Avanti is the Italian word meaning “forward”. According to First Rail's managing director Steve Montgomery, the brand was chosen to ”enshrine the type of forward-thinking operation we intend to run”. He said the new train operator will “generate national prosperity and pride”.27 Nov 2019
Did Avanti take over Virgin Trains?
Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that began operating the West Coast Partnership franchise on 8 December 2019. It replaced Virgin Trains, which had operated the InterCity West Coast franchise between 1997 and 2019.
Why did Virgin Trains stop?
In April 2019 Stagecoach revealed that it had been disqualified from the franchises it was bidding for following a dispute with the DfT over pension liabilities. The disqualification occurred after the bidding deadline and as a result Virgin Trains would cease operations in March 2020.
What happened to Virgin Trains UK?
Virgin Trains has waved goodbye to its passengers, making its last trip after 22 years and almost 500 million journeys. Its routes have now been taken over by Avanti West Coast, which has pledged to deliver a range of passenger enhancements, including new trains and 263 more weekly services by 2022.8 Dec 2019
What happened to Virgin Trains East Coast?
In November 2017, the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced that the franchise would be terminated three years early in 2020, and in its place would be the East Coast Partnership (ECP), first of a new type of franchising arrangement, a long term regional public-private partnership where the private entity takes
Who took over Virgin Trains?
- Avanti West Coast has taken over from Virgin Trains as the operator running the West Coast Main Line.
- The new operator's parent company is a partnership between Aberdeen-based firm FirstGroup and Italy's Trenitalia.