Virgin Trains announces through fares to the Continent from Liverpool Lime Street as Pendolino links with Eurostar

23 October 2007

Virgin Trains and Eurostar are to offer return fares from Liverpool Lime Street to Paris, Brussels, Disneyland Resort Paris, 75 connecting destinations across France and any station in Belgium from just £84.00.

Tickets will be available from 14 November, the date when Eurostar begins services from St Pancras International, a stone’s throw from London Euston. For the first time, regional travellers to the near Continent will have a realistic alternative to the airlines.

Virgin’s tilting Pendolino trains will combine with Eurostar’s high-speed international services, with city centre-to-city centre journey times which in some cases match or beat those of taking the plane. Liverpool Lime Street will come within five hours thirty five minutes of Brussels and five hours fifty minutes of Paris.

With up to 12 connecting rail services a day to Paris and seven a day to Brussels, travellers will enjoy frequencies to compete with regional airlines as well as the comfort and convenience of at-seat office facilities and catering and connecting rail travel. Eurostar check-in time is half an hour - ten minutes for business travellers - and passengers will avoid time wasting journeys to and from out-of-town airports and baggage reclaim.

Virgin Trains Managing Director Chris Gibb said:” We are very much looking forward to playing our vital role in rail linking the Liverpool area to mainland Europe.”

Richard Brown, Chief Executive of Eurostar, said:” These through fares make Eurostar truly accessible to people living to the north of London. Rail will provide cost-effective, convenient and comfortable travel to the Continent. And all Eurostar journeys will be carbon neutral from 14 November 2007, at no extra cost to travellers.”

Virgin Trains tickets, which include one-stop Underground travel, and Eurostar tickets may be booked from 14 November through Eurostar’s Contact Centre on 08705 186 186.

ENDS
For further information contact the Virgin Trains Press Desk or the Eurostar Press Office. For Eurostar images go to http://www.eurostar.imagery.co.uk/ and register to access the library of Eurostar images.

Notes to editors
Runcorn and Crewe will have through fares to Paris, Brussels, Disneyland Resort Paris and 75 other Eurostar connecting destinations across France and to any station in Belgium with return fares starting from £84.00.

Through fares to Eurostar destinations are bookable through the Eurostar Contact Centre 08705 186 186 from 14 November. From mid December it will be possible to buy through fares on http://www.eurostar.com/

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group and operates two rail franchises – West Coast Trains and CrossCountry Trains. Both franchises commenced in 1997.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

About Eurostar

· Eurostar is the high-speed train operator that will launch services to and from St Pancras International on Wednesday 14 November. St Pancras is superbly connected with a total of seven national train operators serving the station, next door to Kings Cross and nearby Euston and Marylebone stations, with trains to and from 70 towns and cities north and south of London. Services in and out of Waterloo International will end on 13 November.

· Eurostar journey times on High Speed 1, the UK’s first high-speed line, will be: London – Paris 2h 15m; London – Disneyland Paris 2h 35m; London – Brussels 1h 51m; and London – Lille 1h 20m. Eurostar also serves Ebbsfleet International (in north Kent – opens 19 November 2007), Ashford International, Calais, Avignon, the French Alps and 100 other destinations throughout Europe.

· Eurostar and Eurotunnel are entirely separate companies. Eurostar operates high-speed passenger trains and competes with airlines; Eurotunnel operates road vehicle shuttle services between Folkestone and Calais and competes with ferries. Eurotunnel also operates the Channel Tunnel itself.