Virgin wins East Coast Mainline

I hope they don't change too much.

ECML (currently in public sector) is easily the best of the InterCity companies, and on other forums it's rated higher than Virgin West Coast for meals etc.

I am a big fan of East Coast Trains. The staff were brilliant and the new operator will have to take them on.

I hope they treat them well as that was an issue with the last franchise operator. The on-train staff were relieved to have been 'renationalised' !

It's a joint venture between Stagecoach (90%) and Virgin Trains (10%).

I hope they do not change too much too - very happy with East Coast at the minute.

Hi

I prefer *cough* Hull Trains - newer & cleaner rolling stock, faster journey time (the 1850 from Kings Cross gets into Grantham at 1950 ), free wi-fi even in economy sorry standard class, and it is generally cheaper than East Coast. But I will admit they do have limited routes and timings - they just work well for my journey to head office.

I was delayed in the storms a couple of weeks ago on a Virgin train from Euston to Manchester when the winds bought down a tree onto the power cable. Even though the carriages were old, the staff were fantastic - frequently updating us, giving out tea, coffee, sandwiches, & cold drinks, and proactively encouraging us to claim the compensation - even collecting all the forms at the end in one go. I received my £ 150 vouchers last week and used them for my next three journeys.

ScoobySu

Hi

I prefer *cough* Hull Trains - newer & cleaner rolling stock, faster journey time (the 1850 from Kings Cross gets into Grantham at 1950 ), free wi-fi even in economy sorry standard class, and it is generally cheaper than East Coast. But I will admit they do have limited routes and timings - they just work well for my journey to head office.

I was delayed in the storms a couple of weeks ago on a Virgin train from Euston to Manchester when the winds bought down a tree onto the power cable. Even though the carriages were old, the staff were fantastic - frequently updating us, giving out tea, coffee, sandwiches, & cold drinks, and proactively encouraging us to claim the compensation - even collecting all the forms at the end in one go. I received my £ 150 vouchers last week and used them for my next three journeys.

ScoobySu

The Virgin Pendolinos are far from old :-)

The Virgin Traveller is by far the best frequent traveller programme in existence, IMHO.

Doesn't sound as if its really Virgin running the East coast with 10% but if they adopt the traveller programme, I'll be quite happy...

The Virgin Traveller is by far the best frequent traveller programme in existence, IMHO.

Doesn't sound as if its really Virgin running the East coast with 10% but if they adopt the traveller programme, I'll be quite happy...

The press releases mentions a 'nectar' scheme.

Shame because the East Coast Rewards scheme was really good.

It'll basically be a Stagecoach service but branded Virgin. Sragecoach aren't daft - they know the power of the Virgin brand.

The Virgin Pendolinos are far from old :-)

Ahh - but it wasn't one of the Pendolinos - fortunately because they make me feel a bit

ScoobySu

The Virgin Traveller is by far the best frequent traveller programme in existence, IMHO.

Doesn't sound as if its really Virgin running the East coast with 10% but if they adopt the traveller programme, I'll be quite happy...

The press releases mentions a 'nectar' scheme.

Shame because the East Coast Rewards scheme was really good.

I'd be surprised if it was better than the virgin one.

Costly to qualify, but a first class return with overnight stay, anywhere on virgin network, all friday through to monday noon for up to 2 people... Every weekend. Good availability as well.

I'd be surprised if it was better than the virgin one.

Costly to qualify, but a first class return with overnight stay, anywhere on virgin network, all friday through to monday noon for up to 2 people... Every weekend. Good availability as well.

Could you tell me more about this?

It won't last long, Stagecoach/Virgin will be on their knees in no time.

Why?

GNER bid £1.3bn over 10 years, and couldn't meet the payments.
National Express bid £1.4bn over 7 years, and couldn't meet the payments, actually walking away, giving us the excellent East Coast franchise, publicly operated.

Stagecoach/Virgin have bid £3.3bn over 8 years.

The figures are preposturous and it will end in tears.

A wise man once said:

""Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. When will the Department for Transport learn?"

(Thanks Richard!)

I'd be surprised if it was better than the virgin one.

Costly to qualify, but a first class return with overnight stay, anywhere on virgin network, all friday through to monday noon for up to 2 people... Every weekend. Good availability as well.

Could you tell me more about this?

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/rewards/t ... traveller/

Sorry been away this weekend. Will contact on details. It's something so good that you tend to be wary of broadcasting it and they might take it away. If its out of your way it will cost you about 1200 quid to qualify. But if travelling on network a few more expensive trains and you find yourself having a free weekend in Glasgow which would cost 400 quid otherwise.

At the moment the front page of the virgin traveller states that its invite only. They seemed to go this way after they re-rewon the franchise, but my membership (which expires tomorrow) has stated the qualification criteria. So to qualify:

Buy 16 single qualifying tickets over a period of three months.

These are:

First class anytime return over 100 pounds (counts as 2 tickets).
First class anytime single over 50 pounds.
Advance First Class tickets over 70 pounds.

Book using the virgin trains website. Travel on virgin train routes (so if going further, maybe best split out the ticket).

In reality those limits are kind of funny to meet, you'll struggle to find anytime single tickets that low and sometimes pick a more expensive train to get the advance ticket over 70 quid.

What has changed since I first started being a member (I was first a member 2011) is the Two Together railcard, which gets 1/3rd off any two tickets when bought together. This can actually cut a huge chunk off the fare, and bring the higher fare ones close to the qualifying criteria. And both of those tickets count towards the qualification. The discounted amount has to be over the limits above there.

But as someone who was commuting down on a Monday morning and returning on a Friday evening, I travelled in style, for free for the 6 months that contract was on. Then went on quite a few trips up north with it too...