Virgin Trains

Franchise(s):	InterCity West Coast 9 March 1997 – 31 March 2012 Cross-Country 5 January 1997 – 10 November 2007 (originally 2012)
Main route(s):	London - Scotland, London - West Midlands, London - North West
Other route(s):	London-North Wales, West Midlands - Scotland
Fleet size:	53 Pendolino sets 21 Super Voyager sets 16 British Rail Class 57/3 diesel locomotives
Stations called at:	42
Stations operated:	17
National Rail abbreviation:	VT
Parent company:	Virgin Group / Stagecoach Group
Web site:	www.virgintrains.co.uk

Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. They run trains from London Euston to the North West, West Midlands and Scotland on the West Coast Main Line. Before 11 November 2007, they also ran trains linking the south and south-west of England with the north of England through Manchester and Scotland, through Birmingham. Although it is branded as part of the Virgin Group, Virgin's share in the company is only 51%, with the remaining 49% owned by Stagecoach.

New trains

A Virgin Trains 'Virgin Voyager' train at Banbury railway station in the year 2004.

Their first trains, which used to be woed by British Rail, were very old and broke down a lot, but were replaced by new ones in 2002.

Routes as of 2010

At busy times, Virgin Trains are not allowed to stop at Rugby, Milton Keynes, and Watford Junction. London Midland Railway run their trains to these stations instead, but Virgin trains stop at Lichfield Trent Valley, Tamworth and Nuneaton instead. Sources for the new Virgin timetable:

• Department for Transport
• Virgin Trains

The first Class 390 Pendolino No. 390001 'Virgin Pioneer' arrives at Watford Junction.

Euston-West Midlands

	Route	Calling At	Main Stock
XX:03	London Euston-Birmingham New Street	Rugby, Coventry, Birmingham International	Pendolino
XX:23	London Euston-Wolverhampton	Watford Junction, Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Sandwell and Dudley	Pendolino
XX:43	London Euston-Birmingham New Street/Wolverhampton	Milton Keynes, Coventry, Birmingham International (with some XX:43 services extended through Birmingham New Street to call at Sandwell and Dudley & Wolverhampton, and the 18:43 service extended through Wolverhampton to call at Stafford & Crewe	Pendolino

A handful of Birmingham terminators are operated by Super Voyagers (used for the few West Midlands-North Wales trains).

Euston-Manchester

	Route	Calling At	Main Stock
XX:00	London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly	Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield, Stockport	Pendolino
XX:20	London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly	Milton Keynes, Stoke-on-Trent, Stockport	Pendolino
XX:40	London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly	Crewe, Wilmslow, Stockport	Pendolino

The three-trains-an-hour plan had a knock-on effect on local services in the Manchester area; a number of peak-period local trains were axed, a matter which caused some controversy.

Euston-Liverpool

	Route	Calling At	Main Stock
XX:07	London Euston-Liverpool Lime Street	Stafford, Runcorn,	Pendolino

Average travel time for the whole journey was reduced from 2 hours 30 minutes to less than 2 hours 15 minutes.

Euston-Preston/Glasgow

	Route	Calling At	Main Stock
XX:30	London Euston-Glasgow Central	Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston and Lancaster with most continuing to Oxenholme Lake District/Penrith(alternating), Carlisle	Pendolino
16:30	London Euston-Glasgow Central	Preston	Pendolino
18:46 Fridays Only	London Euston-Preston	Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western	Mark 3 Class 90

A handful of Lancaster terminators are operated by Super Voyagers (half of a single unit split at Crewe, with the other half running towards Chester). Some also call at Motherwell

Birmingham-Edinburgh/Glasgow

A Map of Virgin Trains Services showing the off-peak service pattern each hour.

	Route	Calling At	Main Stock
XX:20	Birmingham New Street-Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Waverley	Wolverhampton, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston and Lancaster with most continuing to Oxenholme Lake District/Penrith(alternating), Carlisle, Haymarket (Edinburgh only)	SuperVoyager

Euston/West Midlands-Chester/North Wales

	Route	Calling At	Main Stock
XX:10	London Euston-Chester	Milton Keynes, Crewe	SuperVoyager
XX:10 (7 per day)	London Euston-Holyhead	Chester, Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction, Bangor (2 terminating here) and Holyhead	SuperVoyager
18:10	London Euston-Wrexham General	Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Chester	SuperVoyager
08:50 Saturdays Only	London Euston-Holyhead	Watford Junction, Milton Keynes, Crewe, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction, Bangor,	Pendolino

Gallary

• 

  Virgin Trains 82114 Driving Van Trailer Platform 1 Glasgow Central Station, Scotland July 2000.

• 

  Virgin Trains, Class 221 SuperVoyager, 221109 "Marco Polo" at Chester station.

• 

  A Virgin trains Mk2 coach at Banbury in 2001. All of Virgin's old slam door stock was scraped in 2003,after safety issus on such carrages. Most are now in private collections or scrapped.

• 

  A Class 220 Voyager at Bristol.

• 

  A picture of a Virgin Trains' MK 3 carriage at Crewe station in the year 2000. It is in its former Inter City livery. Most are now either renovated or scrapped. The yere to old to use.Image:Virgin Trains class 87 & train.jpg|Class 87 electric locomotive and Mark 3 coaches franchised by Virgin Trains.

• 

  The interior of Standard Class aboard a Class 390 Pendolino.

• 

  The interior of First Class aboard a 390 Pendolino.

• 

  The complimentary breakfast was served to passengers in First Class aboard the Class 390 Pendolino trains before the improved service was launched in January 2009.

Other pages

• Megatrain
• National Rail

References

Preceded by InterCity As part of British Rail	Operator of Cross-Country franchise 1997 — 2007	Succeeded by CrossCountry
	Operator of InterCity West Coast franchise 1997 — 2012	Incumbent

Preceded by First Transpennine Express

Train Operator of the Year 2007

Succeeded by Incumbent