Trains offer business people the solution to growing airport delays on central Scotland/London routes

21 November 2007

Trains offer business people the solution to growing airport delays on central Scotland/London routes
Worsening delays at Gatwick and Heathrow airports are helping trains to compete successfully with planes between central Scotland and London, according to a new report.

Rail has beaten air on routes between London and Manchester and Liverpool and can now go on to win over even longer distances than previously thought, the study by the sustainable transport alliance TRANSform Scotland has found.

The Railways Mean Business explodes myths about train travel, including the belief among some business people that it is cheaper to fly. The study into switching business travel from air to rail on Edinburgh and Glasgow to London routes shows that being kinder to the environment is not the only advantage of taking the train.explodes myths about train travel, including the belief among some business people that it is cheaper to fly. The study into switching business travel from air to rail on Edinburgh and Glasgow to London routes shows that being kinder to the environment is not the only advantage of taking the train.

People who go by rail to and from London:
· arrive on time more often;
· get better value from the journey by working or relaxing;
· and don't take significantly longer between city centres than those who fly.

The report highlights rail punctuality as more than 20 percentage points better than air on Glasgow and Edinburgh to London routes. This conclusion comes in the wake of this month's revelation that Gatwick and Heathrow had the worst records for delayed departures and among the worst for arrivals of all the main European airports this summer. This was at a time when Virgin Trains recorded passenger numbers from Glasgow to London 35 per cent up compared to two years earlier.

The latest Civil Aviation Authority figures show that in August, 44 percent of flights between Glasgow and Gatwick and 35 per cent of flights between Glasgow and Heathrow were more than 15 minutes late. Railway industry figures show Virgin's Pendolino trains on the West Coast Main Line achieving punctuality of more than 85 percent over the past year, on the tougher rail target of arriving within ten minutes of schedule.

Virgin Trains commissioned the investigation to help find out what needs to be done to attract business travellers from air to rail between Glasgow and London, following the company's success in beating the airlines hands down between London and Manchester/Liverpool.

The study points to European experience as proof that train journeys of up to 4h 30m can win significant levels of business from air, rather than a three-hour threshold as previously thought.

Tony Collins, Chief Executive of Virgin Trains, said: "We have seen in recent days some shocking punctuality records of domestic airlines at increasingly congested airports.

"This comprehensive report gives overwhelming evidence that the train offers more useful travel time, affordable prices and environmental benefits. That is why Virgin Trains has beaten off air competition from Liverpool, taken the vast majority of air/rail traffic from Manchester to London and is now making significant inroads into the Glasgow-London market.

"Our many new customers recognise that the train can genuinely help relieve pressure on overcrowded airports, and that rail offers the best solution to pollution on short-haul journeys."

The report calls for improvements to make rail travel even more attractive, including changes to schedules, encouragement of environmentally friendly company travel schemes, incentives for regular customers, easier facilities for booking and healthier menus. Rail operators should "target investment and marketing so that trains are seen as a mobile office, and that travelling by rail is considered part of the working day".

Calculating centre-to-centre journey times between Glasgow and London and Edinburgh and London, the report notes that air can take as little as 3h 25m or as much as 4h 28m. The best time by Virgin Pendolino train between London and Glasgow is 4h 25m, which will come down by early 2009 to 4h 10m after completion of West Coast route modernisation.

The report concludes that while the total Scotland/London time will normally be shorter by air "rail travel allows for greater productivity as the amount of lost working time is greater when flying". If businesses approached travel by considering the impact on the working day "rail is extremely competitive".

It adds: "A rail journey might take an hour longer, but rail travel will result in less lost work time, a richer environment in which to work, and a less stressful journey."

The report also points out that going by train avoids the stress of queuing and waiting at airports, and that the central location of railway stations offers more opportunity to socialise with colleagues and clients before or after journeys.

"While rail travel is acknowledged to be a more environmental choice than air travel, in the past it has been seen as involving trade-offs. This report has found that rail travel between Glasgow/Edinburgh and London is in fact competitive with air travel when looked at from a business perspective, offering significant advantages in certain areas.

"Some improvements could be made to improve rail's advantages and other improvements could be made to make planning rail travel easier and more attractive for business travellers. Certain inaccurate negative public perceptions also need to be challenged. But rail travel already provides a much more punctual service, the opportunity for greater overall productivity, and better comfort than air travel. With relatively inexpensive service improvements, and by further refining and targeting publicity, rail's advantages over air could become even more difficult to ignore."

ENDS

The report can be downloaded from the TRANSform Scotland website www.transformscotland.org.uk

www.transformscotland.org.uk/info/docs/2007-11-21_The_Railways_Mean_Business.pdf

For further information contact the Virgin Trains Communications Manager for Scotland on 07771 827 855

or the Press Desk on 0845 000 3333

or

Colin Howden, Director, TRANSform Scotland, on

0131 243 2691 (w) or 07956 394121 (m)

Paul Tetlaw, Chair, TRANSform Scotland, on 07767 343116 (m)

Virgin Trains Media Information

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group, which is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

TRANSform Scotland is the national sustainable transport alliance, bringing together rail, bus and shipping operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, businesses and local transport groups.

The Railways Mean Business report on Attracting Business Travellers from Air to Rail was commissioned by Virgin Trains to find what needs to be done in time for the introduction of faster, more frequent schedules with Virgin Pendolino trains between Glasgow Central and London Euston. An improved timetable by early 2009 will follow completion by Network Rail of the route improvement project on the West Coast Main Line.report on Attracting Business Travellers from Air to Rail was commissioned by Virgin Trains to find what needs to be done in time for the introduction of faster, more frequent schedules with Virgin Pendolino trains between Glasgow Central and London Euston. An improved timetable by early 2009 will follow completion by Network Rail of the route improvement project on the West Coast Main Line.

The recommendations will be studied carefully. Already a new system for enhanced mobile communication is being rolled out by Virgin Trains at the rate of approximately one train a week. This will make rail travel on the West Coast Main Line more attractive to business customers over the next 12 months, by making it easier to use mobile phones and to use Blackberries, 3G and laptops for email during the journey.

Virgin Pendolino trains emit 76 per cent less carbon dioxide on average than cars and domestic flights.

Fares paid between Glasgow and London for travel by Virgin Trains average £62 for Standard class return and £129 for First Class return. A Standard Saver Return costing £98.20 is fully flexible on this route, but by booking in advance and committing to a specific train and date a Value Advance single can cost as little as £17.50 each way Standard Class or £43 First Class. The report notes that even a fully flexible First Class Open Return, including complimentary meals and drinks on the train, at £347 return, is £51 cheaper than an equivalent fully flexible air fare.