HST's this Summer on Virgin XC services

[XPTE]

Does anyone know yet the times of the Virgin XC services that will be HST operated this Summer?

[allypally]

Nope, but I am expecting them to be Newquay and Paignton services, with maybe a few Bournemouth services thrown in,

[250787]

There are some running this saturday (may 28th) Here are times taken from rail gen

"The following Virgin Trains are booked for HST Haulage rather than
Voyager!

28/05/05

2Z64
0651 Plymouth
0713-0714 Liskeard
0725-0727 Bodmin Parkway
0737-0738 Par
0740-0741 St Blazey
0752-0753 Goonbarrow
0838 Newquay

1E34
0940 Newquay
1018-1019 Goonbarrow
1031-1032 St Blazey
1034-1035 Plymouth
1218-1221 Exeter St Davids
1322-1328 Bristol Temple Meads
1336-1338 Bristol Parkway
1408-1410 Cheltenham Spa
1456-1503 Birmingham New Street
1539-1542 Derby
1618-1621 Sheffield
1648-1650 Wakefield Westgate
1704-1707 Leeds
1731-1734 York
1759-1801 Darlington
1817-1819 Durham
1833 Newcastle

1V29
0724 Manchester Piccadilly
0733-0735 Stockport
0747-0748 Macclesfield
0806-0808 Stoke
0826-0827 Stafford
0840-0841 Wolverhampton
0909-0912 Birmingham New Street
1023-1025 Bristol Parkway
1038-1043 Bristol Temple Meads
1136-1139 Exeter St Davids
1246-1249 Plymouth
1311-1313 Liskeard
1323-1325 Bodmin Parkway
1334-1335 Par
1337-1338 St Blazey
1349-1357 Goonbarrow
1438 Newquay

1M28
1522 Newquay
1600-1601 Goonbarrow
1613-1614 St Blazey
1617-1618 Par
1627-1629 Bodmin Parkway
1640-1641 Liskeard
1706-1725 Plymouth
1749-1751 Totnes
1819-1821 Exeter St Davids
1922-1928 Bristol Temple Meads
1936-1938 Bristol Parkway
2008-2010 Cheltenham Spa
2100-2103 Birmingham New Street
2119-2120 Wolverhampton
2133-2135 Stafford
2155-2158 Crewe
2215-2217 Wilmslow
2224-2225 Stockport
2235 Manchester Piccadilly



1V49
0942 Newcastle
0954-0955 Durham
1012-1014 Darlington
1041-1044 York
1107-1111 Leeds
1123-1124 Wakefield Westgate
1151-1154 Sheffield
1222-1224 Derby
1258-1313 Birmingham New Street
1423-1425 Bristol Parkway
1436-1444 Bristol Temple Meads
1642-1645 Plymouth
1707-1708 Liskeard
1719-1721 Bodmin Parkway
1731-1732 Par
1734-1735 St Blazey
1746-1754 Goonbarrow
1835 Newquay

2Z75
1915 Newquay
1953-1954 Goonbarrow
2006-2007 St Blazey
2010-2011 Par
2020-2022 Bodmin Parkway
2033-2035 Liskeard
2100 Plymouth"

[XPTE]

Cool cheers for that Matt. Didn't know they'd be starting allready. Is that just this Saturday or?

[250787]

As far as I know its just this Saturday

[jdjonny]

"Run to the sun" weekend (p*ss up ) at Newquay - the paths aren't properly in the system yet, hence why they're Z headcodes...

Good to read that there will be VT 67s back on for a week, too!! Although not for the public, just former employees of Rover cars.

Jon

[XPTE]

"Good to read that there will be VT 67s back on for a week, too!!

Although not for the public, just former employees of Rover cars.

Oh.

Would so love to enjoy a journey aboard one of the 67's again.

[lumpchase]

They are running for Rover this week (Whit Week) but 67 will be running on the Newquay/Torquay Summer Saturday/Sunday services alongside GNER/MML HST's...

Virgin Trains is delighted to confirm that it will again this year be running additional trains on peak Summer Saturdays to serve the busy resorts of Torbay and Newquay which have proved so popular in past seasons.

Two High Speed Trains have been hired on a short-term basis from Porterbrook Train Leasing, a third set has been hired from Midland Mainline and a fourth has been secured from Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) which is supplying a holidaymaker train for the second year running.

The High Speed Trains will supplement the Virgin Voyager trains, many of which will operate on Summer Saturdays in 8 or 9 coach formations. The High Speed Train operated services which will run on Summer Saturdays 28 May, 4 June and from 2 July to 28 August inclusive, are as follows: 0723 Manchester Piccadilly – Newquay 0933 Newcastle – Newquay 0940 Newquay - Newcastle 1522 Newquay – Manchester 1045 Paignton – Newcastle

Virgin CrossCountry Managing Director Chris Gibb said: "Last year we worked very hard to provide these additional trains, and our efforts were well received in the West Country resorts. Not only do they keep hundreds of cars off the roads on Summer Saturdays, they also encourage visitors to use public transport whilst on holiday. We are grateful to our colleagues in Midland Main Line and GNER for providing two of the four trains. Last year’s operation of GNER’s Newquay train was accomplished superbly and was 100 per cent reliable. This year the GNER train will be used between Paignton/ Torquay and Newcastle."

Further good news is the provision of the first Sunday departure by Virgin Trains from Newquay, operated by a Virgin Voyager. The train will leave the resort at 11:35 and serve Birmingham, Crewe, Preston and Carlisle en route to Glasgow.

The full range of Virgin Value tickets will be available on these trains and customers are advised to book as early as possible to get the best deal. Bookings can be made at staffed stations, rail appointed travel agents, by telephone 08457 222 333 or online at http://www.virgin.com/trains.

[lumpchase]

Although not for the public, just former employees of Rover cars.

The first Virgin Trains special taking families of MG Rover workers recently made redundant for a free trip to the seaside resorts of Torbay will leave Longbridge station at 08:01 on Monday 30 May.

During the Spring Bank Holiday half-term week from Monday 30 May until Friday 3 June, a special train will leave Longbridge each morning for a three-hour direct journey to the popular Devon resorts of Dawlish Warren, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Torquay and Paignton, returning home in the early evening. The beaches are adjacent to three of these stations.

The five trains will provide a total of more than 2,000 free seats and feature onboard catering. The coaches, provided by Riviera Trains, will be hauled by an English, Welsh & Scottish Railways Class 67 diesel locomotive, giving Virgin CrossCountry traincrews valuable refresher training in this kind of operation. The recently built Class 67 locomotives were used by Virgin Trains last summer, and may feature in future operations. Support will be provided by Central Trains and Wessex Trains at the stations involved.

The first train will leave in party atmosphere with Birmingham City Council’s magician ‘Clown Geto’ and a team of face painters entertaining children en route. A complimentary snackbox, courtesy of train drivers’ union ASLEF, will be offered to each passenger on outward and return journeys.

Virgin CrossCountry Managing Director Chris Gibb said: "We are delighted to be able to offer these families free trips to the sea at a time when such help may be especially appreciated.

"We have worked closely with the Longbridge trades union TGWU, GMB and Amicus, Birmingham City Council, Teignbridge and Torbay Councils in the organisation of the offer. We look forward to welcoming as many families as possible on board our trains, all tickets for which have been distributed by the trades union."

A representative of the MG Rover Works Committee said:"The trades union are grateful for the generous offer at this difficult time, and extend particular thanks to Mr Gibb and members of the ASLEF train drivers’ union for their welcome support."

Virgin’s CrossCountry operation provides an hourly ‘Virgin Voyager’ service between Birmingham and the West Country and is a popular means of accessing the English Riviera resorts in Devon and Cornwall and avoiding the congested M5 motorway.

CrossCountry carries 19 million passengers a year, up from 10 million in 1995, and most services are provided by 125mph state-of-the-art Virgin Voyager trains.

NOTES TO EDITORS

You are invited to send a reporter/photographer to Longbridge station for 07:30 on Monday 30 May to cover the departure of the special train, and to travel on it if desired. The train returns to Longbridge at 20:45. Please meet Arthur Leathley, Director of Corporate Affairs for Virgin Trains on arrival at Longbridge.

You are also welcome to send a reporter/photographer to cover the train’s arrival at Dawlish Warren at 11:01, Dawlish at 11:06, Teignmouth at 11:13, Torquay at 11:32 and Paignton at 11:45.

[salopiangrowler]

28th may a summer saturday, the official ATW timetable for summer dont start till 22nd june

[lumpchase]

No Summer Timetable starts until 12th June now. This is due to some wierd EU rule that says that the summer and winter timetables must both be the same length (i.e. 6 months) so the winter timetable has lots of 'From 28th May', 'Until 26th December'. The Summer timetable has 'Until 2xth September' and 'From 22nd November' to actually create our normal Summer Service between May and Sept and the Extended Service to cope with Xmas shoppers in Nov and december.

[jdjonny]

You are invited to send a reporter/photographer to Longbridge station for 07:30 on Monday 30 May to cover the departure of the special train, and to travel on it if desired.

LOL, I might have to become a reporter for a day then!

Jon

[simont]

These HSTs on Saturday, will they be Virgin Red ones or borrowed from someone else? I might have to go for a ride on one, although the timings don't allow a particularly long journey from where I live.

[SCOTTLOWES]

There being hired from Porterbrook , Midland Mailine and GNER

[allypally]

Should be old knackered ex Virgin sets if they are hired from Porterbrook, although they may be surplus project Rio sets that may be in MML livery.