Is Virgin Trains coming back?

Is Virgin Trains coming back?

Launched in 1997, Virgin Trains was Britain’s longest-running rail franchise, but its routes have now been taken over.

Is Avanti West Coast same as virgin?

Avanti West Coast – the InterCity West Coast Partnership – took over the West Coast Franchise from Virgin Trains in December 2019.

What is Virgin rail now called?

The West Coast main line linking London Euston with the west midlands, northwest England, north Wales and Scotland is under new management. After 22 years, Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains company has been replaced on the line by a new operator called Avanti.

Is Virgin rail still operating?

In April 2019 Stagecoach revealed that it had been disqualified from the franchises it was bidding for following a dispute with the DfT over pension liabilities. The disqualification occurred after the bidding deadline and as a result Virgin Trains would cease operations in March 2020.

What has happened to Virgin Trains?

Virgin Trains: Final service departs as UK’s longest-running rail franchise ends. Britain’s longest-running rail franchise came to an end on Saturday after more than 22 years. Virgin Trains, which began serving the West Coast Main Line in 1997, is being replaced by Avanti West Coast.

Who has taken over Virgin Trains?

Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast has taken over from Virgin Trains as the operator running the West Coast Main Line. The new operator’s parent company is a partnership between Aberdeen-based firm FirstGroup and Italy’s Trenitalia.

Is Virgin Trains now Avanti?

On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had ran the franchise since 1997. Originally, the franchise was initially scheduled to run until March 2030, and had also been set to operate the initial High Speed 2 services from 2026.

Why has virgin changed to Avanti?

The end of the Virgin Trains franchise comes after Virgin Group and Stagecoach had their bid to continue running trains on the line disqualified by the Department for Transport (DfT) in April because they did not meet pension rules.

Is Virgin now Avanti?

What replaced Virgin Trains?

A vanti West Coast has been unveiled as the name of the operator replacing Virgin Trains. Aberdeen-based transport company FirstGroup and Italian firm Trenitalia announced the brand name for their partnership which will run services on the west coast route from December 8.

Who owns Virgin Trains?

Virgin Rail GroupVirgin Trains / Parent organization

Has Virgin lost train contract?

Virgin already lost the East Coast mainline contract when the government took back control of it last year. Stagecoach said it was verbally informed by the Department for Transport that it has been disqualified from three franchise competitions – East Midlands, South Eastern and the West Coast.