10 March 2010
Virgin Trains news release: Faster rail journeys welcomed by Virgin Trains
Scotland should be able to benefit from development of new high-speed tracks, Tony Collins, Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Trains, said today [10 March].
He told members of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce that the prospect of high-speed trains is extremely welcome and that investment should also
continue in the existing network.
"It is not a case of high speed or the classic rail system, it is a case of both being needed," he said.
In advance of any new high-speed route, it would be possible in the meantime to bring rail journeys between London and Glasgow down from the current best of just over four hours to less than four hours. He said there is potential for 3 hours 30 minutes within a few years, with high-speed offering even more improvement later.
Unless investment continued, capacity on the West Coast Main Line would run out in five or six years because of rising demand for travel, especially between Glasgow and London. He also pointed to the importance of links from Scotland to cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds.
"Virgin has increased rail's share of the Manchester/London rail/air market from 30 per cent to 85 per cent. We've taken passengers from the airlines. That's only become possible because of investment in trains and infrastructure to
allow two-hour journey times every 20 minutes.
"Rail could similarly raise its share between Glasgow and London from the current 18 per cent - already double where we were a couple of years ago following improvements to the timetable.
"If you focus on the journey time, the frequency and the quality of service, you can get people to travel on the trains," Mr Collins said.
He said that longer franchises would allow the private sector to deliver investment in improvements, including stations and maintenance depots as well as trains.
Virgin runs more trains at average speeds above 100 mph than any other company
operating within the UK, according to a survey published by The Railway Magazine. A Virgin Pendolino train operates Britain's fastest domestic journey, averaging 110.6 mph to cover 116 miles between stops at Stafford and Watford Junction in 63 minutes. Virgin Trains runs 161 trains a day averaging more than 100 mph on the West Coast Main Line, the monthly specialist magazine states.
Ends
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Notes to Editors
Virgin Pendolino trains operate 13 times a day in each direction between Glasgow Central and London Euston. Typical journey time is 4 hours 32 minutes from Glasgow to London, and the best is 4 hours 8 minutes by the 16:30 Euston-Glasgow.
Virgin Super Voyager trains link Glasgow and Birmingham in just under four hours and Edinburgh and Birmingham in just over four hours.