Who replaced Virgin Rail?

On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had run the franchise since 1997.



Virgin Trains, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise for over 22 years, was officially replaced by Avanti West Coast on December 8, 2019. Avanti is a partnership between the British-based FirstGroup and the Italian state-owned rail operator Trenitalia. Since taking over, Avanti West Coast has managed the vital corridor connecting London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales, and Glasgow. In 2026, the operator continues to run the fleet of iconic "Pendolino" tilting trains, which recently underwent a comprehensive £117 million refurbishment project to modernize interiors, add 25,000 new seats, and improve Wi-Fi connectivity. The name "Avanti," which means "Forward" in Italian, was chosen to signify a new era of high-speed rail in the UK, eventually aiming to integrate with the upcoming HS2 (High Speed 2) network once those sections become operational.

People Also Ask

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.

MORE DETAILS

In August 2019, it was announced that the Inter-City West Coast franchise had been awarded to Avanti West Coast, thus confirming that Virgin Trains would cease to operate trains after 7 December 2019. The final Virgin Trains service was the 21:42 service from London Euston to Wolverhampton arriving at 23:45.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Brightline, owned by Fortress Investment Group, began running trains between Miami and West Palm Beach in 2018, the first private intercity passenger service to begin U.S. operations in a century.

MORE DETAILS

Book your train tickets with Brightline HERE. There will be 16 daily round trips with hourly departures between Miami and Orlando. Tickets start at $79 for adults and $39 for kids. Groups of four people or more will automatically save an additional 25% on SMART tickets, which is the economy seats.

MORE DETAILS

BNSF Railway leads the market The railroad focuses on transporting freight commodities such as coal, industrial or agricultural products. In 2022, the company generated some 24.49 billion U.S. dollars in freight revenue and hauled more than 10 million carloads across the country.

MORE DETAILS

1: Shanghai Maglev - 460 kph/286 mph (China) The world's fastest public train is also unique – it's the only link in the world currently carrying passengers using magnetic levitation (Maglev) rather than conventional steel wheels on steel rails.

MORE DETAILS