Virgin Trains (open access operator)
| Franchise(s) | Open access operator |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Virgin Group |
Virgin Trains is a prospective open access operator proposing to operate services on the West Coast Main Line between London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Rochdale and Glasgow.
Background
[edit]In March 1997 as part of the privatisation of British Rail, the Virgin Rail Group commenced operating the InterCity West Coast franchise on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) from London Euston to destinations including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow.[1] Virgin also took over the CrossCountry franchise that operated across the United Kingdom including services on the WCML from Birmingham to Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh.[2]
In November 2007, the CrossCountry franchise was taken over by Arriva CrossCountry after being retendered.[3][4] As part of a restructure of the franchise map by the Department for Transport, in December 2007 the CrossCountry services that operated to Glasgow and Edinburgh via the WCML were transferred to the InterCity West Coast franchise.[5][6]
In December 2019, the West Coast franchise was taken over by Avanti West Coast after being retendered.[7]
2019 proposal
[edit]After losing the West Coast franchise, in 2019 Virgin announced that it proposed to seek paths from the Office of Rail & Road (ORR) to operate services from London Euston to Liverpool as an open access operator with InterCity 225 sets that were due to be released from the InterCity East Coast franchise.[8][9]
2024 proposal
[edit]In May 2024, Virgin announced it had lodged an application with the ORR to operate services on the WCML from London Euston to Birmingham, Liverpool, Rochdale and Glasgow from December 2025.[10][11][12] Services would initially be operated by former Avanti West Coast Class 221s Bombardier Voyagers, before Electric Multiple Units would be purchased after infrastructure upgrades.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Virgin to tackle IC West Coast Rail Privatisation News issue 48 20 February 1997 page 1
- ^ Branson's Virgin Group wins CrossCountry Trains for 15 years Rail issue 294 18 December 1996 page 6
- ^ Arriva takes New CrossCountry Railway Gazette International August 2007 page 465
- ^ Shock as Virgin loses Cross Country to Arriva The Railway Magazine issue 1277 September 2007 page 11
- ^ Voyagers are set to work London-Glasgow route Rail issue 559 14 February 2007 page 12
- ^ Big changes as Dft Rail redraws Cross Country map The Railway Magazine issue 1264 August 2006 page 6
- ^ First Trenitalia wins West Coast Partnership Today's Railways UK issue 214 October 2019 page 9
- ^ Virgin proposes London-Liverpool open access service Rail issue 881 19 June 2019 page 16
- ^ Virgin pursues open access bid The Railway Magazine issue 1420 July 2019 page 7
- ^ Virgin Trains targets West Coast in return to rail BBC News 23 May 2024
- ^ Virgin Trains propose West Coast comeback The Railway Magazine issue 1479 June 2024 page 11
- ^ Virgin plots West Coast return Modern Railways issue 910 July 2024 page 12
- ^ Virgin open access Modern Railways issue 910 July 2024 pages 34/35
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