Thousands head to London for the last Bank Holiday of the year

VT2009-083
25 August 2009


With excitement building as the Bank Holiday edges closer Virgin Trains, who last December launched a new High-Frequency timetable, has revealed that the top destination this coming long weekend is London. Compared to the last Bank Holiday it seems there has been a reversal in the trend for people to leave London, with people instead flocking in their thousands to the capital with 31,000 advance bookings and with four days left to go – a 33% increase on last year.

Set to be one of the busiest August Bank Holidays for Virgin Trains, even without the additional walk –up tickets, routes to Glasgow, Carlisle and the Lake District are proving popular with 6,600 advance bookings. Manchester is still the second most popular destination, but with marginally less advance bookings than this time last year.

Advance ticket sales comparing 2008 – 2009

Destination / 2009 / 2008 / % increase/decrease

London / 31,000 / 23,277 / 33
Manchester / 8,600 / 8,875 / -3
Glasgow / 6,600 / 4,980 / 32.5
Birmingham / 4,350 / 3,299 / 32

Says Jim Rowe, Communications Manager at Virgin Trains: “The Bank Holiday is always a popular travel period, however this August long weekend is certainly set to be one of the busiest with people trying to enjoy the last of the summer. With more frequent services, we’re keen to encourage more people to stay within the UK and use the train wherever possible!”

Notes to Ed:
Customers should always check for route improvement works before they travel

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