Be on the lookout for the new company taking over.
Virgin Trains will be no more after the turn of the month.
Trenitalia will be running the line with First.
The new company will be known as Avanti West Coast.
The interim website is at https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/
When they introduce the new website I'll link to that here.
National Rail website will have the timetables, even now.
Woah. Good to know before my next trip. Thanks!!!
Thank you, Nigel. I was planning to use Virgin Trains to book my rail trips next summer. Do you have an opinion about this new company? It was super easy to book with Virgin last time. Any recommendations? Jenny
time will tell.
First has had some some failures and some successes.
Trenitalia hasn't got much of a track record here yet, although they have been running the C2C suburban trains from London to Southend for a short time. They have decades of experience in Italy, both good and bad. Mostly good recently. At least in the north.
Many of the staff will be the same, higher management will all change. We'll see.
For a tourist there won't likely be much different other than colours and logos and uniforms. Unless the unions are not happy.
Thank you, Nigel. Fingers crossed for happy unions!
staff stay the same, senior management stay the same
new logo, new website
The most important question is do the toilets still talk to you!
;)
Update - the good news - the first trains operated by Avanti have run.
Update - the bad news - as of 10:00 GMT on the first day of operations the new website appears down.
Further update - two hours later it is still down, claiming server issues
The most important question is do the toilets still talk to you!
?
I am travelling on Virgin tickets Edinburgh to Liverpool at the end of the month, I will let you know about the talking toilets.
Though my tickets are Virgin I have been assured they will still be ok for the new company.
Now it is Monday and the website WORKS!!
