Who runs trains on West Coast?
Avanti West
| West Coast Main Line | |
|---|---|
| System | National Rail |
| Operator(s) | Passenger: Avanti West Coast Caledonian Sleeper CrossCountry Northern Trains ScotRail Southern TransPennine Express Transport for Wales Rail Limited West Midlands Trains Freight: DB Cargo UK Direct Rail Services Freightliner GB Railfreight |
| History | |
| Opened | 1837–1869 |
Who Owns the West Coast Main Line?
The West Coast partnership franchise is currently operated by First Trenitalia as Avanti West Coast. It is operating under a Covid Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement until March 2022 and the DfT has set out its intention to award new directly awarded National Rail Contracts following the expiry of the ERMAs.
What happened to Virgin Trains West Coast?
Virgin Trains, which began serving the West Coast Main Line in 1997, is being replaced by Avanti West Coast. Avanti West Coast, which will begin running the service on Sunday, told customers that tickets booked with Virgin Trains for upcoming journeys are still valid.
Who Own Avanti West Coast?
Trenitalia
FirstGroup
Avanti West Coast/Parent organizations
Avanti West Coast is part of the West Coast Partnership owned by First Trenitalia, a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia.
Why did Virgin sell 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.
Are Avanti trains Pendolino?
Connecting major cities, the privatised operator Avanti West Coast uses primarily Class 390 Pendolino electric multiple unit trains on its trunk routes, with service in either Standard (2-2 seating, either airline style or across tables), First Class (1-2 seating, with inclusive at-seat food and drinks and access to …
Where does the train stop between London and Edinburgh?
The end of our journey is at Edinburgh Waverley Station, the main railway station in the Scottish Capital.
When was the West Coast Main Line built?
The track was originally built in the 1830s and 1840s and most of the route was electrified between 1955 and 1975: The WCML is the most important trunk route on Britain’s rail network.
Why did Virgin lose West Coast?
First, Trenitalia West Coast Rail is a joint venture between Aberdeen-based FirstGroup and Italian state operator Trenitalia SpA. First Group won the West Coast franchise back in 2012 but then lost out after a legal challenge from Virgin Trains over how the government had awarded it.
Why did Avanti replace virgin?
Avanti is the Italian word meaning “forward”. According to First Rail’s managing director Steve Montgomery, the brand was chosen to ”enshrine the type of forward-thinking operation we intend to run”. He said the new train operator will “generate national prosperity and pride”.
What happened to the Virgin Pendolino?
Its routes have now been taken over by Avanti West Coast, which has pledged to deliver a range of passenger enhancements, including new trains and 263 more weekly services by 2022. The existing fleet of Pendolino trains will be refurbished, the new operator has said.
Why did Virgin Trains stop?
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 is the difference between London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway?
“London Northwestern Railway” and “West Midlands Railway” redirect here. For the historical train company, see London and North Western Railway. For former train operating company, see London Midland. For other uses, see West Midlands Railway (disambiguation). West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom.
When did West Midlands Trains become a franchise?
In October 2017, West Midlands Trains was awarded the franchise to operate both local rail services around Birmingham and the West Midlands, suburban services to London Euston, and long-distance inter-urban services operating from both Euston and Birmingham New Street.
What happened to InterCity West Coast trains?
It replaced Virgin Trains, which had operated the InterCity West Coast franchise between 1997 and 2019. The franchise was initially scheduled to run until March 2030, operating High Speed 2 services from 2026. However, in December 2020, it was announced that it will be terminated on 31 March 2026 as part of the abolition of the franchise system.
When did the West Coast main line come into use?
In 1948, following nationalisation, the line came under the control of British Railways’ London Midland and Scottish Regions, when the term “West Coast Main Line” came into use officially, although it had been used informally since at least 1912.