Virgin Trains facts for kids
| Franchise(s): | InterCity West Coast 9 March 1997 – 14 September 2019 |
|---|---|
| Main route(s): | London - Scotland London - North West London - West Midlands London - Chester |
| Other route(s): | London - Holyhead London - Shrewsbury London - Wrexham London - Blackpool |
| Fleet size: | 56 Class 390 Pendolino sets 20 Class 221 Super Voyager sets |
| Stations called at: | 48 |
| Stations operated: | 17 |
| National Rail abbreviation: | VT |
| Parent company: | Virgin Rail Group Virgin Group (51%) Stagecoach (49%) |
| Web site: | www.virgintrains.co.uk |
Virgin Trains was a company that ran trains in the United Kingdom. They operated services from London Euston to places like the North West, West Midlands, and Scotland. These trains ran on the important West Coast Main Line.
Virgin Trains also ran services on the East Coast Main Line. These routes connected London with Yorkshire, the North East, and Scotland. Before November 2007, they also had trains linking the south and south-west of England with the north, going through cities like Manchester and Birmingham.
Even though the company was known as part of the Virgin Group, Virgin owned 51% of it. The other 49% was owned by another company called Stagecoach. For Virgin Trains East Coast, Virgin owned a smaller share of 10%, with Stagecoach owning 90%. However, it was still branded under the Virgin name.
Modern Trains for Passengers
When Virgin Trains first started, their trains were quite old. These trains used to belong to British Rail. They often broke down.
But in 2002, Virgin Trains got many new trains. These new trains were used on the West Coast and CrossCountry routes. Newer trains were also built for their East Coast services.
Train Pictures
-
Virgin Trains 82114 Driving Van Trailer at Platform 1 of Glasgow Central Station, Scotland in July 2000.
-
A Virgin Trains, Class 221 SuperVoyager train, number 221109 "Marco Polo", at Chester station.
-
A Virgin Trains Mk2 coach at Banbury in 2001. These old "slam door" trains were removed from service in 2003 due to safety concerns.
-
A Class 220 Voyager train at Bristol.
-
A Virgin Trains' MK 3 carriage at Crewe station in 2000. It shows its older Inter City paint design.
-
The inside of a Class 390 Pendolino train in Standard Class.
-
The inside of a Class 390 Pendolino train in First Class.
-
A complimentary breakfast served to First Class passengers on Class 390 Pendolino trains before January 2009.
-
The inside of a Virgin Trains East Coast InterCity 125 train.
More Information
Images for kids
-
A Class 390 Pendolino train at Stoke-on-Trent.
-
A map showing the train routes and times for Virgin Trains in 2013.
-
This chart shows how many passengers Virgin Trains West Coast carried each year from 2011 to 2019.
-
-
-
The inside of a Class 390 Pendolino train in Standard Class.
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=small}
