West Coast Main Line improvement work means changes to Virgin Trains' services over August Bank Holiday weekend, August 29/30/31

There will be alterations to services over the August bank holiday weekend because of route improvement work.

At various times through the weekend work will be taking place between Leighton Buzzard and Rugby, and between Crewe and Warrington Bank Quay/Liverpool Lime Street.

The line between Leighton Buzzard and Rugby will re-open from start of service on Bank Holiday Monday allowing services from the North West and West Midlands to resume running to and from London Euston via their normal route while on the same day the line between Crewe and Warrington will re-open at 14:00.


Saturday, 29 August

Because of route improvement work between Rugby and Leighton Buzzard services from the Midlands and North West will terminate and start back from Birmingham International. The hourly West Coast Replacement Shuttle will operate in both directions from Birmingham International and Coventry direct to London Euston via an alternative route through Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Replacement coach services will run between Birmingham International and Milton Keynes Central, and between Rugby and Kettering (for connections to and from London St Pancras)

Passengers travelling to or from Nuneaton, Tamworth or Lichfield are advised to change at Coventry for Nuneaton, or Birmingham New Street for Nuneaton, Tamworth and Lichfield.

From 15:00 trains will be unable to run between Crewe and Warrington Bank Quay and between Crewe and Runcorn with a replacement coach service running between Crewe and Warrington and Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street.

North Wales services will operate between Crewe and Holyhead only


Sunday 30 August

Because of route improvement work between Rugby and Leighton Buzzard services from the Midlands and North West will terminate and start back from Birmingham International. The hourly West Coast Replacement Shuttle will operate in both directions from Birmingham International and Coventry direct to London Euston via an alternative route through Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Replacement coach services will run between Birmingham International and Milton Keynes Central, and between Rugby and Kettering (for connections to and from London St Pancras)

Passengers travelling to or from Nuneaton, Tamworth or Lichfield are advised to change at Coventry for Nuneaton, or Birmingham New Street for Nuneaton, Tamworth and Lichfield.

Trains will be unable to run between Crewe and Warrington Bank Quay and between Crewe and Runcorn with a replacement coach service running between Crewe and Warrington and Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street.

North Wales services will operate between Crewe and Holyhead only.



Monday 31 August – BANK HOLIDAY

Until 14:00 trains will be unable to run between Crewe and Warrington Bank Quay and between Crewe and Runcorn with a replacement coach service running between Crewe and Warrington and Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street. After 14:00 trains will resume running over the routes between Crewe and Warrington/Runcorn.

North Wales services will resume running to and from London Euston after 14:00.


For further information passengers should visit the following websites – virgintrains.com nationalrail.co.uk or telephone 08457 484950. Customer leaflets summarising the changes are available at stations.

End
Notes to Editors



Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

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

Images of Virgin Trains and the company’s operations are available on our online media website http://www.virgintrains.com/. You will need to register to access the Media Resources section containing high-resolution images of our operations.

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Virgin Trains has been listed as the Best Train Operator in a survey by the Institute of Customer Service and has been voted Best Rail Company by Travel Weekly magazine and Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveller magazine.

Virgin Trains has been awarded the Global Travel Awards 2009 ‘Best Rail Operator’ Category as voted by Evening Standard readers.

Warrington Wolves at Wembley – travel advice from Virgin Trains

VT 2009-80 (GM)


Virigin Trains is advising Warrington Wolves fans travelling to Wembley for Saturday’s cup final to use alternative ways of getting to the game.

Network Rail will be carrying out work in the Crewe and Rugby areas and rail journeys between the north-west and London Euston will be severely disrupted in both directions on Saturday 29, Sunday 30, and on the morning of Monday 31 August.

There will be no direct train services, journey times will be considerably longer than usual, and there is no guarantee that anyone travelling with Virgin Trains will arrive in time for the start of the match.

Fans are advised to make other travel arrangements. They can check alternative routes using other train operators by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk or calling 08457 48 49 50, though they will need to bear in mind that these routes will take longer than the usual direct Virgin services.


Ends



Notes to Editors

Images of Virgin Trains and the company’s operations are available on our online media website www.virgintrainsmediaroom.com. You will need to register to access the Media Resources section containing high-resolution images of our operations.

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Arsenal v Celtic Wednesday 26 August Incorrect online timetable information

VT2009-082(JR)

24 August 2009


Arsenal v Celtic Wednesday 26 August Incorrect online timetable information

Due to an IT issue the 23 35 Euston to Glasgow Central football supporters’ special train has been incorrectly shown in online public timetables. This train is only available to those who have booked through the Celtic Supporters Travel Club is and is now fully booked. Anybody holding walk up Anytime or Off Peak tickets will not be able to travel on this service.

The only alternative public service returning to Glasgow after the match is the 23:50 Euston to Glasgow Scotrail sleeper service which is likely to be extremely busy. The next Virgin Trains service to Glasgow leaves Euston the following morning (Thursday) at 05:47.

Ends

Virgin Trains Media Information

Images of Virgin Trains and the company’s operations are available on our online media website http://www.virgintrainsmediaroom.com/. You will need to register to access the Media Resources section containing high-resolution images of our operations.

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Virgin Trains has been listed as the Best Train Operator in a survey by the Institute of Customer ; voted Best Rail Company by Travel Weekly magazine; Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveler magazine and favorite train operator by readers of the London Evening Standard.

More car parking spaces at Carlisle station from 1 September

The expanded car park at Carlisle station will open on Tuesday 1 September. The car park will provide an additional 46 parking spaces, making a total of 194 spaces available at the Cumbria 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 September all-day parking at Carlisle will cost £8, 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 and all day at weekends costing £4 a day. 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 £98 effectively offering daily parking, based on 20 days use a month at just £4.90 a day. The annual ticket is prices at £980 and if used for just 45 weeks a year offers an equivalent daily parking rate of just £4.36 a day.

Virgin Trains Station Manager at Carlisle Ann Turner said: “The limited parking facilities at Carlisle station have caused problems for rail travellers for many years. Now with 46 extra spaces more passengers 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 Carlisle 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, Preston, 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 Carlisle car park is:
All day (Mondays-Fridays) £8.00
Off Peak (after 10.00 Mondays-Fridays) £4.00
Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays £4.00
Monthly Season Ticket £98.00
Quarterly Season Ticket £279.00
Six-month Season Ticket £517.00
Annual Season Ticket £980.00
Virgin Trains Media Information

Images of Virgin Trains and the company’s operations are available on our online media website http://mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk/.

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Virgin Trains has been listed as the Best Train Operator in a survey by the Institute of Customer ; voted Best Rail Company by Travel Weekly magazine; Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveler magazine and favorite train operator by readers of the London Evening Standard.

More car parking spaces at Rugby station from 1 September

The new multi-storey car park at Rugby station will open on Tuesday 1 September. The expanded car park will provide an additional 269 parking spaces, making a total of 739 spaces available at the Warwickshire 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 1 September all-day parking at Rugby will cost £7, 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 £4 and a new weekend rate of £3 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 £86 effectively offering daily parking, based on 20 days use a month at just £4.30 a day. The annual ticket is prices at £858 and if used for just 45 weeks a year offers an equivalent daily parking rate of just £3.82 a day.

Virgin Trains Station Manager at Rugby Teresa Woodward said: “The limited parking facilities at Rugby station have caused problems for rail travellers in recent years. Now with 269 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 Rugby 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, Preston and Coventry.

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 Rugby car park is:
All day (Mondays-Fridays) £7.00
Off Peak (after 10.00 Mondays-Fridays) £4.00
Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays £3.00
Monthly Season Ticket £86.00
Quarterly Season Ticket £244.00
Six-month Season Ticket £452.00
Annual Season Ticket £858.00


Virgin Trains Media Information

Images of Virgin Trains and the company’s operations are available on our online media website http://mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk/.

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Virgin Trains has been listed as the Best Train Operator in a survey by the Institute of Customer ; voted Best Rail Company by Travel Weekly magazine; Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveler magazine and favorite train operator by readers of the London Evening Standard.

Cheaper Virgin Trains-only fares available on even more services in the North West

Cheaper train fares are now available between Stockport and Macclesfield/Stoke-on-Trent/Crewe and between Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent

Virgin Trains is extending the availability of its cheaper Virgin Trains-only fares to include journeys between Stockport and Macclesfield/Stoke-on-Trent/Crewe and between Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent. The price bonanza is part of a package to offer cheaper rail travel on key shorter-distance journeys.

From 17 August, customers will be able to buy a peak time fully flexible Anytime Day Return ticket from Stockport to Macclesfield for just £6.00 (previously £8.00) and from Macclesfield to Stoke-on-Trent for just £6.40, a saving of £2.10. The new lower-priced tickets, valid for travel on Virgin Trains services only, will offer a substantial saving over the current tickets which can be used on all operators’ services on the route.

Other Virgin Trains-only fares include an Off-Peak Day Return from Stockport to Stoke-on-Trent down from £10.50 to £7.90. There are similar savings on First Class fares with a First Class Anytime Day ticket from Stockport to Macclesfield reduced from £13.70 to £10.30.

Seven-day Virgin Trains-only season tickets are also available, offering similar savings.

Virgin Trains operates two trains per hour between Stockport and Stoke-on-Trent; one train per hour between Stockport and Macclesfield and one train per hour between Stockport and Crewe. It runs three trains per hour from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly.

The new Virgin Trains only tickets can be bought in advance, or on the day of travel at a station. They are valid for travel on Virgin Trains services only and will not be accepted on services between Macclesfield and Manchester that are operated by other train companies.

The small print: We are required to tell you that other train operators also provide services between Stockport and Macclesfield/Stoke-on-Trent/Crewe, but why would you want to travel with them when you can save so much with us? Just think what you could spend that money on!

ENDS



Note to editors.

The range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares between Stockport and Macclesfield is:
First Anytime Day Single £5.40
First Anytime Day Return £10.30
Standard Off-Peak Day Return £4.20
Standard Anytime Day Single £3.70
Standard Anytime Day Return £6.00
Seven Day Standard Season £26.40
Seven Day First Season £39.60

The range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares between Stockport and Stoke-on-Trent is:
First Anytime Day Single £11.00
First Anytime Return £20.80
Standard Off-Peak Day Return £7.90
Standard Anytime Day Single £7.80
Standard Anytime Day Return £10.00

Seven Day Standard Season £39.50
Seven Day First Season £59.20

The full range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares between Stockport and Crewe is:
First Anytime Day Single £10.00
First Anytime Day Return £19.00
Standard Off-Peak Day Return £7.90
Standard Anytime Day Single £7.50
Standard Anytime Day Return £8.10
Seven Day Standard Season £36.00
Seven Day First Season £54.00

The range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares between Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent is:
First Anytime Day Single £7.40
First Anytime Day Return £14.00
Standard Off-Peak Day Return £5.60
Standard Anytime Day Single £5.50
Standard Anytime Day Return £6.40
Seven Day Standard Season £28.20
Seven Day First Season £42.30


Virgin Trains Media Information

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Virgin Trains has been listed as the Best Train Operator in a survey by the Institute of Customer ; voted Best Rail Company by Travel Weekly magazine; Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveler magazine and favorite train operator by readers of the London Evening Standard.

Cheaper Virgin Trains-only fares now available on even more services in the West Midlands

Virgin Trains is extending its range of cheaper Virgin Trains-only fares and slashing the cost of rail travel between:
Coventry and Birmingham International/Birmingham Stations/Wolverhampton
Birmingham International and Birmingham Stations/Wolverhampton
Birmingham Stations and Wolverhampton.

The price reduction is part of a package to offer cheaper rail travel on key shorter-distance journeys.

From 17 August, the cost of a fully flexible Anytime Day Return ticket from Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton will fall from £6.30 to £4.80. The cost of an Anytime Return ticket from Coventry to Wolverhampton will drop from £8.80 to £6.60. The new lower-priced tickets are valid for travel on Virgin Trains services only, but will offer a substantial saving over the current tickets which can be used on all operators’ services on the route.

Seven-day Virgin Trains-only season tickets are also available, offering similar savings.

The new Virgin Trains-only tickets can be bought in advance or at a station on the day of travel. They are valid for travel on Virgin Trains services only and will not be accepted on services between Birmingham and Coventry and Wolverhampton which are operated by other train companies.

Virgin Trains operates three trains per hour between Coventry and Birmingham New Street.

The small print: We are required to tell you that other train operators also provide services between Birmingham and Coventry and other West Midlands stations, but why would you want to travel with them when you can save so much no our fares? Just think what you could spend that money on!

ENDS



Note to editors.

The range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares from Coventry to Birmingham Intl is:
First Anytime Day Single £2.30
First Anytime Day Return £3.60
Standard Off-Peak Day Return £1.70
Standard Anytime Day Single £1.70
Standard Anytime Day Return £2.40


The range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares from Coventry to Birmingham St is:
First Anytime Day Single £4.50
First Anytime Day Return £7.20
Standard Off-Peak Day Return £3.10
Standard Anytime Day Single £3.00
Standard Anytime Day Return £4.80


The range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares from Coventry to Wolverhampton is:
First Anytime Day Single £5.70
First Anytime Day Return £9.30
Standard Off-Peak Day Return £4.20
Standard Anytime Day Single £3.80
Standard Anytime Day Return £6.20
Standard Anytime Return £6.60


The full range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares from Birmingham International to Birmingham Stations is:
First Anytime Day Single £3.60
First Anytime Day Return £6.30
Standard Off Peak Day Return £2.70
Standard Anytime Day Single £2.40
Standard Anytime Day Return £4.20
Standard Anytime Return £4.70

The range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares from Birmingham International to Wolverhampton is:
First Anytime Day Single £5.20
First Anytime Day Return £8.50
Standard Off Peak Day Return £4.00
Standard Anytime Day Single £3.50
Standard Anytime Day Return £5.70
Standard Anytime Return £6.60

The range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares from Birmingham Stations to Wolverhampton is:
First Anytime Day Single £4.50
First Anytime Day Return £7.20
Standard Off Peak Day Return £3.10
Standard Anytime Day Single £3.00
Standard Anytime Day Return £4.80

Virgin Trains Media Information

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Virgin Trains has been listed as the Best Train Operator in a survey by the Institute of Customer ; voted Best Rail Company by Travel Weekly magazine; Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveler magazine and favorite train operator by readers of the London Evening Standard.

More great deals available on Virgin Trains’ Liverpool route

Virgin Trains is extending the availability of its cheaper Virgin Trains-only fares to include journeys between Liverpool and Runcorn. This great offer is part of a package to offer cheaper rail travel on key shorter-distance journeys.

From 17 August, customers will be able to buy a peak fully flexible Anytime Day Return ticket from Liverpool to Runcorn for just £5.10 (previously £6.70). The new lower-priced tickets, valid for travel on Virgin Trains services only, will offer a substantial saving over the current tickets which can be used on all operators’ services on the route.

There are similar savings on First Class fares with a First Class Anytime Day Return ticket from Liverpool to Runcorn reduced from £10.30 to £7.80.

Seven-day Virgin Trains-only season tickets are also available for just £22.70.

Virgin Trains operates an hourly service between Liverpool and Runcorn.

The new Virgin Trains-only tickets can be bought in advance, or on the day of travel at a station. They are valid for travel on Virgin Trains services only and will not be accepted on services between Liverpool and Runcorn that are operated by other train companies.

The small print: We are required to tell you that other train operators also provide services between Runcorn and Liverpool but why would you want to travel with them when you can save so much with us? Just think what you could spend that money on!

ENDS




Note to editors.

The range of Virgin Trains-only walk-up fares between Liverpool and Runcorn is:
First Anytime Day Single £4.10
First Anytime Day Return £7.80
Standard Off-Peak Day Return £3.90
Standard Anytime Day Single £3.00
Standard Anytime Day Return £5.10
Seven Day Standard Season £22.70
Seven Day First Season £34.00

Virgin Trains Media Information

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

Virgin Trains has been listed as the Best Train Operator in a survey by the Institute of Customer; voted Best Rail Company by Travel Weekly magazine; Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveller magazine and favorite train operator by readers of the London Evening Standard.

Carnegie Challenge Cup Final 29 August Warrington Wolves vs. Huddersfield Giants

Rugby League fans intending to support Warrington Wolves at Wembley on Saturday 29 August are advised not to travel to the game with Virgin Trains.

Network Rail will be carrying out work in the Crewe and Rugby areas and rail journeys between the north-west and London Euston will be severely disrupted in both directions on Saturday 29, Sunday 30, and the morning of Monday 31 August.

There will be no direct train services, journey times will be considerably longer than usual, and there is no guarantee that anyone travelling with Virgin Trains will arrive in time for the start of the match.

Fans are advised to make other travel arrangements, and can check alternative routes using other train operators by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk or calling 08457 48 49 50, though these routes will take longer than the usual direct Virgin services. Charter train and coach travel can also be organised through Warrington Wolves by calling 0871 220 0260 or visiting the Wolfware shop at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

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