Virgin Trains has unveiled the first of its newly refurbished trains as part of a £40m project to improve its customers’ experience.
All of Virgin’s trains on its east coast route are being given a makeover with stylish new interiors bringing added customer comfort and a touch of the glamour for which the Virgin brand is famous.
A total of £21m has been earmarked to complete the refurbishment of the trains’ interiors, including adding luxurious leather seats to First Class, new carpets and fittings throughout, as well as bringing the distinctive Virgin red on-board.
Since taking over the East Coast Mainline in March 2015, Virgin Trains has invested millions of pounds to improve the customer experience. The refurbishment programme, which also includes a £16m investment in new diesel engines and the re-branding of the exterior of the trains, has been brought in ahead of the arrival of Virgin’s new fleet in 2018. These trains are being built in the UK by Hitachi.
David Horne, Managing Director of Virgin Trains on its east coast route, said: “Our new fleet of trains arrive in 2018, but we want to ensure the trains people are catching right now deliver the same comfort and glamour for which Virgin Trains is known.
“The East Coast Mainline features some of the world’s iconic rail journeys and has played host to some of the most famous locomotives ever made, including the Flying Scotsman. Our own uniquely Virgin Flying Scotsman was unveiled last year and is a symbol of this major investment that will bring the Virgin style and a dash of glamour back to the east coast route in the build up to the launch of our new trains.”
About Virgin Trains East Coast
Virgin Trains East Coast (legal name InterCity Railways Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom that operates the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland. It commenced operations on 1 March 2015, taking over from East Coast. Virgin Trains East Coast is a joint venture between Stagecoach (90%), and Virgin (10%).
Comments
There are no comments yet for this item
Join the discussion