Good, but not yet good enough, says Virgin Trains

30 June 2009


Virgin Trains today welcomed news that more and more customers are satisfied with their journeys, but admitted “Our performance is not good enough yet”.

Latest figures from the National Passenger Survey for Spring 2009 show that Virgin Trains has increased to 86per cent the overall satisfaction score from its customers, from 85per cent in 2008.

In 16 out of 18 ‘train factors’ categories, customers marked Virgin Trains above the average for long distance operators. Virgin Trains saw a huge rise in satisfaction on the amount of room on-board and scheduled journey times, following the introduction of a new timetable this year with 30per cent more trains.(see notes).

But on punctuality, Virgin Trains fell behind the national average, as customers voiced frustration at delays caused by infrastructure problems on the West Coast Mainline. Just 79 per cent of customers were satisfied, compared to 85per cent in Spring 2008.

Tony Collins, Virgin Trains Chief Executive, said: “We are very pleased that so many customers have voiced greater satisfaction over many areas of our business, such as value for money, room on board and the amount of luggage space, and quality of toilet facilities. And the overall satisfaction score is a great tribute to our staff.

“But punctuality is fundamental, and we have not delivered that in recent months because of the continuing track problems. We have made clear to Network Rail that this needs to improve and we are pleased that the Office of Rail Regulation last week published a plan of work for Network Rail to improve the quality of infrastructure.

“Only when those improvements are in place will we at Virgin Trains share the growing satisfaction of our customers.”

Notes

The National Passenger Survey is carried out across all train operators each Spring and Autumn by Passenger Focus, and more than 25,000 customers are asked their opinions.

Out of 18 ‘train factor’ categories, Virgin Trains was above the long distance average in 16, and its scores rose from 87 per cent satisfaction to 92 per cent on the length of time the journey is scheduled to take, and from 66 per cent to 77 per cent on having sufficient room on board.

Notes to editors

The National Passenger Survey is carried out across all train operators each Spring and Autumn by Passenger Focus, and more that 25,000 customers are asked their opinions.

Out of 18 ‘train factor’ categories, Virgin Trains was above the long distance average in 16, abd its scores rose from 87 per cent satisfaction to 92 per cent on the length of time the journey is scheduled.

New travel plan to launch at Stoke-on-Trent station

Stoke-on-Trent City Council press release
Issued on 18 June 2009

Location: Stoke-on-Trent station
Date: Friday June 19, 2009
Time: 12:00pm.

Travellers to Stoke-on-Trent station can soon expect to see added improvements to facilities as an innovative new travel plan is launched at midday tomorrow (Friday 19 June).

Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Virgin Trains have been working with a number of other partners in producing a station travel plan to improve the way people travel to and from Stoke-on-Trent station.

The travel plan aims to:-
• Increase the number of passengers who come to the station by bus, bike or foot.
• Increase the number of passengers who use the station; and
• Improve accessibility for disabled people, and parents with small children.

The travel plan focuses on bus travel, walking, cycling, and taxi journeys. It draws on information collected last year from passenger surveys and benefits from the input of key stakeholders including the local transport operators, taxi drivers, Staffordshire University, the Chamber of Commerce and Staffordshire police.

Specific proposals include:-
• Better travel and map information for travelling to and from the station
• Installation of a bus information and timetable screen giving the latest bus arrivals and departures• Provision of two new bus shelters outside the station
• Promoting cycling through the Stoke-on-Trent Cycling City initiatives with improvements to cycle routes to the station, and improving the quality and quantity of cycle parking at the station.• In the longer term, complete rearrangement of the station frontage and improving areas for public transport – including Streetcar Bus Rapid Transport project.

Stoke-on-Trent station is one of 24 stations selected around the country to be pilots for producing station travel plans. The initiative is being coordinated by The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and supported by the Department for Transport.

Councillor Brian Ward cabinet member for regeneration said: “We are very pleased to be actively involved in this project. We have worked successfully with schools, hospitals and other workplaces to develop their travel plans. As a result more people are now travelling to these places by other more environmentally friendly methods.

“Stoke-on-Trent station handled over 1.7 million passengers last year so it is very important to minimise their impact on the transport network. We are very pleased with the enthusiasm displayed by our partners and we hope that we will be able to make many of the proposals in the action plan a reality.”

Virgin Trains Sustainable Development Manager James Wright said: “We are really pleased to be involved in this collaborative exercise to ensure that railway stations remain the hub for sustainable transport in the UK. Better facilities and public transport links will encourage and enable more people to switch to the train and in turn reduce overall carbon emissions from transport.”

Locally based artist Rob Pointon will be displaying a selection of paintings of the station at the event.

-Ends-
Note to media

1. The launch will take place starting at 12.00 on 19th June on platform 1 in the first class lounge. Key partners will be present including Virgin Trains, City Council, bus operators, Staffordshire University, Chamber of Commerce and the artist Rob Pointon. A copy of the station travel plan will be available.

Ref Code:309-09

Contact:For media enquiries, please call Steven Kennedy in the PR and Communications Department at Stoke-on-Trent City Council on 01782 232987.

Issued: 18/06/09

Faster, Frequent, New, Better, Cheaper, Quicker, Simpler........

17 June 2009

.......Just some of the words that describe Virgin Trains improvements following VHF timetable introduction

Faster
Journey times significantly reduced following the start of the VHF timetable in December 2008, with typical journey times from London to Birmingham (1h 22min); from London to Manchester (2hr 06min); London to Liverpool (2hr 08min) and fastest ever London to Glasgow flagship service (4hr 10min).

Frequent
Three trains an hour from London to Birmingham; and London to Manchester – including weekends. The most frequent long-distance inter-city service in Europe. With a train every 20 minutes there is no need for a timetable! The third train each hour on the Manchester route is the second major increase in frequency in the last five years – in September 2004 frequency increased from one train an hour to two.

New
New hourly service operating between London and Chester, with a journey time of just two hours.

Better
Record numbers of passengers have voted with their feet and abandoned domestic air travel between Manchester and London, with Virgin Trains now having almost 80 percent of the rail/air market share – up from a third in 2004. Trains now have improved mobile phone reception and Wi-Fi is now available on most trains. The First Class menu has been totally upgraded and features the very best British produce.

Cheaper
Advance fares reduced in December 2008 with some fares available from £5 each way between London and Birmingham, and from just £8 for a single journey between London and Manchester. New cheaper walk up fares introduced for local journeys in the West Midlands. On the Manchester to London route the average single fare paid has actually fallen from £45.12 in 2008 to £39.81 in 2009, a reduction of 11.7 percent. The new Best Fare Finder facility recently introduced on our website helps customers get the best value fares.

Quicker
Faster journey times are backed up with improved ticket retailing facilities and more Fast Ticket machines at key stations. At London Euston the number of Fast Ticket machines has doubled from 17 to 34.

Simpler
Improved ticket buying facilities – e-ticket and Mobitix – allow customers to print their own tickets or receive them on their mobile phones.

Rubens makes a Wembley Pit Stop!

17 June 2009

Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello made a pit stop with a difference today. He was onboard a Virgin Pendolino train to launch Alstom`s new pit stop approach to train maintenance at Wembley depot in North London.

Train maker and maintainer Alstom has adopted the successful pit stop maintenance system for the fleet of 52 nine-coach Pendolino tilting trains.

Following arrival of the train into the depot, Rubens met some of the Alstom staff at their pit stop stations. Earlier he had met Virgin Trains staff at London's Euston station.

Alstom`s onboard Traintracer telemetry, fitted to the trains ensures that engineers have real time information on the performance of all on train systems. All materials needed for the routine maintenance of the trains each night are thus available at exactly the right location within the depot.

Paul Robinson, Managing Director of Alstom Transport UK said "As with Formula 1 cars, downtime of the Pendolino trains for maintenance is at a premium with the clock ticking until they are back on the track. In adopting a Pit Stop regime, Alstom continues to enhance the behind the scenes operations to help Virgin deliver a world class intercity service.”

Tony Collins, Virgin Trains Chief Executive said: "Success in Formula 1 is all about teamwork, and that is the basis for the relationship between Virgin Trains and Alstom. We are delighted with the performance of the train, which my drivers tell me are a pleasure to drive. And in the future if Rubens wants to swap his high-performance car for a high-performance train then he would be welcomed at Team Pendolino.

Virgin Trains reach for the skies as fliers switch to the fast track

17 June 2009

More frequent departures and even faster journeys are on the Virgin Trains agenda as demand for rail travel grows and air goes into decline.

Virgin Trains is going all out for the Glasgow market, having grounded the airlines between Liverpool and London and become the travel mode of choice for Manchester-London.

Today Tony Collins, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Trains, fleshed out more details of the Virgin 2020 vision that was outlined by Sir Richard Branson last month.

Mr Collins explained how schedules can be reduced still further, including getting the journey time between London and central Glasgow below four hours, with at least one train every hour once more trains are introduced.

He pointed to the potential for further reductions in timings and confirmed that Virgin Trains plans even better timetables on the West Coast Main Line linking Scotland, North West England, North Wales and the West Midlands to London Euston.

Rail’s share of the rail-air market is now 100 per cent on the Liverpool route and 77 per cent and growing for Manchester. Now there are clear signs that people travelling between Glasgow and London are also joining the trend to rail.

“Rail’s market share between Glasgow and London is set to reach double what it was five years ago and Virgin is convinced we can do much better than that. There is no reason why rail cannot win half of the entire Glasgow market once timings are below four hours," Tony Collins said.

“We used to be the minority carrier between Manchester and London. But now almost everybody goes by train to take advantage of uninterrupted, useful journey time rather than waste time flying. There is no good reason why rail should always continue to be the minority carrier for the Glasgow market," he added.

Rail's share of the Glasgow/London rail-air market was only 6 per cent five years ago but in the six months to February 2009, rose from 9 per cent to 11 per cent, even before the full benefit of the new Virgin Trains timetable was felt. The delivery of a best weekday schedule of 4 hours 10 minutes from 16 February and better weekend services since last month mean that Virgin Pendolino trains are even more competitive with air. Typical journey time from London Euston is 4 hours 31 minutes.

Opportunities for speed improvements and extra trains are being investigated. A scheduled time of less than four hours between London and Glasgow is practical.

By 2015 Virgin Trains would transform more stations into superb assets for the communities they serve. At Carlisle, the true beauty of restored historic elegance would link with the finesse of high-quality present and future customer service. There is also considerable scope for improvement at Crewe and Preston in the early years of a new franchise.

Virgin aims to further improve journey times for Liverpool, North Wales and Manchester as well as Glasgow, and deliver new London services for Nuneaton and even more trains for the West Midlands too if granted a long enough franchise to fund such service enhancement.

New high-speed tracks, Heathrow Airport and HS1 for the Continent would all link to an enhanced West Coast Main Line.

More car parking spaces at Preston station from 15 June 2009

10 June 2009

The new multi-story car park at Preston station will open on Monday15 June. The expanded car park will provide an additional 469 parking spaces, making a total of 939 spaces available at the Lancashire station. For the safety and security of users, the car park also has CCTV throughout with 24 hour recording.

A new charging structure is also being introduced, offering substantial discounts over the full day rate for off peak and weekend users.

From 15 June all-day parking at Preston will cost £10, and is the first increase in parking charges at the station for nearly five years. New reduced off-peak parking charges will be available from 10:00 on weekdays costing £5 and a new weekend rate of £4 a day will apply. Monthly, quarterly, six monthly and annual season tickets are also available for regular peak time users, which have also been increased to align them pro-rata with the new daily rate. The new monthly ticket costs £123 effectively offering daily parking, based on 20 days use a month at just £6.15 a day. The annual ticket is prices at £1,225 and if used for just 45 weeks a year offers an equivalent daily parking rate of just £5.45 a day.

Virgin Trains Station Manager at Preston Linsey Robinson said: “The limited parking facilities at Preston station have caused problems for rail travellers for many years. Now with nearly 470 extra spaces everyone should be able to find a parking space, and the special off-peak rates should appeal to shoppers and weekend travellers.”

The car park has a new ‘Pay on Foot’ payment system, where a ticket is issued on entry to the car park. Payment must then be made at the machine prior to customers returning to their car to leave the car park.

The work at Preston is part of a joint project between Virgin Trains and Network Rail to improve car parking at all 17 stations on the West Coast route which are managed by Virgin Trains. The other stations involved are: Lancaster, Penrith, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Carlisle, Oxenholme, Runcorn, Crewe, Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Wolverhampton, Birmingham International, Coventry and Rugby.

David Golding, Network Rail's Route Enhancements Manager said: "More passengers are travelling by train than ever before and the demand for rail travel is set to continue to rise. We predict that a large proportion of these extra passengers will drive to the station, putting even more strain on the car park.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:
The full pricing structure for Preston car park is:
£10.00 All day (Mondays-Fridays)
£5.00 Off Peak (after 10.00 Mondays-Fridays)
£4.00 Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays
£123.00 Monthly Season Ticket
£349.00 Quarterly Season Ticket
£646.00 Six-month Season Ticket
£1,225.00 Annual Season Ticket

For further information please contact:
Virgin Trains Press Desk on 0845 000 3333 or visit virgintrainsmediaroom.com
Or
Network Rail North West Press Office 0161 880 3142

Virgin Trains Producer Mark Hayward Brings Home the Bacon

10 June 2009

Mark Hayward is quite the rare breed. Having devoted 20 years of his life to producing premium pork, Mark was thrilled when he was asked to come on board the Virgin Trains team, after being recognised by the company’s catering suppliers (Rail Gourmet) as one of the finest bacon producers in the UK. Since the launch of the new Virgin Trains service on 1st April, which offers a new catering service in first class, Mark has worked with one of the finest bacon providers, Direct Table, to provide a regular source of Smoked Sweet Cure Back Bacon. The bacon is used as part of the traditional British Breakfast on all Virgin Trains’ first-class menus – helping to provide over 10,000 passengers with a hearty meal five mornings per week.

Mark believes in only the highest standards of animal welfare for his pigs. The ‘duroc’ breed provides consistent exceptional taste in the bacon and this has much to do with the environment that the pigs are reared in. All pigs are bred in outdoor surroundings, fed on a natural cereal-based diet and are free to roam to live out their natural instincts. Mark is adamant that this allows each pig the freedom of expression and fullness of life to produce the tastiest meat.

His day starts at around 6:00am when the pigs awake on the beautiful Deben Valley of Suffolk. As well as tending to the surrounding environment checking that his sow has plenty of food, drinking water and that the shelters are full of straw, Mark is also actively involved in looking for new and innovative ways to further improve the pigs’ environment and is continually on the lookout for new initiatives to develop and trial to make his pigs as happy as can be.

Says Mark Hayward, Virgin Trains’ Bacon Producer, “I am delighted to be a Virgin Trains producer and I am very happy to be a part of a company that puts in every effort to ensure its pigs are given the best possible care. My pigs are bred for meat quality and this fits Virgin Trains way of thinking perfectly!”

Says Jim Rowe, Senior Communications Manager at Virgin Trains, “Virgin Trains recently launched a brand new timetable to offer an improved customer experience and new catering service in first-class. It is with the help of producers such as Mark, that Virgin Trains can provide customers with produce that is made entirely of British sources, and most importantly, can be authenticated through the entire food chain guaranteeing consumers a comprehensive assurance of traceability – from pasture to plate”.

-Ends-

Notes to Editor:

Dingley Dell Pork (http://www.dingleydell.com/) is a family owned outdoor pig business situated near Wickham Market in the Deben Valley. The farm is owned and run by Mark and Paul Hayward.
Working with supply chain partnerships such as Direct Table (http://www.directtable.co.uk/) Dingley Dell Pork is able to supply premium pork and pork products in various formats to customers from butchers, caterers and restaurants to retailers such as Rail Gourmet (http://www.railgourmet.com/).

As tough times continue Hen and Stag celebrations return to the UK

04 June 2009

With the summer wedding season almost upon us and plentiful hen and stag parties undoubtedly at preparation stage, new research from Virgin Trains has revealed that the UK is turning out to be the preferred location for pre-wedding frivolities in 2009. As the average Brit spends £90.79 on a stag/hen party in the UK, compared to £170 abroad*, it’s easy to see why the focus of the ‘last big party’ has shifted closer to home.

The leading West Coast rail provider, Virgin Trains, has found that when it comes to hen and stag celebrations there is certainly a marked difference between the sexes – men spend more! On average men fork out £119.78 on a UK stag do compared to just £75.56 spent by women. However, and perhaps to be expected, Londoners spend the most amount of money on stag and hen parties with the average being £164.96 per celebration – almost twice the national average. Other extravagant spenders include those from Bristol and Leeds with the most frugal stag and hen party attendees coming from Edinburgh and Northampton who spend on average £50.86 and £44.31 per celebration respectively.

Overall London tops the list of preferred hen/stag do destinations (24%) followed by Manchester (14%), Birmingham (11%), Brighton (9%) and Glasgow (8%). The least favoured locations for a pre-wedding knees up are Sheffield, Belfast, Plymouth and Norwich.

Other interesting facts:

Men are 2 ½ times more likely to use the journey to start the drinking (13% vs 5%).

Secretive stags and hush-hush hens – almost a fifth of Brits make a pact not to reveal what happened on a stag/hen do (17%) – 20% of men and 15% of women.

The same percentage of people say they have experienced someone getting naked as have been on a cultural trip during a stag/hen do (11%).

30% of Brits feel that the journey is key for getting in the mood for the party and 22% use it to get to know each other.

1 in 10 of us are having joint hen and stag celebrations – perhaps fuelled by the recession – and those aged 25-35 and live in London are most likely to do this.

2% of respondents said the wedding did not go ahead as a result of behaviour on the hen or stag do.

To encourage our stags and hens to party in the UK Virgin Trains is this month launching a brand new ‘large group’ product. From Monday 22nd June there will be new levels of fares, across both standard and first class, for groups of 10 people or more. Passengers travelling in groups will be able to benefit from greater flexibility and cheaper tickets making a UK hen or stag party even more appealing.

Says Jim Rowe, Senior Communications Manager Virgin Trains, “In a difficult economic climate it is perhaps not surprising that people are choosing not to travel abroad so much for their stag and hen parties. There is something for everyone in the UK and with the Virgin Trains new West Coast timetable now in place with more frequent off peak services and cheap tickets, travelling by train really is the ideal option. Additionally, if tickets are booked well in advance of departure date they are less expensive so you may even be able to take advantage of the brand new menu in first class!”

For further information go to www.virgintrains.com.
For group bookings of over 10 passengers telephone 0870 010 4490.

Ends
For further information please contact Sophie Lennon or Mindy Bhachu at The SPA Way on 020 7403 6900 or email mindy.bhachu@thespaway.com



Notes to Editor:
*Research taken from hotels.com 2008.

New First Class Lounge for Liverpool Lime Street

4 June 2009

Virgin Trains First Class customers using Liverpool Lime Street station now have exclusive use of a new state-of-the-art lounge.

The Lounge was formally opened today (4 June) by Barry McGuire and Paul Cunningham, members of the Virgin Trains’ station team at Lime Street station.

The lounge, which has seating for over 50 customers provides a quiet and relaxing atmosphere for customers to wait for their train, or to catch up on work after arriving back from the City. Wireless internet (WiFi) is also being installed and will be available free of charge for users of the lounge. A self-service facility for hot and cold drinks and light snacks is also provided. The lounge offers full access for the mobility impaired. The lounge has been provided in partnership with Network Rail and Merseytravel.

Virgin Trains Station Manager Keith Millard said: “Since last December we have had a high quality train service, using state-of-the-art tilting Pendolino trains from Liverpool to London, and now we have a high quality station facility to complement the trains. We are confident that the improved facilities at the station will encourage more environmentally-conscious motorists to ditch the car and take the train.”

First Class customers using the Liverpool to London route are also able to take advantage of a completely refurbished lounge at Euston station, which opened at the end of April.

Virgin Trains currently operates 18 trains a day each way on the Liverpool-London route with most covering the 193-mile journey in around 2hr 08mins. Since December 2008 around 400,000 additional seats a year are being provided on the route.

First Class Advance fares between Liverpool and London start from £34 and a new off peak walk-up ticket is also available priced at £129.50 single.

Virgin Trains welcomes Office of Rail Regulation action on poor Network Rail performance

VT2009-056 (GM)

London, 03 June 2009

03 June 2009

We welcome Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation’s acknowledgement of the unsatisfactory performance on the West Coast Main Line which is vindication of the warnings we have given both organisations over the last three years.

We are disappointed that NR have spent £9 billion on the “upgrade” to deliver the worst performing route on the rail network today. This is an unacceptable position for our customers.

The key now is to address the many failings urgently. We welcome ORR determination to take action if NR fails to deliver a credible plan for improved performance. We would expect to see that any plan which is proposed delivers a sustained improvement to at least the level of performance expected when Network Rail planned the upgrade.

Great British Breakfast gives a taste of First Class at Weekends

03 June 2009

Passengers will be invited to celebrate the return of the weekend by tucking in to a Great British Breakfast bargain on selected Virgin Trains on Saturdays and Sundays this month.

Complimentary food including breakfast or brunch will be offered to customers who upgrade to First Class on 16 weekend trains in an experiment to test demand on routes between London Euston and Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Liverpool, Preston and Manchester.

A Weekend First upgrade costs an extra flat-rate £15 per single journey on Virgin Trains for holders of most Standard Class tickets, but people travelling with Standard Anytime tickets can upgrade without making any extra payment. At-seat food service is complimentary in First Class on the trains involved in the trial between 6 and 28 June inclusive.

“Weekends are back! That’s our advertising slogan to celebrate the opportunity to enjoy fast and frequent trains at weekends following completion of the £9 billion modernisation of the West Coast Main Line. Now hot food, served at your seat, is available too as a trial offer to test the market,” said Bob Powell, On Board Director for Virgin Trains.

“Customers in First Class already enjoy our unique at-seat service of complimentary ‘Best of British’ food between Mondays and Fridays, something no other train operator provides within Britain. Now we are trialling it on Saturdays and Sundays too, on trains where Weekend First will be an even better bargain,” Mr Powell added.

The Great British Breakfast offers outdoor-reared British pork and herb sausage, sweetcure back bacon, free-range fried egg, potato rosti and grilled tomato (or there is an equivalent vegetarian grill). Alternatively, customers can have a roll with bacon or sausage or vegetarian sausage, or a fruit plate. The main course is accompanied by toast and marmalade, orange or grapefruit juice, water and tea or coffee.

Later in the morning (and in early afternoon on Sundays), brunch is offered. This is the breakfast menu but with the option of a “light bite” snack as an alternative.

The usual weekend offering of tea, coffee and biscuits will continue to be available at other times.

The trial will be available on these trains:

Saturdays, 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th June.
0748 LIVERPOOL LIME ST - LONDON EUSTON, 0755 MANCHESTER PICCADILLY - EUSTON, 0800 EUSTON - MANCHESTER, 0806 WOLVERHAMPTON - EUSTON, 1023 EUSTON - WOLVERHAMPTON, 1030 EUSTON - GLASGOW CENTRAL (south of Warrington only), 1035 MANCHESTER - EUSTON, 1040 EUSTON - MANCHESTER.

Sundays, 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th June.
0805 WOLVERHAMPTON – LONDON EUSTON, 0900 PRESTON - EUSTON, 0920 MANCHESTER PICCADILLY - EUSTON, 0920 EUSTON - MANCHESTER, 1115 EUSTON – LIVERPOOL LIME ST, 1235 MANCHESTER - EUSTON, 1238 EUSTON – BIRMINGHAM NEW ST, 1255 EUSTON - MANCHESTER.

Airlines driven out of skies by Virgin Trains’ high frequency service

01 June 2009

The Manchester to London rail route continues to flourish with journeys increasing by 12.6% over the last six months despite the recession.

Increasingly passengers are choosing rail over air for their journeys between two of the country’s biggest commercial hubs. Latest figures from the Civil Aviation Authority show that operator Virgin Trains has now captured 77% of the rail/air sector compared with 75% one year ago. Similarly on the London to Glasgow route despite slower schedules than air, Virgin Trains has seen its market share move from 9%to 11%.

Just yesterday airline VLM will withdraw its Manchester – London City service joining the list of those air operators who have reduced their domestic services over the last few years as rail becomes the preferred public transport mode of choice for journeys of around 200 miles.

With the pull out by VLM air services between Manchester and the Capital now total just 17 in both directions daily compared with Virgin Trains who are now operating over 90.

Graham Leech, Virgin Trains’ Commercial Director said today: “We are quite literally driving airlines from the skies on short haul domestic routes at the same time as our own services become faster and more frequent. Business travellers can now enjoy excellent mobile phone reception and reliable wi-fi on all our Pendolinos while leisure travellers will benefit this year from over a million Advance tickets across our network at under £12.00.”