Press release -
A DAY OUT TO THE FUTURE
Virgin Trains East Coast is to run a special direct service between London and Lincoln this Saturday (29 August 2015) to take people to the biggest Steampunk festival in Europe.
The annual event in Lincoln celebrates a steam powered world in the late 19th century and attracts thousands of visitors.
The historic city is hosting the popular futuristic convention with a mix of fringe-style events from art and literature to music, fashion and comedy.
Virgin Trains East Coast has worked closely with Visit Lincoln and other partners to deliver extra trains this year as part of Magna Carta 800 celebrations in the city.
Emma Tatlow, Visit Lincoln Partnership Manager, said: “On Saturday 29th August, there are more reasons than ever to visit Lincoln by train.
“Lincoln's Cathedral Quarter will be transformed into a Steampunk paradise as the city (voted as the world's most Steampunk city) hosts the annual Steampunk Festival. And the Lincoln Barons' Charter Trail continues - with 25 beautifully decorated sculptures displayed through the streets of the city.
“You'll not only enjoy the events programme Lincoln boasts boat trips, bars and restaurants at the Brayford Waterfront marina, cobbled streets of the Bailgate lined with independent shops and of course the stunning Cathedral - one of the finest in Europe. With so many reasons to visit Lincoln by train, don't miss out.”
Virgin Trains East Coast is also planning to operate extra services for the Lincolnshire Sausage Festival on Saturday 24th October 2015 and Saturday 31st October 2015 for the Frequency Festival.
Each of the special direct services departs London King’s Cross at 09.10, calling at Peterborough and Newark North Gate, arriving in Lincoln at 11.01. The return service departs Lincoln at 17.15, calling at Newark North Gate and Peterborough, arriving in London King’s Cross at 19.11.
David Horne, Managing Director of Virgin Trains East Coast said: “This Saturday is another one of our six special Saturday services when we’re running an extra service from London to Lincoln and back, timed to bring visitors to the key events in the city for a great day out.
“We’re excited to be working closely with tourism agency Visit Lincoln and the many organisations who work together to promote Lincoln as a fantastic destination, in this important year for the city’s history and heritage."
Tickets on the special direct services can be bought online at www.virgintrainseastcoast.com for £10 London-Lincoln one way in Standard or £25.80 in First Class.
ENDS
Topics
- Art, Culture, Entertainment
Categories
- east coast
- regional news
- routes & stations
Regions
- England
Contact the Virgin Trains East Coast Press Office: 0116 366 3988 during office hours (09.00 - 17.30 Mon-Fri). Outside these times, and for urgent media enquiries only, please call 08700 005151 and ask for the duty Virgin Trains East Coast press officer to be paged.
Virgin Trains East Coast is the brand name of InterCity Railways Ltd (ICR), which is owned by Stagecoach Group (90%) and Virgin Group (10%). Virgin Trains East Coast began operating services on the East Coast Main Line on Sunday 1 March 2015, serving key UK cities including London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. In November 2014 the Department for Transport awarded ICR a new franchise until at least 31 March 2023.
Virgin Trains East Coast is committed to delivering a high speed, high quality service with new services, faster and more frequent journeys, more comfortable travel and excellent customer service. More than £140m is to be invested in delivering improved service and a more personalised travel experience for customers.
Visit the Virgin Trains East Coast Media Centre at: http://www.virgintrainseastcoast.com/media-centre for the latest news and images.
STAGECOACH GROUP
• Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, mainland Europe, the United States and Canada. The Group employs around 38,000 people, and operates bus, coach, train, and tram services.
• Stagecoach is one of the UK’s biggest bus and coach operators with around 8,300 buses and coaches. Around 2.8 million passenger journeys are made on Stagecoach's buses every day on a network stretching from south-west England to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The Group’s business includes major city bus operations in London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Hull, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and Cambridge. Low-cost coach service, megabus.com, operates a network of inter-city services across the UK and continental Europe.
• Stagecoach is a major UK rail operator, running the South West Trains, Island Line and East Midlands Trains networks. It is also the majority shareholder (90%) in the new Virgin Trains East Coast franchise and has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group, which operates the West Coast rail franchise.
• Stagecoach also operates the Supertram light rail network in Sheffield.
• In North America, Stagecoach operates around 2,400 buses and coaches in the United States and Canada. Megabus.com links around 130 key locations in North America. Stagecoach is also involved in operating commuter, transit, airport express services, contracted, charter and sightseeing services.
