LONDON, December 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
The biggest operator of cross-border long-distance trains to and from Scotland will add even more services to the timetable from Monday (10 December).
Two more tilting Virgin Pendolinos a day in each direction will deliver a train every hour between Glasgow Central and London Euston for the first time.
There will be two additional calls by London trains each way at Carlisle and Penrith North Lakes and one more in each direction for Oxenholme The Lake District.
Hourly Virgin Pendolinos to London Euston will leave Glasgow Central around 30 to 40 minutes past every hour from 04:28 to 18:40. Departures for Glasgow will leave London Euston at 30 minutes past every hour from 07:30 to 19:30. There are also other departures at 05:39 and 16:57.
The new daily total of 15 Pendolinos each way - 30 trains in all - represents a doubling of the number of weekday services between Glasgow Central and London Euston since Virgin Trains began running in 1997.
Virgin's daily total of 60 trains crossing the Border at Gretna make it Scotland's biggest operator of long-distance trains to and from England. The other 30 services link Edinburgh and Glasgow with Birmingham, and Glasgow with Crewe.
Glasgow and Cumbrian stations gain more London services as a result of the extension to and from Glasgow of trains that previously only ran south of Lancaster.
Notes to Editors
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Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group (VRG), which is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997.
Virgin Trains has been recognised in numerous industry awards. In 2011 the company was named Best Rail Operator in the Group Leisure Awards (which we also won in 2009 and 2010). In 2011 Virgin Trains won the British Quality Foundation's Achievement Award for Customer Satisfaction. In 2010 we were named Best Rail Operator of the Year at the Travel Globe Awards (voted for by readers of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Evening Standard. In 2009 we were voted Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveller magazine for the second year running.
Virgin Trains first achieved Investors In People accreditation in 2007 and this was renewed in 2010; the IIP Gold award was achieved in 2011. In May 2011 Virgin Trains was awarded accreditation against the criteria of the European Foundation for Quality Management's (EFQM) Excellence Model. The company's Learning and Development team won a National Training Awards 2011 West Midlands award for its Coaching Culture programme.
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