What happened to Virgin Trains USA?

Virgin Trains no more: Brightline severs ties with Richard Branson empire. Less than two years after Brightline announced a “strategic partnership” with Virgin Group and rebranded its trains as Virgin Trains USA, the rail service now says its parent company has scrapped the agreement.



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After three years in which they lost more than £200m, the DfT took control from Virgin Trains East Coast. That experience made the Virgin-Stagecoach combination wary of committing too much for the renewal of the West Coast franchise. In particular, they were not prepared to commit to uncertain pension liabilities.

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In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had run the franchise since 1997.

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Avanti West Coast reduced its timetable in August 2022 - citing unofficial strike action from its employees. In that month, cancellations were as high as 25%.

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Privately-owned passenger rail lines are popping up in the U.S. which could make getting to popular vacation destinations easier. Travelers could soon have more options to get where they're going, thanks to new train routes.

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Brightline is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad in the United States. Its development started in March 2012 as All Aboard Florida by Florida East Coast Industries, a Floridan real estate developer owned by Fortress Investment Group.

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How Long Will Brightline Take From Miami to Orlando? Brightline travels from Miami to Orlando in just over three hours. The train travels 125 miles per hour and helps passengers avoid driving in traffic.

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