Virgin Trains is a UK -based railway company controlled by the Virgin Group . It provides intercity rail services between London , the West Midland , North West England , and North Wales and Scotland . A 49% stake in Virgin Trains is owned by Stagecoach Group .
| Virgin trains | |
|---|---|
| Type of | private company |
| Base | |
| Founders | Richard Branson |
| Location | |
| Parent company | Virgin group |
| Site | www.virgintrains.co.uk |
History
Virgin Trains was created during the privatization of British Rail in the mid-1990s. And initially she successfully won two railway franchises : to create rail sectors in the rugged countryside of Intercity and West Coast in the British Rail system . The company was launched with promises of Richard Branson about high-tech and improved service levels on British Rail Class 390 trains. But soon Virgin Trains began to have problems with rolling stock and their service infrastructure inherited from British Rail
February 23, 2007 - one of the company's trains crashed near Greyrigg, flying from London to Glasgow . Out of 115 passengers and crew members, 89 people were injured, 88 of whom received injuries of varying severity, 1 person died.
Rolling stock
Virgin Trains owns 86 rolling stock units, of which:
- 56 British Rail Class 390 electric trains ,
- 20 British Rail Class 221 diesel trains ,
- 9 British Rail Mark 3 cars
- 1 motor car Driving Van Trailer )