Press release -
Virgin Trains contributes to MPs' consideration of winter preparations
The House of Commons Transport Committee is carrying out a short inquiry into winter resilience. It invited evidence on the following issues:
- How resilient are the UK’s transport networks (including road, rail and air) to adverse winter weather?
- What lessons have been learned since the severe weather experienced in the winter of 2009-10? What practical changes have been made to ensure the UK is now better equipped to deal with severe weather?
- How well prepared are the Government, local authorities and transport providers for adverse winter weather? What more should be done to ensure a coordinated response?
Virgin Trains submitted evidence making the following key points:
- Virgin Trains core aim is to maintain services as
close to the advertised services as possible, rather than making an early
switch to emergency timetables. This may have an adverse impact on our
performance statistics. However, we firmly believe our approach gives our
customers confidence about making journeys and reduces conflicting
information appearing in different channels.
- Virgin Trains is a learning organisation, and our plans for snow and icy conditions are re-visited regularly to take account of experience. Our winterisation plan for trains and stations is reviewed annually and re briefed to front line teams in late summer.
- Social media plays an increasing part in keeping customers up-to-date during disruption and we will shortly be able to provide social media coverage for the entire period of train operation.
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Virgin Trains has revolutionised
rail travel by creating a high speed, high frequency service that has cut
journey times and made rail journeys more comfortable. It has operated the West
Coast passenger train franchise since 1997, serving key UK cities including
London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Glasgow.
Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group (VRG), which is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach. The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded VRG a franchise contract, which started on 9 December 2012 and will run for up to 23 months. The DfT announced on 26 March 2013 a programme for letting future franchises, with the long-term West Coast franchise expected to start in April 2017.
Virgin Trains has been recognised in numerous awards. In September 2012 Business Traveller magazine readers voted the company the Best UK Domestic Rail Operator for the sixth year running. In 2011 the company was named Best Rail Operator in the Group Leisure Awards (which it also won in 2009 and 2010). In 2011 Virgin Trains won the British Quality Foundation's Achievement Award for Customer Satisfaction.
Customers consistently rate the company the top long-distance rail franchise operator, as measured by the National Passenger Survey (NPS) run by industry watchdog Passenger Focus. In the most recent NPS (Spring 2013) overall satisfaction was 92%, equalling our best ever score from the previous survey (Autumn 2012).
Virgin Trains first achieved Investors In People accreditation in 2007 and this was renewed in 2010; the IIP Gold award was achieved in 2011. In May 2013 Virgin Trains renewed it accreditation against the criteria of the European Foundation for Quality Management's (EFQM) Excellence Model, which it originally achieved in May 2011 The company’s Learning and Development team won a National Training Awards 2011 West Midlands award for its Coaching Culture programme.
For more information about Virgin Trains visit the Virgin Trains' website or the Media Room website.