Virgin Trains passenger improvements
- By Greg Rose -
- Sep 10, 2012
As Richard Branson heads to meet the Transport Select Committee today, Virgin Trains has set out in detail why its bid offers more passenger improvements and a more secure financial deal for the taxpayers.
You can watch Richard Branson and Virgin Trains in the Transport Select Committee live below.
Virgin Trains is pledging to invest £800m to deliver:
New destinations and improved services
New services to Telford, Shrewsbury, Blackpool, Bolton, Stirling, Motherwell, Hartford and Liverpool South Parkway.
Increased services to destinations in North Wales, Nuneaton, Milton Keynes, Rugby, Stafford
More capacity on the Birmingham-Scotland route.
Faster journey times between London and Glasgow.
New trains
* Greener trains and a better passenger environment with the replacement of all of the Voyager trains with 21 6-car ‘Baby Pendolinos’, meaning no diesel operation over electrified lines.
* An extensive refurbishment of all the current Pendolinos.
New state-of-the-art ticketing
* A revolutionary new centralised booking engine, a first for the UK rail industry, to provide passengers with a one-stop-shop experience.
* Introduction of Smart Ticketing and a new loyalty scheme.
New and enhanced onboard offering
* Complete onboard refresh, with a new state-of-the-art Wi-Fi system capable of growing with passenger needs.
* An enhanced at seat complimentary First Class service and a new at seat Standard Class service.
Improved station facilities
* Installation of ticket gates, a number of station improvement projects including more car parking, ticket machines, CCTV and information points.
Head over to Virgin Trains for all the latest news and updates.
By Greg Rose. Content Manager. Tweets @greglrose and blogs at greglrose.com
