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Home > Travel > Holiday Essentials > Train > Virgin Trains

User Reviews

for Virgin Trains

Rating Summary based on 102 reviews

  • 5 Stars
    		11
  • 4 Stars
    		31
  • 3 Stars
    		18
  • 2 Stars
    		18
  • 1 Star
    		24

Detailed rating

  • Frequency of trains
  • On-board facilities
  • Speed of trains
  • Ticketing System
  • Value for Money
  		• 3.5
  		• 3.5
  		• 3.7
  		• 3.5
  		• 3.2
Previous page Next page Page 1 of 11 | 1 to 10 out of 102 Review(s)
  • 19 of 19 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Spottydog11

    Spottydog11

    4 Stars Virgin Trains 29/09/2011
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Good service

    Disadvantages Disadvantages None

    I recently took a Virgin Train (and have used them a fair few times in the past) to go up to Manchester so I though I would write about my experience. National Rail was privatized back in the 90's and as such different companies bidded on different routes that they wanted to operate separately and hopefully profitably. Virgin trains successfully bid for the West Coast Main Line which covers over 401 miles through Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, North Wales and Glasgow. As I was going to Manchester this was therefore the train company I had to take. Virgin Trains are part of the ... more
  • 63 of 63 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of rosebud2001

    Level 8 rosebud2001

    Member since 04/05/2009

    Reviews written: 444

    3 Stars A Tale of Two Classes Diamond review Review with images 15/02/2011
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Fast journey times, modern trains, good customer service

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Expensive, trains can be uncomfortably overcrowded, lack of luggage space

    Back in the day British Rail ran the railways and the “backbone” if you will of the country’s rail network was the West Coast Mainline. Following rail privatisation in 1994, Virgin trains won the franchise to operate on the line – which takes in routes from London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. Virgin also operate the franchise for trains operating between Edinburgh and Glasgow and Birmingham New Street. I travelled on the West Coast Mainline frequently in the days of British Rail. I even travelled on the old Advanced Passenger Train back in the early 80s prior to the ... more
  • 4 of 4 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of shdale

    shdale

    1 Star Get where you want to be… for less 20/11/2010
    User doesn't recommend the product

    Advantages Advantages Absolutely none

    Disadvantages Disadvantages unacceptable service, inadequate online booking

    5pm on Friday and I’m booking an online train ticket for my mum who fancies trying a long-distant train journey to return home – advertised as a comfortable, convenient and cost effective travel option – “Get where you want to be… for less”. Everything went swimmingly (ticket only £35.00 which seemed reasonable for this particular part of the journey), printed the booking confirmation emails and still time for a last glass of wine whilst finishing the packing, repacking and more repacking. Before leaving at a respectable 9am on Saturday to get to the train station on time, a last check was ... more
  • 2 of 2 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of seabass2003

    seabass2003

    4 Stars Virgin Trains - So much better than flying 16/09/2010
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Point to point, no long transfers on arrival. Choice of seats. Quiet zones.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Toilets can get a bit dirty after four hours on a high speed train

    My relocation from Glasgow to London coincided with the boom in the cheap flights industry with Ryanair, Easyjet and others offering great rates to draw in customers on short-haul flights. There were always a few nagging problems though. I'm not one to carp on about the fact that they don't seem to care for their passengers - the products are what they are, a cheap and quick way to get from A to B and I'm with Mick O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, it is the passenger's responsibility to ensure that they are on board the flight. However, with the world quickly becoming more eco-friendly and the drag to ... more
  • 0 of 2 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of james_p1

    james_p1

    3 Stars Virgin Trains 01/08/2010
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Cheap

    Disadvantages Disadvantages A little tatty

    I always use Virgin trains when even I travel for things like holidays. I recently went to Chester for a few days and the train price was very good; £20 return for just over two hours of travelling in total. It was also good that the train station in Chester was over the road from our hotel. However I was slightly disappointed when travelling to Chester because I thought I'd be travelling on a Virgin train when it was actually an Arriva. On the plus side, the train on return was a Virgin train. I find the trains to be of a reasonable standard for the price. The one I travelled in was a little ... more
  • 1 of 7 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of siennasia

    siennasia

    1 Star Virgin Trains Customer Service is Horrendous. 27/05/2010
    User doesn't recommend the product

    Advantages Advantages None for the customer service.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Everything.

    I have never in my life experienced such disorganised, deceitful and useless customer service. I have been using Virgin Trains online service for the past year which has been perfect, however I made a mistake with a booking and phoned up to ask them to change it without charging me. The customer service call centre team told me it was fine & they were happy to do so as I had only just made the payment. So I purchased a new ticket over the phone and was told I would receive a full refund in my account for the previous ticket within 7-10 days. Two months and about 7 phone calls later (during ... more
  • 12 of 12 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of evian1983

    evian1983

    4 Stars A train service that I actually like! 09/04/2010
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Wifi, fast modern trains, good first class, power sockets, comfortable, better than others

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Can be expensive if not booked ahead of time

    I like Virgin Trains and while they may not be great, in comparison to the train operator I use regularly, South West Trains, they are worlds apart and would be considered outstanding. Travelling with Virgin Trains is without a doubt a much nicer and pleasurable experience with standard class offering a much better experience than even first class on South West Trains. Virgin Trains are and look more modern than the vast majority of South West Trains. The interior of the trains are good, comfortable and make for a decent travel experience. The inclusion of an electric socket on standard class ... more
  • 25 of 25 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of scuba_angel

    scuba_angel

    5 Stars Are you a train Virgin? 02/11/2009
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages fast, few delays

    Disadvantages Disadvantages occasional delays, cost if booked late

    It's coming up for the party season again so I have recently spent rather a lot of time making travel arrangements, one method of travel I seem to utilise rather alot these days comes in the shape of the West Coast Mainline, between Manchester/Stockport and London Euston, while in a previous life time I was very familiar with the Manchester/Edinburgh section of this same line, this route is operated by Virgin Trains and has been for several years. Thankfully these days the booking process is somewhat easier than it used to be, having to go in to the train station to book tickets I always found ... more
  • 3 of 4 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of BenC93

    BenC93

    5 Stars Virgin Trains Website 09/08/2009
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Easy to use, cheap prices

    Disadvantages Disadvantages None

    Note: I am reviewing the Virgin Trains website, not the actual train service. Although that is incredibly good. The Virgin Trains website is probably the easiest and best website to book train tickets in the United Kingdom. From the first time I ever booked tickets here, this has been the only place I look. No other website competes with Virgin Trains. The website is simple and straight forward, that even a monkey could book tickets. All you have to do is enter your "To and From" details, whether you want a single or return and the dates you will be departing and returning. Then you get the ... more
  • 1 of 4 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of jespin

    jespin

    5 Stars Branson is god. It's official! 07/08/2009
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Quiet, Fast, Comfortable...Heaven.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages irgin doesn't run all of the trains in Britain :(

    I recently traveled from my hometown of Lincoln all the way to my girlfriend's in Prestatyn Wales. Most of the trains I traveled on were dirty, uncomfortable, noisy and slow. Then I boarded a Virgin train. There was nothing. A gentle breeze through an open window 12 miles away could be heard as the Virgin train I traveled on hurtled along making next to no sound at all. After my previous encounter with trains I did not think this was possible. Furthermore, the trains are designed with passenger comfort and pleasure in mind. Being a jack of all trades, Branson's Virgin obviously know what they ... more
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