Press release -
Virgin Trains is Back in Business as West Coast Mainline reopens
Today Virgin Trains marked the reopening of the West Coast Mainline and return of its direct services to and from Scotland.
Station staff and on board teams at Carlisle, Edinburgh and Glasgow handed out ‘Back in Business’ cupcakes to customers to celebrate that normal services had resumed.
Today is the first day the train operator has been able to run direct services to and from Glasgow and Edinburgh along the West Coast Mainline, since the line was closed north of Carlisle, following damage to Lamington viaduct caused by Storm Frank in December.
The full timetable of direct services offers an hourly service between London Euston and Glasgow and six services each weekday from London Euston to Edinburgh.
Anna Doran, General Manager at Virgin Trains commented: “We’re delighted to be back in business sooner than anticipated, as Network Rail completed the works to Lamington viaduct ahead of schedule. Today has been very much about telling our customers we’re back in full swing. It has been great to see our Pendolinos at Glasgow and Edinburgh - again and to welcome passengers onboard. We would like to thank our customers for their continued patience and support over the last few weeks and we look forward to them travelling with us soon.”
The first Virgin Trains service to cross Lamington viaduct was the 5.40am from Glasgow to London Euston.
ENDS
Topics
- Transport
Categories
- routes & stations
- trains
- business news
- west coast
About Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group (VRG), which is owned by Virgin Group (51%) and Stagecoach (49%). Virgin Trains has operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997, serving key UK cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. In June 2014 the Department for Transport (DfT) awarded VRG a new franchise until at least April 2017.
Virgin Trains is committed to delivering a high speed, high frequency service, offering shorter journey times, more comfortable travel and excellent customer service. We provide the most frequent long-distance rail service in Europe (London - Manchester and London – Birmingham, both every 20 minutes).
Since 1997, Virgin Trains has introduced over 70 new trains at a cost of £1.5 billion. The service carries more than 34.5 million passengers a year and Virgin Trains employs approximately 3,290 staff.
Virgin Trains customers consistently rate the company as one of the top long-distance rail franchise operators in the National Passenger Survey (NPS) commissioned by industry watchdog “Passenger Focus”.
Visit the Virgin Trains Media Room - www.virgintrains.co.uk/mediaroom - for the latest news, images and videos. Subscribe here for regular news from Virgin Trains.
Press Office: 0845 000 3333. Company website: www.virgintrains.co.uk.
About Virgin Trains East Coast
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 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.
Contact the Virgin Trains Press Office: press.desk@virgintrains.co.uk or call us on 0845 000 3333.
