Virgin Trains has submitted an application to run rail services on the West Coast route between London and Glasgow, five years after losing the franchise. The train company, owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, would be competing with Avanti West Coast, the current provider, which won the franchise in 2019. Virgin Trains had operated the same line for over two decades before it lost the contract and was disqualified from bidding for the franchise. In a statement, a spokesperson for Virgin Group said that while this application is the first step to exploring what could be possible, the company believes that open access is the way forward as it increases consumer choice and competition, both of which Virgin has always supported.
Open access licenses provide a firm with no state subsidies and takes on the risk of running a rail service themselves. In contrast, a franchised operator, such as Avanti, holds a contact with the government to run the route. Virgin Trains did not confirm if it had filed the application independently or not but confirmed that they have applied to run services between London Euston to Preston and Rochdale via Manchester and Bolton in the north-west as well as to Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow.
Since taking over the franchise, Avanti has faced criticism from the public about their services due to issues with delays and cancellations. Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, called in March this year for Avanti to be stripped of the contract. The DfT ruled out such a move, stating that it “would just cause more upheaval for passengers rather than solving the challenges the operator is facing”.
In December of last year, Sir Richard Branson hinted that he wanted to get back into the rail business. In an interview, he said, “I would not be surprised if one day Virgin is not back in trains.” Virgin Trains partnership with Stagecoach was unable to bid for any franchise after being disqualified from the franchise back in 2019 along with two others.
Virgin Group said in a statement: “Virgin is exceptionally proud of everything Virgin Trains and its wonderful onboard teams achieved in the UK. We’re confident customers would welcome Virgin Trains back, providing them with much-needed choice and competition.” The application is going to the Office of Rail and Road, the regulator, for approval
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More