Virgin Trains

Advantages: On time, clean, excellent customer service
Disadvantages: Some routes not ideal, transfer times not ideal for all journeys

...have to enter the word Virgin in the product search on Ciao to see the vast array of products and services he has in his portfolio. But out of all of them the one that seems to come under constant scrutiny is his train company, unsurprisingly called Virgin Trains. Despite being a frequent train user over the years I’d never used them before but as a reward for completing a postal survey about the company my other half was offered two free day returns ...
...book in advance through the Virgin Value Fares offer. Through this offer you get reductions in price, plus a reserved seat, and the earlier you book the less you have to pay. The three options are, with the level of price reduction in relation to the earlier you book, three days, seven days and fourteen days. Note though that these are limited so get in as early as possible - especially on busy routes, weekends and/or if there is a major event that ... Read review

Advantages: see op
Disadvantages: see op

...that I have had with Virgin trains recently. Virgin trains spawned from Richard Branson's multi-pronged entrepreneurial empire, following the privatisation of the railways. Despite some other companies running nationwide services, such as the economy fares of Silverlink, Virgin is by far the most comprehensive service, covering most areas of England, Wales and Scotland. However this, by no means, makes it the best!! Although at the moment, Virgin ...
...I have probably travelled with Virgin trains a total of 12 times this year, a return journey being 2 in total. Now, upto recently, I had rarely experienced any delays of note. I wasn't sure if this was just the luck o' the Irish (well 1/4 of me hails from the Emerald Isle!) or if Virgin just wasn't as bad as everyone made them out to be. Well, last weeks journeys re-affirmed my faith in word of mouth! I was travelling to Weston Super Mare for a couple ... Read review

Advantages: Nice trains, mostly on time, has an onboard shop, large route network
Disadvantages: Some grumpy staff members, some tickets may be expensive.

My experience of Virgin Trains is that it is one of the better train companies in the UK. Seeing as my experiences on Arriva and First Great Western have generally been below par this may not be saying that much! About the company: It all started in 1996 Virgin Trains won the Cross-Country and West Coast franchises. The network is vast covering from Penzance to Aberdeen. In London their base is Euston station. 334 run everyday and Virgin carries ...
...as part of the massive Virgin Group. The Trains: The trains are either Voyager or Pendolino. They can reach speeds of 140 mph and tilt around curves, pretty exciting! If you are unlucky you may be on one of the older trains, which are frankly, a bit rubbish. The trains are pretty nice inside, well for a train anyway. Compared with the old First Great Western trains they are amazing! In standard class the seats are cosy and the legroom is good. Each ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent customer service.
Disadvantages: Trains are unreliable and sometimes dirty.

Virgin Trains is a company that has received a lot of stick recently, but when travelling with Virgin is not as bad as people make out. Today I am going to take you on what I can only call a typical journey with Virgin Trains, looking at every aspect from getting your ticket to leaving the station at your destination. BUYING YOUR TICKETS The first step in your journey is to buy your ticket. This can either be done at a railway station, by phone ...
...a Virgin operated station I have found them to be courteous, helpful and willing to get you the cheapest fare available. Busy stations can have long queues and a special trip to the station can be a bit annoying when buying your ticket in advance. This is one tip I would give to anyone. If you know where and when you are going and coming back (providing it is not a day trip) you can save a lot of money by booking advance and getting a Virgin Value ... Read review

Advantages: good fare offers
Disadvantages: can be frequently delayed

...all heard the jokes about Virgin trains being late and unreliable . Whilst the company admit that things can only get better I wish to put things into context and perspective. I have used Virgin and indeed all major rail companies in the past few months and my first point is I found Vigin no worse than any other train operating company. Don't kid yourself about the problems facing Virgin and indeed most rail companies in this country. The biggest ...
...in this country. Virgin , just like any other company are dependent on railtrack for the quality of the rails . So if a broken rail occurs just south of say Newcastle two rail companies will be hit - GNER and Virgin . Add on a third if you count EWS ( English Welsh & Scottish )the freight company. All trains wishing to use that piece of line will obviuously be delayed . That is not Virgin or any other train operating companies fault . But it is ... Read review