| Franchise | Open-access operator |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Virgin Group |
Virgin Trains is a prospectiveopen-access operator proposing to operate services on theWest Coast Main Line betweenLondon,Birmingham,Liverpool,Rochdale andGlasgow, as well as on theHigh Speed 1 between London, theKent, andParis,Brussels, andAmsterdam via theChannel Tunnel.
In March 1997 as part of theprivatisation of British Rail, theVirgin Rail Group commenced operating theInterCity West Coast franchise on theWest Coast Main Line (WCML) fromLondon Euston to destinations includingBirmingham,Manchester,Liverpool andGlasgow.[1] Virgin also took over theCrossCountry franchise that operated across the United Kingdom including services on the WCML from Birmingham to Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow andEdinburgh.[2]
In November 2007, the CrossCountry franchise was taken over byArriva CrossCountry after being retendered.[3][4] As part of a restructure of the franchise map by theDepartment for Transport, in December 2007 the CrossCountry services that operated to Glasgow and Edinburgh via the WCML were transferred to the InterCity West Coast franchise.[5][6]
In December 2019, the West Coast franchise was taken over byAvanti West Coast after being retendered.[7]
After losing the West Coast franchise, in 2019 Virgin announced that it proposed to seek paths from theOffice of Rail & Road (ORR) to operate services from London Euston to Liverpool as anopen-access operator withInterCity 225 sets that were due to be released from theInterCity East Coast franchise.[8][9]
In May 2024, Virgin announced it had lodged an application with the ORR to operate services on the WCML from London Euston to Birmingham, Liverpool,Rochdale and Glasgow from December 2025.[10][11][12] Services would initially be operated by former Avanti West CoastClass 221Bombardier Voyagers, beforeelectric multiple units would be purchased after infrastructure upgrades.[13] The application was rejected in July 2025 due to insufficient capacity on the rail network.[14]
In October 2024,Virgin Trains Europe Holdings Limited (VTE) applied to ORR for capacity on theTemple Mills Depot, intending to operate services on theHigh Speed 1 line toKent, and further south to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, via theChannel Tunnel, aiming to begin service in 2030. The company has secured purchase rights for 12Avelia Stream trainsets fromAlstom.[15] The proposed trains will be part of a new £700 million investment in services between London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels.[16]
On 30 October 2025,ORR approved Virgin Trains' access toTemple Mills International Depot, paving the way for their services to begin in 2030.[17]
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