Virgin Trains

Virgin Trains
Company type	Private company
Industry	Rail transport
Predecessor	British Rail (InterCity West Coast)
Founded	March 9, 1997; 29 years ago
Defunct	December 7, 2019
Fate	Franchise ended; operations ceased
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom (West Coast Main Line)
Key people	Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Rail Group)
Products	Passenger rail services
Number of employees	3,400 (2015)
Parent	Virgin Rail Group (Virgin Group and Stagecoach)

Virgin Trains (VT), legally known as West Coast Trains Limited, was a British rail operator owned by Virgin Rail Group, a partnership between Virgin Group and Stagecoach. It managed the InterCity West Coast franchise from 9 March 1997 until 7 December 2019. This franchise encompassed long-distance passenger routes on the West Coast Main Line, linking London with the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales, and southern regions of Scotland. It connected six key UK cities—London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, and Edinburgh—whose combined metropolitan population totals over 18 million. Around 3,400 employees worked for Virgin Trains in 2015.

The Virgin Trains brand was also associated with the separate Virgin Trains East Coast franchise from 2015 to 2018, had previously been used for Virgin CrossCountry (1997–2007), and was adopted by Virgin Trains USA in Florida between 2018 and 2020.

The franchise contract concluded on 7 December 2019, earlier than the initially planned March 2020 end date, after Virgin chose not to challenge the loss of the franchise following Stagecoach's disqualification due to an invalid bid in April 2019.

History

During British Rail’s privatisation in the mid-1990s, the newly established Virgin Rail Group submitted bids for multiple train franchises such as Gatwick Express, InterCity CrossCountry, and InterCity West Coast. It secured both InterCity CrossCountry and InterCity West Coast franchises, launching operations under the names Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin West Coast (commonly referred to as Virgin Trains) in early 1997.

Virgin pledged to replace the British Rail-era locomotives on the West Coast route with new tilting train technology, specifically Pendolinos capable of speeds up to . These trains were expected to be delivered by May 2002. Achieving this required major enhancements to the West Coast Main Line, initially estimated at £2 billion but eventually escalating to approximately £10 billion due to technical difficulties and management issues, including immature signalling systems. The collapse of Railtrack and subsequent constraints under its successor, Network Rail, limited these improvements, capping maximum speeds at 125 mph.

The original franchise term was due to expire in March 2012. In 2009, founder Richard Branson proposed extending Virgin’s tenure by 20 to 30 years to justify investments in infrastructure upgrades aimed at reducing London-Birmingham travel times by 22 minutes. However, the Department for Transport (DfT) declined this proposal and later rejected a request for a two-year extension on legal grounds.

In January 2011, the DfT invited bids for the next InterCity West Coast franchise cycle. Shortlisted contenders included Abellio, FirstGroup, Keolis/SNCF, and Virgin Rail Group. The franchise end date was postponed in May 2011 to incorporate recommendations from the McNulty Report. By October that year, Virgin received an extension allowing operations until December 2012.

An Invitation to Tender was issued in January 2012, with FirstGroup ultimately awarded the franchise in August of that year. Virgin challenged this outcome citing procedural flaws and pursued a judicial review.

In October 2012, due to significant procedural errors identified in the bidding process, the government cancelled the franchise competition. Subsequently, it negotiated a temporary management agreement with Virgin Trains extending operations through November 2014. This arrangement was later extended until March 2017.

In May 2013, Virgin responded to criticism regarding new staff uniforms by offering vouchers for additional clothing items. Initial proposals to expand services to Shrewsbury and Blackpool North were denied due to capacity issues but were approved later that year; services began operating from December 2014.

The franchise received further extensions through March 2019, with additional renewals announced up to March 2020. In March 2018, plans were announced for the franchise’s conclusion in September 2019 as part of the forthcoming West Coast Partnership.

In December 2018, Virgin Trains secured a one-year extension until March 2020. However, in April 2019 Stagecoach was disqualified from bidding on several franchises including West Coast Partnership because of pension-related concerns. Despite legal challenges by Stagecoach against this decision, their appeal was unsuccessful by June 2020.

In August 2019, the Inter-City West Coast franchise was awarded to Avanti West Coast, marking the end of Virgin Trains’ operations after services ceased on 7 December 2019. The final Virgin Trains departure left London Euston at 21:42 heading towards Wolverhampton.

Services

In May 1998, Virgin commenced new routes departing from London Euston to and ; the Shrewsbury service was discontinued in 1999, followed by Blackpool in May 2003. Weekday trains to Blackpool North and Shrewsbury resumed in December 2014, with the frequency rising to four daily by May 2018.

On 23 July 2002, Virgin introduced Pendolino tilting trains on the route between Birmingham International and Manchester Piccadilly, aligning with the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester.

A London Euston to service operated from September 2004 until December 2008. Following the completion of Stage 1 of the West Coast Main Line upgrade, Virgin implemented its first timetable in September 2005.

In December 2007, services running from to and via were transferred from CrossCountry to the InterCity West Coast franchise.

December 2008 marked the start of a Wrexham General to London Euston service, with southbound morning departures and evening returns. An hourly London Euston to route was introduced in February 2009.

Beginning January 2009, Virgin launched a "very high frequency" timetable that capitalized on the upgraded West Coast Main Line infrastructure.

Timetable revisions in December 2013 included Edinburgh/Glasgow-London trains making stops at Sandwell & Dudley, replacing the previous Wolverhampton-Euston hourly services; additionally, most Liverpool-bound trains incorporated stops at Crewe.

Passenger numbers

**Annual Passenger Figures**
Template:Center	Passengers		Passenger-kilometres
Template:Center	(millions)	% Change	(millions)	% Change
2010–2011	28.9		5,698.8
2011–2012	30.2	Increase4.5	5,923.0	Increase3.9
2012–2013	30.4	Increase0.7	5,958.4	Increase0.6
2013-2014	31.9	Increase4.9	6,215.4	Increase4.3
2014-2015	34.5	Increase8.2	6,887.9	Increase10.8
2015-2016	35.7	Increase3.5	7,059.8	Increase2.5

Punctuality

Between 2001 and 2006, Virgin Trains' punctuality lagged behind other operators but showed steady improvement until a decline following the December 2008 timetable adjustment after West Coast Main Line enhancements.

The Public Performance Measure Moving Annual Average (PPM MAA), representing trains arriving within ten minutes of schedule, was as follows:

Financial year ending 31 March	% on time (within 10 mins)
2002	68.7%
2003	73.5%
2004	74.8%
2005	72.1%
2006	83.5%
2007	86.0%
2008	86.2%
2009	80.0%
2010	84.6%
2011	86.6%
2012	85.9%
2013	83.6%
2014	85.8%
2015	84.7%

Network Rail recorded a PPM of 92.2% for period seven of the 2013-14 year and an MAA of 83.5% for the previous twelve months.

Virgin Trains contributed to only 16% of delays during this period; Network Rail was responsible for half of them, while external factors accounted for 20%, and other operators made up the remaining 14%.

Under CEO Chris Green, Virgin Trains prioritized enhancing punctuality and reliability following criticism in 2001, achieving notable progress by 2006 through infrastructure improvements and increased train dependability.

Measures included deploying radio-controlled watches to improve operational timing accuracy.

Grayrigg derailment

On 23 February 2007, a Class 390 Pendolino train named "City of Glasgow," operating the 17:15 service from London Euston to Glasgow Central, derailed near Grayrigg in Cumbria. The train was carrying 109 passengers when multiple carriages left the embankment. Tragically, one elderly passenger lost her life and five others sustained serious injuries. The derailment was attributed to defective track points, with Network Rail accepting full accountability. The train's robust structural design received widespread commendation, as did the driver for his efforts to slow the train and remain at the controls until the incident occurred.

Final fleet

Class	Image	Type	Maximum speed		Number of carriages	Quantity	Manufacture period
Class	Image	Type	mph	km/h	Number of carriages	Quantity	Manufacture period
221 Super Voyager		DEMU	125	200	5	20	2001–2002
221 Super Voyager		DEMU
390/0 & 390/1 Pendolino		EMU	140	225	9	21	2001–2004 2010–2012
			140	225	11	35	2001–2004 2010–2012

Virgin inherited fleets comprising , , and locomotives that hauled British Rail Mark 2 and British Rail Mark 3 coaches equipped with Driving Van Trailers on electrified lines, alongside High Speed Trains servicing routes between London Euston and .

As part of a franchise obligation, these older trains were replaced with modern tilting units. In 1999, Virgin leased forty-four Class 390 Pendolino trains from Alstom—forty-four eight-car sets and nine nine-car sets. By 2002, an option to lengthen all units to nine carriages was exercised, with the first extended train entering service in January 2003. Except for services to Holyhead, locomotive-hauled trains were phased out by June 2005.

Virgin CrossCountry initially ordered four four-carriage British Rail Class 221 Super Voyagers, but these were deemed too short and entered service with Virgin CrossCountry instead. Following the withdrawal of High Speed Trains in September 2004, services relied on five-carriage Class 221s leased from Virgin CrossCountry along with and locomotives hauling Mark 3 sets. From September 2005, Class 57/3 locomotives hauling Pendolinos replaced locomotive-hauled trains until December 2008, when five-carriage Class 221s assumed most services except for a Saturday-only Pendolino hauled by a Class 57/3 until December 2012.

During modifications to Pendolinos in 2006, GB Railfreight locomotives hauled Mark 3 sets on Birmingham New Street routes. To operate Birmingham to Edinburgh and Glasgow services transferred from CrossCountry in December 2007, three four-carriage and thirteen five-carriage Class 221 units were moved accordingly, with an additional five introduced in December 2008.

In August 2008, Bombardier undertook refurbishments on Class 221s by repositioning shop cars adjacent to first class seating to create more spacious accommodations; these modified cars served as first class on Holyhead routes and standard class elsewhere.

By December 2010, one four-carriage Class 221 was disassembled, redistributing its intermediate carriages among other units to form twenty five-car Super Voyagers; surplus end carriages were stored at Central Rivers depot.

To provide diversionary services during the West Coast Mainline upgrade and offer rescue operations, Virgin leased twelve rebuilt Class 57/3 locomotives from Porterbrook starting in June 2002; this fleet was later increased by four units. Their utilization diminished following the upgrade's completion, with some locomotives sublet before all were returned to Porterbrook between 2011 and 2012.

Virgin pursued franchise extensions to procure additional Pendolino carriages; however, the Department for Transport opted to place orders directly with Alstom for longer trains—comprising four eleven-carriage sets plus extensions for thirty-one others—delivered between 2010 and 2012. This necessitated platform lengthening at various stations.

After losing a Pendolino in the Grayrigg derailment, Virgin temporarily leased a Mark 3 set equipped with a Driving Van Trailer and hired a locomotive from English Welsh & Scottish as required. In 2008, leasing two s was considered but ultimately rejected. The Mark 3 set underwent refurbishment in Doncaster during 2009—including seat reupholstering, installation of power outlets, and Wi-Fi—and operated limited Euston-Crewe services until October 2014.

Initially, all seats on Class 221 and Class 390 trains featured onboard audio entertainment systems; these were deactivated in March 2010 and replaced by Wi-Fi connectivity provided by EE. Wi-Fi access was complimentary in first class but subject to varying charges in standard class.

On 15 September 2015, Virgin Trains dedicated Pendolino number 390002 in honor of Stephen Sutton, a teenage fundraiser.

Former fleet

The previous Virgin Trains rolling stock consisted of the following units:

Class	Image	Type	Maximum speed		Manufacture period	Retirement year
Class	Image	Type	mph	km/h	Manufacture period	Retirement year
Class 43		Diesel-electric locomotive	125	200	1975–1982	2003
Class 47/8			95	153	1962–1968 (converted to 47/8 in 1989)	2002
Class 57/3			95	153	1998–2004	2012
Class 86		Electric locomotive	100	161	1965–1966	2003
Class 87			110	177	1973–1975	2006
Class 90			110	177	1987–1990	2004
Mark 2 Coach		Passenger carriage	100	160	1964–1975	2003
Mark 3 Carriage		Passenger carriage	125	200	1975–1988	2005
Mark 3 Carriage		Driving Van Trailer			1988–1990	2005
British Rail Mark 3		Passenger carriage			1975–1988	2014
British Rail Mark 3		Driving Van Trailer			1988–1990	2014

Maintenance facilities

Alstom’s Traincare Centre at Longsight Electric TMD served as the primary base for the Class 390 units, while lighter maintenance and overnight servicing occurred at locations such as Wembley Intercity Depot, Oxley TRSMD, Edge Hill Intercity Depot, and Polmadie Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot. The Class 221 trains were primarily assigned to Bombardier's Central Rivers TMD depot, with supplementary servicing provided at Arriva TrainCare, Crewe Carriage Sidings, Holyhead TMD, and Polmadie.

West Coast Partnership

In November 2016, the government revealed plans to replace the existing franchise with the West Coast Partnership, which encompasses operating the forthcoming High Speed 2 (HS2) services anticipated to commence on the initial HS2 phase in 2026. The Department for Transport stipulated that the incoming operator must possess expertise in managing high-speed trains (capable of up to 155 mph) and related infrastructure. The bidding consortium was led by Stagecoach holding a 50% stake, Virgin with 30%, and France’s national railway company SNCF owning the remaining 20%.

Stagecoach was disqualified from franchise contention in April 2019 following disagreements with the DfT over pension responsibilities, resulting in Virgin Trains ending operations in March 2020.

Subsequently, in August 2019, the First Trenitalia partnership secured the West Coast Partnership contract, inaugurating Avanti West Coast services in December of that year and concluding Virgin Trains’ two-decade tenure.

Sponsorship activities

During the 2013–14 season, Virgin Trains acted as Carlisle United F.C.'s travel sponsor before advancing to become their principal shirt sponsor with a contract extension covering the 2014–15 season. On 5 August 2014, Virgin Trains agreed to a two-year shirt sponsorship arrangement with Preston North End F.C. Additionally, the company supported Darlington Football Club and was involved in sponsoring events such as the 2013 Manchester International Festival.

Onboard entertainment

In July 2016, Virgin Trains launched the BEAM infotainment platform developed by GoMedia, which streamed content directly to passengers' personal devices. This innovation marked the UK's inaugural in-train entertainment portal, featuring a selection of premium films from major Hollywood studios alongside programming from BBC Worldwide.

Competition moderation

To safeguard Virgin Trains' income and facilitate payment of franchise premiums toward the West Coast Main Line enhancement, the Office of Rail Regulation incorporated a Moderation of Competition provision within Virgin's Track Access Agreement. Active until March 2012, this measure prevented rival operators from offering competing services that might reduce Virgin's revenue.

Continuation efforts

Virgin Trains submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in November 2019 seeking open access rights for routes between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street using Class 221 trains, with plans to commence operations in December 2022. However, the company retracted this request in March 2020 due to uncertainties linked to the forthcoming Williams Review of the rail industry.

In May 2024, Virgin Trains renewed its application to the ORR for open access paths connecting London Euston with Birmingham New Street, Manchester Victoria, Rochdale, Liverpool Lime Street, and Glasgow Central.

External links

Official website, archived December 2019