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| Franchises | Integrated into East Midlands Trains South West Trains Virgin CrossCountry Virgin Trains West Coast |
|---|---|
| Main Towns | Sheffield,Nottingham |
| Other Towns | London,Chesterfield,Leicester,Loughborough |
| Parent company | Stagecoach Group |
| Other | |
| Website | uk |
Megatrain was a provider of low-cost train travel in the United Kingdom. A subsidiary of theStagecoach Group, its operations have been associated with its parent'sEast Midlands Trains,South West Trains,Virgin CrossCountry andVirgin Trains West Coast train operating companies. Even though Stagecoach ceased operating train franchises in its own right in August 2019, Megatrain services continued to operate onEast Midlands Railway services. In May 2024 Megabus confirmed they were no longer offering the Megatrain service.[1]
Megatrain tickets were available on specific services operated byEast Midlands Railway. The available services are those that are generally not busy with tickets priced using theyield management model employed bylow-cost airlines and sister companyMegabus, where the lowest fares were offered to those who book early or on less popular journeys.[2]
In addition to the point-to-point rail fares of Megatrain,Megabusplus provided combined rail and coach journeys betweenLondon andYorkshire. East Midlands Railway services fromLondon St Pancras connect withStagecoach in Lincolnshire coach services toHuddersfield andHull atEast Midlands Parkway.[3]
Prices were advertised as starting at £1, with a 50p booking fee. Tickets must be purchased in advance, via the Megabus website or by telephone. Megatrain tickets are available Monday to Saturday only, and not on Sundays or public holidays.
Megatrain was launched byStagecoach on 14 November 2005, being piloted on twoSouth West Trains routes, fromLondon Waterloo toPortsmouth andSouthampton from 14 November 2005 with ticket prices ranging from £1 to £19.[4] Standard timetabled services by South West Trains initially had designated areas for Megatrain customers.[5][6][7]
On 20 April 2006, Megatrain was extended toBournemouth andWeymouth followed on 28 April 2006 by London Waterloo toSalisbury,Bath Spa,Bristol Temple Meads,Yeovil Junction,Exeter Central andExeter St Davids.[8][9] From 3 July 2006, Megatrain tickets were available onVirgin CrossCountry services fromBirmingham New Street to Bournemouth, Bristol Temple Meads toPenzance,Manchester Piccadilly toGlasgow Central, Manchester Piccadilly toEdinburgh Waverley andMorpeth to Edinburgh Waverley.[10]
On 6 March 2007,The Times reported that only 1 in 900 of the passengers carried by either South West Trains or Virgin CrossCountry bought a Megatrain low-fare ticket.[11] The CrossCountry routes were withdrawn on 10 November 2007 when the CrossCountry franchise passed toArriva CrossCountry.
On 2 January 2008, the Megatrain concept was extended to certain rail services on theEast Midlands Trains franchise, with the introduction of Megatrain betweenLondon St Pancras andSheffield andNottingham.[12] On 14 July 2008, Megatrain tickets were made available on certainVirgin Trains West Coast services from Birmingham New Street to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley.[13][14]
On 5 January 2009 Megatrain was introduced between Sheffield andNorwich.[15] On 20 March 2009Megabusplus tickets offering for combined coach and train journeys from London viaEast Midlands Parkway railway station were introduced. Three feeder coach routes were provided toHalifax,Hull andYork operated byStagecoach in Lincolnshire withVolvo B10Ms.[16][17][18]
Operation of the South West Trains services ceased on 4 August 2017 coinciding with a closure at London Waterloo and reduction in service levels. TheSouth Western franchise was taken over bySouth Western Railway a few weeks later. However, after the East Midlands franchise passed toEast Midlands Railway in August 2019, Megatrain tickets continued to be available from London to Nottingham although this had ceased by May 2024.[19]
| Route | Start date | Train operating company | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| London St Pancras -Leicester -Loughborough -Derby -Chesterfield -Sheffield | 2 January 2008 | East Midlands Railway | East Midlands Parkway (with connectingMegabusplus services to Yorkshire) added 20 March 2009 |
| London St Pancras -Leicester -Loughborough -Nottingham | 2 January 2008 | East Midlands Railway | Replacement for Megabus route M13 |