Virgin Trains to run west coast mainline until 2018
Virgin Trains is to continue to run rail services on the West Coast Mainline for the next two years with a direct service between Shrewsbury and London set to begin from December.
The direct award contract will run for two years and nine months and see the train operator continue to provide vital service for more than 30 million passengers annually.
The company will now submit plans to include two services from Shrewsbury to the capital in each direction Monday to Saturday and one service in each direction on Sunday.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “This deal will provide thousands more seats and better journeys for the tens of thousands of passengers who use these services every day. The West Coast provides a vital artery between London and Scotland and it is crucial we do everything we can to improve services on this much-used route.
“This is further proof of our commitment to get the best deal for passengers and taxpayers with Virgin set to pay more than £430 million to run the franchise. It’s all part of our long-term economic plan to drive forward our economy and provide better services now and great services with HS2.”
Patrick McCall, Virgin Trains Executive Co-Chairman, said: “We’re delighted to have reached a deal after some tough negotiations with the DfT. It puts the problems of 2012 firmly behind us, and shows the clear benefits of a well-run franchise system.
“This deal is great news for passengers and taxpayers, with significant benefits for our customers as well as a big increase in the money we pay to government. We know wifi is high on our customers’ priorities and we’re delighted that we’re going to be able to offer them free and super-fast wifi. Together with thousands of extra seats and plans for new services, this deal will mean big improvements for millions of Virgin Trains passengers.”
