Easter Travel Information for Virgin Trains

Network Rail Improvement Work Means Changes to Virgin Trains' Services at Easter

LONDON, April 13, 2011 - There will be alterations to services over the Easter weekend because of
route improvement work but the principal travel days of Maundy Thursday, Good
Friday and Bank Holiday Monday afternoon and evening will see normal services
operating.

On the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend there will be
work taking place at various times between Euston and Rugby, Birmingham New
Street and Wolverhampton, Stafford station, Wigan and Preston, Crewe and
Liverpool, and between Oxenholme and Glasgow/Edinburgh.

Maundy Thursday, 21 April and Good Friday, 22 April

There will be a normal service on both days with some extra trains on the
Euston to Preston/Glasgow route on Thursday.

Saturday, 23 April

Because of route improvement work between Wigan and Preston and between
Carlisle and Glasgow/Edinburgh services from London Euston to Glasgow Central
will terminate at Crewe and services from Birmingham to Glasgow/Edinburgh
will be diverted via Manchester and terminate at Preston. There will be an
hourly train shuttle service between Preston and Carlisle, together with a
two hourly train shuttle service from Carlisle to Glasgow Central diverted
via an alternative route. Rail replacement coach services will serve
Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western stations and will run between
Carlisle and Edinburgh Waverley.

Sunday 24 April

Because of route improvement work principally between Euston and Rugby
involving the closure of two out of the normal four lines, Euston to
Birmingham and Euston to Manchester services will be reduced to two services
per hour instead of the normal three per hour that would normally operate
from lunchtime over these two routes.

The line between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton will be closed
all day and trains from the south will have to terminate at Birmingham New
Street. Trains from Birmingham New Street to the North will not be able to
call at Wolverhampton. A replacement coach service will run in both
directions between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton serving Sandwell
and Dudley.

The line in the Runcorn area will be closed to allow route improvement
work to take place. Passengers travelling from Euston to Liverpool should
take a Manchester service and change at Stockport form where a shuttle
service will be in operation to Liverpool Lime Street. The scheduled London
Euston to Liverpool service will terminate at Crewe until 1700 after which
trains will go through to Runcorn. Rail replacement coaches will run between
Crewe and Runcorn and between Runcorn and Crewe.

Because of route improvement work between Wigan and Preston and between
Oxenholme and Glasgow/Edinburgh services from London Euston to Glasgow
Central will terminate at Crewe and services from Birmingham to
Glasgow/Edinburgh will be diverted via Manchester and terminate at Preston.
There will be an hourly train shuttle service between Preston and Oxenholme.
Rail replacement coach services will serve Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan
North Western stations and will run between Oxenholme and Carlisle and
between Carlisle and Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Waverley.

Trains will be unable to call at Stafford until 12:00 to enable Network
Rail to carry out essential maintenance at this key rail junction. A
replacement coach service will run from Stafford to both Stoke-on-Trent and
Wolverhampton.

Bank Holiday Monday 25 April

Because of route improvement work between Watford Junction and Rugby
until 12:00 involving the closure of two out of the normal four lines, Euston
to Birmingham/Wolverhampton and Euston to Manchester services will be reduced
to two services per hour instead of the normal three per hour that would
normally operate over these two routes. Also, until 12:00 most London Euston
to Holyhead services will run between Crewe and Holyhead only.

London Euston to Wolverhampton services will be unable to serve Sandwell
& Dudley all day. A replacement coach service will serve the station instead.

Notes to editors

- Images of Virgin Trains and the company's operations are available in
the Image Library on our online Media Room website
www.virgintrains.co.uk/about/media-room/. You can subscribe to receive
alerts to new press releases by visiting
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- Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated
the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise
runs to March 2012. Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and
49 percent by Stagecoach.

- Virgin Trains has been recognised in numerous industry awards. In 2010
the company was 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), and Best Rail Operator in the Group Leisure Awards (which we also
won in 2009). In 2009 we were also voted Best UK Domestic Train Service by
Business Traveller magazine for the second year running. Virgin Trains first
achieved Investors In People accreditation in 2007and this was renewed in
2010. The IIP Gold award was achieved in 2011.

For further information passengers should visit nationalrail.co.uk or
telephone +44(0)8457-484950.

For further media information contact the Virgin Trains press office on +44(0)845-000-3333 or visit our Media Room at mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk/. For further information passengers should visit nationalrail.co.uk or telephone +44(0)8457-484950.