London (TAN): United Kingdom-based train operator Virgin Trains will launch a new hourly service between London and Liverpool from May 2021.
The company has sent an ‘open access’ application to the Office of Rail and Road so that it can run 24 hourly services per day through most of the day between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street stations. The services could also call at Lichfield, Tamworth, Nuneaton and Liverpool South Parkway stations.
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Virgin Trains Managing Director Phil Whittingham said the company has been the industry leader for twenty-two years.
“We’ve delivered faster and more frequent services, pioneered digital ticketing and shaken up the industry with initiatives such as scrapping the Friday evening peak. That’s why we top the independent customer satisfaction charts for long-distance franchises. But we want to go further. These new services will allow us to take the customer experience on the UK’s railways to the next level and show the rest of the industry how it can be done,” he added.
Virgin Trains’ ‘most advanced and customer-focused’ service will be ‘unique’ in several ways, the rail operator said. While it will guarantee cheaper tickets for all customers, passengers will have access to free Wi-Fi, free films, television, and an ‘at-seat’, on-demand catering service on board.
Virgin Trains said not only would each ticket be at least ten per cent cheaper than those offered by competition, but they would also be paired with ‘a seat reservation for a particular service’ so that everyone gets a seat.
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Not one to allow overcrowding in normal operations, the company will offer full refund of the ticket in case a passenger does not get a seat owing to disruption on the rail network and busier than normal services. Passengers will also be automatically compensated without having to lodge a claim if trains were delayed.
The new services, expected to generate revenue worth GBP50 million each year, will encompass companies such as Virgin, Stagecoach, SNCF and Alstom.
