![]() ![]() ![]() However, in March 2018 it was announced that the contract would end in September 2019 when the new West Coast Partnership franchise would commence. In February 2018 the contract was extended until March 2019, with an option to extend it further to March 2020. In November 2016, the franchise was further extended until March 2019. In November 2013 a revised application for services to Shrewsbury and Blackpool North was approved, and the services started in December 2014. In July 2013 the Office of Rail Regulation rejected an application by Virgin Trains to operate new services to Shrewsbury and Blackpool North, citing capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line. In March 2013 the Secretary of State announced that the franchise would again be extended until 31 March 2017. In December 2012 Virgin was awarded a 23-month management contract to run the franchise until 9 November 2014. The government announced that it would negotiate with Virgin Trains to run the InterCity West Coast franchise for a further 9 to 13 months. Following an independent review of the franchising process, a fresh competition would be held. In October 2012 the Secretary of State announced that the government was cancelling the franchise competition for the InterCity West Coast franchise after discovering significant technical flaws in the way the franchise process was conducted, reversing the decision to award it to FirstGroup. Īn Invitation to tender was issued to the shortlisted bidders in January 2012, and the Department for Transport awarded FirstGroup the new franchise in August 2012. In October 2011 the Department announced that Virgin had been granted a franchise extension until December 2012. In May 2011 the Secretary of State for Transport announced that the end date had been postponed to allow the recommendations in the McNulty Report to be absorbed. In March 2011 the Department announced that Abellio, FirstGroup, Keolis/ SNCF and Virgin Rail Group had been shortlisted to bid for the franchise. In January 2011 the Department for Transport called for expressions of interest in bidding for the next InterCity West Coast franchise. Virgin had applied for a two-year extension, but this was ruled out by the Department of Transport on legal grounds. This was turned down by the Department for Transport. ![]() Branson said the journey time between London and Birmingham could be reduced by 22 minutes to under one hour. In 2009 Richard Branson launched a campaign to have the next franchise period extended for 20 to 30 years, so that Virgin could spend more on infrastructure and see a return on its investment. ![]() Virgin Trains' franchise was due to expire in March 2012. Due to costs having blown out from £2.5 billion to £10 billion there were cutbacks to the upgrade, and the top speed was reduced to 125 mph. In the wake of the collapse of Railtrack and the inability of Network Rail to deliver on the 140 mph West Coast Main Line upgrade, both the Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin Trains West Coast franchises were suspended in favour of management contracts in July 2002. When Virgin won the franchise, Railtrack was to upgrade the West Coast Main Line to allow tilting trains to operate at 140 mph by 2005. In October 1998 Virgin Group sold 49% of the shares in Virgin Rail Group to Stagecoach. Virgin Rail Group was awarded the InterCity West Coast franchise in January 1997, beating Sea Containers and Stagecoach, with operations commencing on 9 March 1997. The contract expired on 7 December 2019 (having been originally scheduled for expiry in March 2020) and Virgin did not contest losing the franchise after its joint venture partner, Stagecoach, was disqualified due to an invalid bid in April 2019. The Virgin Trains brand was also used on the legally and operationally separate Virgin Trains East Coast from 2015 until 2018, and previously on Virgin CrossCountry, which operated between 19, as well as from 2018 to 2020 by Virgin Trains USA in Florida. Virgin Trains had around 3,400 employees in 2015. The franchise covered long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland, consequently connecting six of the UK's largest cities: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, which have a combined metropolitan population of over 18 million. Virgin Trains (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from 9 March 1997 to 7 December 2019. ![]()
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