West Coast Main Line Improvement Work Means Changes to Virgin Trains’ Services at Easter

By Prne, Gaea News Network
Sunday, March 29, 2009

LONDON - Near Normal Service on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

There will be alterations to services over the Easter weekend because of
route improvement work but the principal travel days of Maundy Thursday and
Good Friday will see virtually full normal services operating.

Over the remainder of the holiday weekend there will be work taking place
between Milton Keynes and Rugby, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, the Stafford
and Crewe areas, between Wigan and Preston and in Scotland between Carlisle
and Glasgow Central.

Some of this work will be completed at around 12:00 on Bank Holiday
Monday and full normal services will resume on Tuesday 14 April.

Maundy Thursday, 9 April

There will be a normal service.

Good Friday, 10 April

The only route improvement work taking place is between Birmingham New
Street and Wolverhampton. Trains in both directions will be diverted via an
alternative route. Replacement coaches will serve Sandwell & Dudley with both
Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton. A normal service will be running on
all other routes.

Saturday, 11 April

Because of route improvement work between Rugby and Milton Keynes
services from the Midlands and North West will terminate and start back from
Rugby including calls at Coventry or Nuneaton. The hourly West Coast
Replacement Shuttle will operate in both directions from Nuneaton and
Coventry direct to London Euston via an alternative route through
Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. In addition a replacement
coach service will run in both directions between Rugby and Milton Keynes
connecting with a Pendolino shuttle service running in both directions
between Milton Keynes and London Euston and calling at Watford Junction.

The line between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton will be closed
with trains in both directions diverted via an alternative route. Replacement
coaches will link Sandwell & Dudley with both Birmingham New Street and
Wolverhampton.

Trains will be unable to run between Wigan North Western and Preston and
because of this a replacement coach service will run in both directions
between Warrington Bank Quay and Preston. A separate replacement coach
service will run in both directions between Wigan North Western and Preston.

In Scotland route improvement work continues to take place between
Lockerbie and Glasgow. Coaches will replace train services in both directions
between Carlisle and Glasgow and between Lockerbie and Edinburgh.

Sunday 12 April

Because of route improvement work between Rugby and Milton Keynes
services from the Midlands and North West will terminate and start back from
Rugby including calls at Coventry or Nuneaton. The hourly West Coast
Replacement Shuttle will operate in both directions from Nuneaton and
Coventry direct to London Euston via an alternative route through
Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. In addition a replacement
coach service will run in both directions between Rugby and Milton Keynes
connecting with a Pendolino shuttle service running in both directions
between Milton Keynes and London Euston and calling at Watford Junction.

The line between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton will be closed
with trains in both directions diverted via an alternative route. Replacement
coaches will link Sandwell & Dudley with both Birmingham New Street and
Wolverhampton.

Trains will be unable to access Stafford station from any direction all
day. Replacement coaches will run in both directions between Stafford and
Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe and between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.

Route improvement work north of Crewe will mean that trains will be
unable to run between Crewe and Liverpool, and between Crewe and Preston.
Replacement coaches will run in both directions between Crewe and Liverpool
Lime Street also serving Runcorn, and between Crewe and Preston in both
directions also serving Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western.

In Scotland route improvement work continues to take place between
Lockerbie and Glasgow. Coaches will replace train services in both directions
between Carlisle and Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Monday 13 April

Because of route improvement work taking place until 12:00 between Rugby
and Milton Keynes services from the Midlands and North West will terminate
and start back from Rugby including calls at Coventry or Nuneaton. A
replacement coach service will run in both directions between Rugby and
Milton Keynes connecting with a Pendolino shuttle service running in both
directions between Milton Keynes and London Euston and calling at Watford
Junction. After 12:00 direct services to and from Euston will resume running
over the normal route via Milton Keynes and Watford Junction

The line between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton will be closed
with trains in both directions diverted via an alternative route. Replacement
coaches will link Sandwell & Dudley with both Birmingham New Street and
Wolverhampton.

Trains will be unable to access Stafford station from any direction all
day. Replacement coaches will run in both directions between Stafford and
Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe, and between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
There will be a very limited direct service to and from Liverpool Lime Street
and for most journeys customers will need to change at Crewe.

On Saturday and Sunday anyone travelling to or from Scotland is advised
to use the East Coast route via York from either Birmingham New Street or
London Kings Cross to avoid the various train service alterations on the
Euston to Glasgow route.

Notes to Editors

Virgin Trains Media Information

Images of Virgin Trains and the company’s operations are available on our
online media website www.virgintrainsmediaroom.com. You will need to
register to access the Media Resources section containing high-resolution
images of our operations.

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 listed as the Best Train Operator in a survey by
the Institute of Customer; voted Best Rail Company by Travel Weekly
magazine; Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveler magazine and
favorite train operator by readers of the London Evening Standard.

For further information passengers should visit the following websites -
virgintrains.com/changeforgood, nationalrail.co.uk or telephone
+44(0)8457-484950.

Source: Virgin Trains

For further media information contact the Virgin Trains Press Office on +44(0)845-000-3333, or visit our media website at https://www.virgintrainsmediaroom.com.

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