the strike (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Workers on Virgin Trains East Coast are to stage a 24-hour strike on Monday 3 October, the RMT union has announced.
The union said the action was being taken over threatened job cuts, as well as disputes over working conditions and safety. It said talks aimed at resolving the issues had failed and staff had been instructed not to work any shifts between 00:01 and 23:59 BST on the day. Virgin Trains said it would be running a full timetable during the strike. (Permalink) Virgin Trains Kings Cross: Virgin East Coast 43257 has just arrived at Kings Cross on the rear of the up Highland Chieftain from Inverness, on time at 15.51 after a 7 hour 56 minute journey. York: 'Skyfall' DVT 82231 on a Virgin Trains East Coast service calling at York on 19 March 2015.  Arbroath Signal Box: Sporting its new Virgin stripe, 43313 passes under Arbroath signal box on 22 March 2015, bringing up the rear of a Virgin Trains East Coast Aberdeen-Kings Cross train. |
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A derailed train which blocked the West Coast Main Line between England and Scotland has been put back on the rails, National Rail has said.
The engineering train came off the track near Carnforth, Lancashire, at 08:20 BST, affecting Northern Rail, TransPennine Express and Virgin Trains. Some services were cancelled and a replacement bus service was provided but trains are now running. Some continuing delays were predicted as train services resumed. The National Rail Enquiries website said Virgin Trains passengers travelling to/from Glasgow Central/Edinburgh could use Sunday tickets on services running on Monday. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Virgin East Coast train workers have suspended plans for strikes due to start this week.
Members of the RMT union were due to stage three 24-hour strikes on 19, 26 and 29 August and ban overtime for 48 hours from 27 August in a row over job cuts, working conditions and safety. But Virgin said the union had 'returned to the table for further discussions'. RMT said the suspension 'does not mean the dispute has been completely resolved'. 'It has allowed... union representatives to go back into talks with management and to extend the deadline for taking industrial action to a further 28 days,' RMT general secretary Mick Cash wrote in a note to union members. Virgin said the decision came after it repeated its assurances over 'no compulsory redundancies.' 'We're pleased that the RMT has agreed to suspend industrial action and continue talks,' said Virgin Trains' managing director David Horne. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Virgin East Coast rail workers have voted to go out on strike in a dispute over job cuts, working conditions and safety, the RMT union has said.
Five out of six (84%) of those who voted in the ballot backed walkouts and the union said its leaders will now consider their next move. Destinations on the line include London, Aberdeen, Inverness and Hull. Virgin Trains responded to the result by saying it would run a full timetable during any RMT strike action. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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A new budget rail service between Edinburgh and London has been given the green light by the Rail Regulator.
First Group will run five services a day, with stops at Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth, from no later than 2021. It claimed average fares would be less than £25 and there will be only one class of carriage as First Group looks to compete with budget airlines. Stagecoach, which operates Virgin Trains East Coast on the same rails, has warned its revenue will be harmed. The open access agreement is due to last for 10 years. (Permalink) First Group Virgin Trains |
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A new fares war on Britain’s most fiercely contested route is in prospect after Virgin vowed to make trains more popular than planes for the first time in decades.
Virgin Trains East Coast (Vtec) said it will increase rail’s share of the 3 million annual passengers between Edinburgh and London from one third to at least half within seven years. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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The first Virgin Trains East Coast IEP (Intercity Express Programme) train passes through Hampstead Heath station on the North London Line after having attended a media event to launch these trains at London Kings Cross station.
Virgin Trains East Coast are marketing these trains as Azuma. which is Japanese for 'east'. The trains are part of the Hitachi A-Train family, most of them will be built in northern England. The A-Train design concept includes several elements, the core features being that the vehicle car bodies (walls, roof, floor) are constructed from double skin aluminium extruded sections which are friction stir welded and the hollow extruded mounting rails on the vehicle body to which modular components can be attached. Class 800 trains will travel on the East Coast Main Line between London Kings Cross and Scotland, plus the Great Western Main Line between London Paddington station and South Wales. They are electro-diesels which collect power from overhead wires when available and use onboard diesel traction when travelling on non-electrified sections of railway. (Permalink) Azuma Class 800 Hitachi Virgin Trains |
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VIRGIN Trains gives commuters the opportunity to ‘travel like a rock star’ by charting their own train from Scotland to London for a cool starting price of £65,000.
The ‘Red Carpet’ service from the rail company Virgin Trains is fairly extreme measure to avoid arguments over reserved seats or sitting next to chatty mobile phone users, by either booking out an entire private carriage or indeed charting a private train to their preferred destination. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Eight new daily rail journeys between Edinburgh and London are being introduced later this year, Virgin Trains has announced.
The additional weekday services between Scottish and English capitals from May means seat capacity has been boosted by 22,000 on the route - an increase of almost a third. The company said the four new services a day in each direction offer journeys every half-hour for most of the day. [From Richard Buckby] (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Virgin Trains East Coast has unveiled the first train to be overhauled as part of its £40 million refurbishment programme.
The operator has released images of new modern standard and first class interiors, which are being delivered from Bounds Green depot in London and Craigentinny depot in Edinburgh. The refurbishment will see seating replaced, new carpets and soft furnishings, and improvements to toilets. An additional £16 million is being spent on new diesel engines and re-branding the external livery. [From Richard Buckby] (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Virgin Trains has said an hourly rail service between Glasgow and Carlisle will operate from Saturday.
The west coast main line has been closed since Storm Frank damaged the Lamington Viaduct in South Lanarkshire. Virgin said trains will run on a shuttle service via Dumfries, with passengers changing at Carlisle to complete their journey. Network Rail has indicated that the work at Lamington could take until the end of January. (Permalink) Lamington Viaduct Network Rail Virgin Trains |
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The red carpet was rolled out as Virgin Trains launched its new service to Sunderland.
Not only has the Spirit of Sunderland been named in honour of the city, the engines have also been personalised with Wearside landmarks, including Wearmouth Bridge and Penshaw Monument. [From Richard Buckby] (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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THE West Coast Main Line has reopened between England and Scotland two days after a stretch just north of Carlisle station was under more than two metres of floodwater.
The first train through the reopened section was the up 10.51 Virgin Trains service from Edinburgh to London Euston which passed through the area just after 13.00. Network Rail said the blockage which had prevented trains running north of Carlisle was at Caldew Junction, where the line crosses the River Eden. [From Richard Buckby] (Permalink) Network Rail Virgin Trains |
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Virgin Trains is to spend £21m refurbishing its fleet of 45 trains which run on the east coast mainline between London and Edinburgh.
The company said all 401 carriages used on the route would be overhauled with more than 20,000 seats replaced and new carpets and curtains fitted. The work will be carried out at depots in London and Edinburgh. An additional £16m is also being spent on fitting 35 new engines to Virgin's diesel High Speed Train fleet. [From Mark Bartlett] (Permalink) Virgin Trains  Edinburgh Waverley: VTEC 91124 brings up the rear of the 12.00 service to Kings Cross at a wintry Edinburgh Waverley on 3 March. York: 'Skyfall' DVT 82231 on a Virgin Trains East Coast service calling at York on 19 March 2015. Stirling: The VTEC 0755 Inverness - Kings Cross Highland Chieftain calls at Stirling on 1 April 2015. |
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THE latest new livery for the 152-year-old Flying Scotsman train service has been unveiled by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC).
The red, white and blue colour scheme, which includes the Saltire, adorns the electric locomotive which hauls the daily 5:40am express from Edinburgh to London King’s Cross. (Permalink) Virgin Trains  Edinburgh Waverley: DVT 82205 on the rear of the 07.30 from Kings Cross after arrival at Edinburgh Waverley. It bears a new 'Flying Scotsman' livery, matched by 91101 on the other end.  Penmanshiel Tunnel: A1 Pacific No. 4475 Flying Fox bursts out of Penmanshiel Tunnel with 'The Flying Scotsman' in 1931. The photographer was 14 years old when he captured this scene. |
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The first Intercity 125 to sport the Virgin Trains East Coast livery went into passenger service in Edinburgh over the weekend.
Departing Edinburgh Waverley on Saturday morning, it is the first HST to carry passengers in Virgin colours since the operator took over the franchise with Stagecoach in March. The Mark 3 fleet is being incrementally updated at Craigentinny depot by Stewart Signs. All 14 trains are set to be completed by October. [From Richard Buckby] (Permalink) Virgin Trains Kings Cross: Virgin East Coast HST line-up at Kings Cross on 13 April 2015, with 43317; 43312; and an unidentified classmate awaiting their next turns.  Wakefield Westgate: National Express liveried HST power car 43312 draws to a halt in the Up platform at Wakefield Westgate at the head of a Leeds to Kings Cross service on 4 September 2009. Although Westgate station has ... |
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Rail unions have called off a national bank holiday strike after receiving a 'revised offer' in their pay dispute with Network Rail.
Members of the RMT and TSSA unions had been due to walk out for 24 hours from 17:00 BST on Monday in a row over pay. The RMT said the union's executive had decided to suspend the strike, after the TSSA earlier called off its action. Many train services will now run as planned on Monday and Tuesday but some will be affected by engineering work. Virgin trains, which runs services on the East and West Coast mainlines, tweeted: 'As a result of planned industrial action being cancelled, the original timetabled services have been reinstated for 25th & 26th May.' (Permalink) Network Rail Virgin Trains |
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Workers at Virgin Trains East Coast in Edinburgh are to stage a one-day strike over the dismissal of an ex-colleague.
Mark Doughty was sacked when the firm was operated by UK government-controlled East Coast Trains. The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has confirmed the walk-out will take place on Good Friday, April 3. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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The East Coast rail route between London and Scotland has returned to private hands after more than five years in the public sector.
Services on the line have been operated by a Department for Transport (DfT) controlled company since November 2009. From Sunday they are being run jointly by Virgin and Stagecoach, under the name Virgin Trains East Coast. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Virgin Trains has reported a surge in cross-border rail travel following investment in additional seating capacity.
The West Coast Main Line operator said passenger numbers on its Anglo-Scottish services rose by 11% last year. The rise came after Virgin made an additional 3,000 seats available every weekday. Virgin said its trains now accounted for more than a fifth of journeys made between Glasgow and London. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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A direct rail service between Shrewsbury and London has started.
A similar service, run by Wrexham & Shropshire Trains, ended in 2011. Since then, business and political leaders in Shropshire have campaigned to get the route reinstated, saying it would boost tourism and the local economy. A Virgin Trains service was approved by the Office of Rail Regulation in September and the first train set out from Shrewsbury at 15:24 GMT on Sunday. On weekdays, it will see two services in each direction. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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The driver of a train on its way to Liverpool was injured after overhead power cables came down on the track near Runcorn.
The incident happened at around 7.30pm and caused major disruptions on all lines and services between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street. The ECHO understands that the driver managed to stop the train in time after spotting the power cables on the track. He got out of his cab to make the train safe and to check for a marker on the track so he could report his location to the control room. It was during this time that he received an electric shock and at 9.30pm, he was on the way to hospital. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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New rail services linking the North West and the Midlands to London have been approved.
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) said Virgin Trains can run direct services from Blackpool and from Shrewsbury into Euston station. [From Mark Bartlett] (Permalink) Virgin Trains  Shrewsbury: A Sprinter leaving Shrewsbury in the summer of 2006 passes the box with the biggest lever frame left on Network Rail.  Blackpool North: Looking back towards the terminal building at Blackpool North along Platform 5/6 in August 2008. New signalling structures have been installed part way down each platform but not yet commissioned. |
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TRAIN operators serving Scotland such as ScotRail and Virgin Trains are among the most trusted by passengers, according to a survey published today by watchdog Passenger Focus. ScotRail, Virgin and East Coast were rated better than most for a good service and having a good relationship with passengers and a positive reputation.
(Permalink) ScotRail Virgin Trains |
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Virgin Trains has won the contract to carry on running the west coast mainline rail franchise by agreeing to provide thousands of extra standard seats, better Wi-Fi, station upgrades and other improvements. [From Mark Bartlett]
(Permalink) Virgin Trains  Glasgow Central: Virgin Pendolinos 390017 and 390006 at Platforms 1 and 2 of Glasgow Central on 23rd January.  Carnforth: Until the December 2012 timetable change several WCML trains from Euston terminated at Lancaster and then ran ECS to Carnforth before returning to London. Pendolino 390015 Virgin Crusader arriv ...  Lamington: The 12.37 special Glasgow Central - London Euston Virgin Pendolino during its record breaking non-stop run of 3 hours 55 minutes on 22 September 2006. The special is seen here approaching Lamington Vi ... |
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BRITAIN's infrastructure manager, Network Rail (NR), has for the first time granted access rights to an open-access passenger operator without being forced to provide paths by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR).
Great North Western Railway (GNWR), a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains, has been granted 12 paths per day per direction on the West Coast Main Line to introduce services from London Euston to Blackpool and Huddersfield via Manchester Victoria in competition with Virgin Trains, which up to now has a monopoly on the London – northwest England corridor. [From Richard Buckby] (Permalink) Network Rail Virgin Trains |
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New direct train services connecting Lancashire to the south and west Midlands will be launched next week as part of a timetable overhaul.
Thousands of passengers are set to benefit from new services connecting Birmingham International, Coventry and Milton Keynes to stations including Preston, which will begin on December 8. The services will also link to Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Virgin Trains, which runs the services, says the changes will see a huge expansion in capacity, with more than 3,000 seats added every weekday, as the majority of five-car Super Voyager trains are replaced by either double Voyagers (10 cars) or Pendolinos (nine cars or 11 cars). Twenty four of the 28 Scottish services that currently operate from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Birmingham will be extended to London Euston. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Direct rail services between Shropshire and London are to be restarted from May, the rail regulator has said.
Virgin Trains submitted a renewed bid to run the twice-daily service last week after previously having plans rejected by Network Rail [From Mark Bartlett]. (Permalink) Network Rail Virgin Trains |
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Rail companies were today branded “great train robbers” as new figures revealed some fares have more than tripled since privatisation.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains and First Great Western topped the list with prices hikes of 210 per cent, according research by the transport union TSSA (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Network Rail missed all its punctuality targets for England and Wales last year, rail regulator figures reveal.
Some 361,000 train services in London and the South East and 70,500 national journeys were cancelled or late. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) figures come after the company's bosses were awarded bonuses equivalent to 17% of their salaries. Virgin Trains says it will take action against Network Rail, claiming a breach of contract over punctuality. (Permalink) Network Rail Virgin Trains |
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Virgin Trains has promised a major expansion in capacity in time for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
It said trains will be lengthened to cope with a surge in demand already experienced by the operator - and an increase in visitor numbers next year. The company won a two-year extension to its West Coast franchise after a plan to award it to FirstGroup was scrapped. Virgin said demand on Glasgow to London services has increased by 144% in the past five years. [From Mark Bartlett] (Permalink) Virgin Trains  Euston: Pendolinos waiting at Euston on 27 January 2010. On the right the driver of the 1630 hrs service to Glasgow Central approaches the cab of 390010. The service has just one intermediate stop after exact ...  Glasgow Central: Virgin Pendolino 390044 awaits departure to Euston from Glasgow Central platform 2 on 30 November 2011.  Carlisle: A Glasgow - London Pendolino service runs under Victoria Viaduct and into Carlisle station on 3 June 2010. |
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The government has announced Virgin Trains will run the West Coast Mainline for a further 23 months - hours before a report into the collapse of the line's franchise deal is published. An inquiry has examined why the £5bn deal collapsed in October. [From Mark Bartlett]
(Permalink) Virgin Trains Carlisle: A Glasgow - London Pendolino service runs under Victoria Viaduct and into Carlisle station on 3 June 2010.  Euston: A Virgin Pendolino service for Glasgow Central stands at London Euston in July 2005.  Euxton: The new 11 car 'Extendolino' 390054 heads south at Euxton on 29 April 2011 with the 5T35 service to Edge Hill following a test run between Carnforth and Carlisle earlier in the day.
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The Department for Transport has been forced to prepare for the temporary nationalisation of the route, because of the Virgin Trains legal challenge to the decision to hand over the franchise to FirstGroup.
Known as the West Coast Main Line Mobilisation Team, the officials will be ready to step in on December 9 to make sure trains keep running on the route, which runs from Euston to Scotland. Some members are already in place and recruitment is under way to put together a team of around 30. The move was described as a “contingency measure” by a spokesman for Directly Operated Railways (DOR), the Government-owned company that already runs the East Coast Main Line from King’s Cross to Aberdeen. Should DOR take over West Coast as well, it would leave the Government running two of the three major long distance rail routes at the end of the year. [From Mark Bartlett] (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Rail bosses behind a controversial takeover of the West Coast Mainline have unveiled plans for a major overhaul of Preston Station.
FirstGroup was awarded the contract to run the line from London to Edinburgh but current operator Virgin Trains has launched legal battle to block the £5.5bn deal. But now FirstGroup, which is due to take over the running of the line on December 9, has today unveiled plans for a major revamp of Preston Station over the next five years. Among the plans, which is expected to run into millions of pounds, is transforming waiting areas, re-establishing the redundant platform seven, creating a cycling hub, de-cluttering platforms and creating more shops. (Permalink) Virgin Trains  Preston: An arrival from the south running into Preston station in 1972 during resignalling work.  Preston: Looking north at Platform 7 of Preston station in January 2009. This shows where the lines entered the station to the right before running through the tunnel to the East Lancs platforms, prior to the ...  Preston: A view that can not normally be obtained by us mere mortals. Taken from the former platform 2 at Preston (latterly the RES platform). On 18 July 2012 it was back in public use as the platform for the ... |
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Virgin Trains is launching court proceedings in a bid to hold on to its West Coast main line franchise.
The move came hours before the Government was due to sign off a controversial deal giving responsibility for the route to FirstGroup. Virgin said it had tried for three weeks to get 'clarity' about the decision by the Department of Transport but had been 'refused information'. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Sir Richard Branson has offered to run the West Coast Mainline 'for free' to give Parliament time to review the £10bn franchise's award to FirstGroup.
He said Virgin Trains and Stagecoach would run it on a not-for-profit basis after December - when they are due to hand over the franchise - if more time was needed for a review. More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition against the decision. (Permalink) Virgin Trains Carlisle: A Glasgow - London Pendolino service runs under Victoria Viaduct and into Carlisle station on 3 June 2010.  Abington: The 1740 hrs Glasgow Central to London Euston Pendolino service leans into the curve as it passes the Abington loops on 3 July 2010.
 Euston: Twins - Glasgow Central and Manchester Piccadilly Virgin Pendolinos at London Euston in 2005. |
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Sir Richard Branson has attacked the 'insanity' of the Government after Virgin Trains lost control of the prestigious West Coast rail line that it has run for 15 years. The Department for Transport (DfT) handed the contract to FirstGroup after Virgin's rival is thought to have made what industry insiders describe as a 'suicide' offer of £6.5bn to £7bn to run the line. Virgin, its closest competitor for the franchise, bid £5.5bn to £6bn.
In his blog, Sir Richard voiced fears that the amount FirstGroup paid will make the contract unprofitable, forcing the Government to take back ownership of the line. This is what happened with the East Coast Main line, when first GNER (in 2007) and then National Express (in 2009) were stripped of the contract after they could not afford to pay the Government £1.3bn for the right to run the service. (Permalink) Virgin Trains Glasgow Central: Virgin Pendolinos 390017 and 390006 at Platforms 1 and 2 of Glasgow Central on 23rd January. Carnforth: Until the December 2012 timetable change several WCML trains from Euston terminated at Lancaster and then ran ECS to Carnforth before returning to London. Pendolino 390015 Virgin Crusader arriv ... Lamington: The 12.37 special Glasgow Central - London Euston Virgin Pendolino during its record breaking non-stop run of 3 hours 55 minutes on 22 September 2006. The special is seen here approaching Lamington Vi ... |
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FirstGroup has emerged as a frontrunner for the multibillion-pound west coast rail franchise alongside incumbent Virgin Trains, with the contest now a two-horse race between the experienced operators.
Aberdeen-based FirstGroup is vying with Virgin despite announcing last year that it is handing back its Great Western rail contract three years ahead of schedule, avoiding more than £800m in payments to the government. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Trains on the West Coast main line have been cancelled because of flooding in the Carlisle area.
ScotRail warned that passengers travelling from Glasgow Central to Carlisle via Dumfries were likely to face delays throughout Saturday. Flooding on the roads means that no replacement buses are currently able to run. Virgin Trains and Transpennine services are also affected by the bad weather. ScotRail advised anybody travelling on the west coast line to contact National Rail Enquiries before setting out. (Permalink) ScotRail Virgin Trains |
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VIRGIN Trains is Britain’s best-loved rail operator, according to a passenger survey by a consumer watchdog.
Nearly two-thirds of those questioned by Which? magazine were satisfied with the firm, which includes Glasgow to London and Edinburgh/Glasgow to Birmingham services. East Coast was placed fourth in the first such poll, but ScotRail – which runs most of Scotland’s trains – came tenth of 18 operators, with just 54 per cent of its passengers happy. (Permalink) ScotRail Virgin Trains |
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Longer trains are set to enter service with Virgin Trains in April, providing 150 extra Standard seats on some of the busiest services on the West Coast Main Line.
The longer trains will initially work services on the London to Birmingham route, but as more 11-coach trains come into service they will also operate some of the busiest trains on the Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow routes. (Permalink) Virgin Trains Carlisle: A Glasgow - London Pendolino service runs under Victoria Viaduct and into Carlisle station on 3 June 2010. Euston: A Virgin Pendolino service for Glasgow Central stands at London Euston in July 2005. Euxton: The new 11 car 'Extendolino' 390054 heads south at Euxton on 29 April 2011 with the 5T35 service to Edge Hill following a test run between Carnforth and Carlisle earlier in the day.
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THEFT of rail cables has been blamed for hampering efforts to run trains on time as new figures show punctuality dipped in the first part of autumn this year.
The latest performance report from Network Rail shows passenger train companies ran 91.5 per cent of trains on time in the four-week period from 18 September to 15 October, compared to 92.8 per cent in the same period last year. The two main London-to-Scotland rail companies – Virgin Trains and East Coast – had the poorest trains-on-time record over the period. Virgin operated only 84.5 per cent of trains on time on the West Coast Main Line in early autumn compared with 91.5 per cent over the same time last year. A Virgin spokesman said the company had identified infrastructure issues on the line south of Rugby which Network Rail is to address at a cost of £25 million over the next year. He added that increasing cable thefts are affecting services, with seven incidents in the four-week period. One incident earlier this month in Lichfield in the Midlands led to 60 hours of delays. “It’s a serious issue which affects not just rail operators,” the spokesman said. “As the price of copper goes up so too do the incidents of copper thefts.” (Permalink) Network Rail Virgin Trains |
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Virgin Trains today vowed to further invest in Preston station if the Government extends the company’s franchise agreement. Every Pendolino train would also be extended in a bid to curb worsening overcrowding. [From Mark Bartlett]
(Permalink) Virgin Trains  Preston: The last Pendolino of the day from Euston to Glasgow pauses at platform 3 at Preston on 26 November 2009. 390037 is the unit in question.  Preston: A busy Preston station looking South on 7th January 2009, with 156472 on a local service sandwiched between two Pendolinos, one Northbound and one Southbound  Preston: Scene on Saturday 19 April 2008 looking west over Preston station from Vicars Bridge, which once spanned the East Lancashire lines. The whole of the former East Lancs side of Preston station along wit ... |
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Virgin Trains ticket office staff have gone on strike, affecting a dozen stations on the West Coast Main Line.
(Permalink) Virgin Trains Preston: A busy Preston station looking South on 7th January 2009, with 156472 on a local service sandwiched between two Pendolinos, one Northbound and one Southbound  Euston: 'Tickets please.' Ticket checks in operation for passengers heading for the 10.00 service to Manchester Piccadilly at Euston station in September 1972. |
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A planned strike by Virgin Trains booking office staff at five mainline stations on Friday is called off after a legal challenge by the firm.
(Permalink) Virgin Trains Euston: 'Tickets please.' Ticket checks in operation for passengers heading for the 10.00 service to Manchester Piccadilly at Euston station in September 1972.  Glasgow Central: Electronic train indicator boards were installed at Glasgow Central in the mid 1980s - this photograph shows the old manual system as it approached the end of its life in March 1985. Printed paper tra ... |
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Network Rail's announcement of record punctuality figures was overshadowed yesterday by an official complaint from Virgin Trains about continued delays on the west coast mainline.
(Permalink) Network Rail Virgin Trains |
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Virgin Trains has been named as the best train operator in a survey by the Institute of Customer Services (ICS).
(Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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Train operator Virgin has recorded its best punctuality performance on the Cross Country Network just weeks before it hands over the railway franchise. The routes, which include a number of services to and from Edinburgh, were given over to Arriva in July, having been in Virgin's hands for the last decade. The handover takes place on November 11 and the new franchise deal runs until 2016. In the 4 weeks ending October 13, Virgin said 90.6 percent of trains arrived on time, beating the previous record of 90.5 percent set in April 2006. [Evening News].
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Virgin Trains fails to continue running the Cross Country rail franchise, as rival Arriva triumphs.
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A COMMUTER train service in East Lothian has been re-timed. The early-morning Virgin Trains service from Dunbar to Edinburgh will now leave at 6.40am instead of 6.29am.
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A new train speed record is being attempted on the Glasgow to London line to raise money for charity.
Virgin Trains is hoping to make the 401 mile journey in under four hours and break the record set 25 years ago of four hours and 14 minutes. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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RAIL passengers travelling to and from the Capital on the West Coast Main Line are set to get wireless internet access from next year.
(Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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A DIRECT rail link between Edinburgh and Cornwall has been restored by Virgin Trains for its summer timetable.
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PASSENGERS last month enjoyed the most punctual services on the Glasgow-London rail line since Virgin Trains took over nine years ago, the firm has claimed.
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RAIL passengers from Edinburgh will be able to purchase £20 walk-on fares on Virgin trains this Sunday.
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A new Pendolino train was named 'City of Edinburgh' before operating its first public service in Scotland which ran from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Pendolinos are tilting trains and will be used by Virgin Trains from January 2004 on the West Coast Mainline between Glasgow and London. Services from Edinburgh to London by the West Coast Mainline using Pendolinos will start in 2005 following upgrading work on the line.
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This week Virgin Trains eliminated use of Class 158s in Scotland, substituting Voyagers.
(Permalink) Class 158 Virgin Trains |
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A driver of a Virgin train was injured when part of the overhead catenery struck the windscreen of the cab. The train was travelling south from Glasgow and the accident happened north of Beattock. The driver was taken to Moffat for treatment and the train had to await a locomotive to haul it before continuing south.
(Permalink) Beattock Virgin trains |
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The Polmadie open day is organised by Virgin Trains. This event is to celebrate 125 years of Polmadie Shed. The original shed here was built for the Caledonian Railway and it opened on 16 September 1875. The steam shed here closed in 1967. Steam, diesel and electric locomotives will be represented here.
- Vintage shuttle bus from Rutherglen station. - Opens at 10:00. - Last admission 16:00. - Priority to ticket holders. - Free tickets available from Allan McLean of Virgin Trains. - Contributions welcome for "Children First" charity. - Formal entry location; 109 Polmadie Road. (Permalink) Virgin Trains |
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