Avanti West Coast rebrand

[Mathew S]

The "A" below the triangle is a terrible idea.

I don't like it either, but you'd have to be rather daft to think it's the carriage letter, given that it's on every carriage in the train. I'm not sure customer stupidity is something to blame the design for.

I also think the removal of the yellow stripe denoting First Class was a retrograde step.

Why? Hardly anyone knew what it meant anyway. I certainly didn't, and I'd put money on the percentage of 'normal' passengers even knowing the stripe exists being in the low single digits.

 

[SansHache]

If anyone wants to see 390155 later in the day it is due to work the following services;
13:07 Euston - Liverpool Lime Street
15:47 Liverpool Lime Street - Euston
18:30 Euston - Glasgow Central
(a 1282 mile diagram for the day so working as hard as ever).

390156 is working its way slowly to Glasgow as 1Z17, presumably participating in launch events on the way. It is due at Crewe at 13:13 and Glasgow Central at 17:27.

 

[pdeaves]

A few of the "super high" management are actually staying (at least for the time being) for example the MD is the same.
Sam

Yes, some are the same, some are different. The vast majority of staff will be exactly the same as last week.

 

[Grumpy Git]

Well apart from a nice shiny paint job, crap nameplate and no WiFi the jobs a good'un.

The "A" below the triangle is a terrible idea. The marketing guys must all be young pups with parents still in control of all their faculties. Try asking an 80 year old to find coach A.

I don't like it either, but you'd have to be rather daft to think it's the carriage letter, given that it's on every carriage in the train. I'm not sure customer stupidity is something to blame the design for.

I disagree, not everyone who travels by train has Mensa membership and unfortunately a lot of marketing guru's (and software writers in other cases) don't or refuse to appreciate this.

Can you honestly tell me if you are stood 4 feet in front of a carriage, you can see all the "A"'s along its length? Particularly with impaired vision, we aren't all 20 somethings.

Why? Hardly anyone knew what it meant anyway. I certainly didn't, and I'd put money on the percentage of 'normal' passengers even knowing the stripe exists being in the low single digits.

You are also a lot younger than me by the sounds of it, as the yellow stripe was universal in BR days?

 

[TheGarner]

Unless the yellow stripe was being used by all TOCs then them removing it doesn't really make much of a difference. They still have the 1 on the carriage to show off First Class by the looks of things.

Also the coach letters are still in the same place as before, that is where passengers should be looking.

 

[Grumpy Git]

..........................

Also the coach letters are still in the same place as before, that is where passengers should be looking.

I design and engineer control systems where the biggest priority is the removal of doubt. Generally speaking if there is a chance that someone might do or interpret something incorrectly, then there is a very good
chance they will. I'm sure you've heard of Murphy's Law?

I'm glad I'm not being asked to work for this mob anytime soon.

On a separate note, does anyone know why the visor/fairing covering the coupling on the photograph in post #92 is not closed properly?

 

[Darandio]

Also the coach letters are still in the same place as before, that is where passengers should be looking.

Passengers travel on the railway for the first time every day, passengers travel every day for the first time in decades, tourists arrive every day and have no concept of rail travel here. How the hell are they supposed to know where they should be looking?

 

[TheGarner]

Passengers travel on the railway for the first time every day, passengers travel every day for the first time in decades, tourists arrive every day and have no concept of rail travel here. How the hell are they supposed to know where they should be looking?

Look at the door? Theres a sign next to the door, there is also an electronic display sign on the door that I believe shows whatever coach it is. Also when you get onto the train I remember there were indications on what coach it was. Or ask a member of staff if it really is that hard.

 

[LMBishop]

Staff have new uniforms at Stafford and the all Virgin logos and the the massive “Welcome” sign outside has been replaced with Avanti branding but the station still has the red colour scheme

 

[Bletchleyite]

Pendolinos never had the yellow stripe, only Voyagers.

 

[Grumpy Git]

Pendolinos never had the yellow stripe, only Voyagers.

I meant in general.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

221101 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: 101 Squadron

221102 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: John Cabot

221103 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Christopher Columbus

221104 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Sir John Franklin

221105 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: William Baffin

221106 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Willem Barents

221107 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Sir Marten Frobisher

221108 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Sir Ernest Shackleton

221109 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Marco Polo

221110 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: James Cook

221111 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Roald Amundsen

221112 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Ferdinand Magellan

221113 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Sir Walter Raleigh

221114 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Royal Airforce Centenary: 1918-2018

221115 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Polmadie Depot

221116 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: City of Bangor/Dinas Bangor

221117 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: The Wrekin Giant

221118 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded

221142 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Bombardier Voyager

221143 Virgin Challenger Red/Silver, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, metal: Auguste Pickard

390001 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Bee Together

390002 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Stephen Sutton

390005 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Wolverhampton

390006 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Rethink Mental Illness

390008 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Charles Rennie Mackintosh

390009 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Treaty of Union

390010 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
No Window Bands
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Cumbrian Spirit

390011 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Lichfield

390012 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390013 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390016 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390020 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390039 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
No Window Bands
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Lady Godiva

390040 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390042 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390043 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390044 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390045 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390046 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390047 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390049 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390050 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
No Window Bands

390103 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390104 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Alstom Pendolino

390107 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390114 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Manchester

390115 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Crewe - All Change

390117 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Blue Peter

390118 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390119 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Unknown Soldier

390121 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390122 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Penny the Pendolino

390123 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390124 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390125 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390126 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390127 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390128 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
No Window Bands
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Preston

390129 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Stoke-on-Trent

390130 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Edinburgh

390131 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Liverpool

390132 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Birmingham

390134 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Carlisle

390135 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Lancaster

390136 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Coventry

390137 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390138 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of London

390141 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: City of Chester

390148 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Flying Scouseman

390151 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390152 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390153 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390154 Neutral white, blank, unbranded

390155 Avanti West Coast Turquoise/Orange

390156 Avanti West Coast Turquoise/Orange
Cabside Avanti nameplate, vinyl: Pride and Prosperity

390157 Neutral white, blank, unbranded
Central Virgin nameplate, vinyl: Chad Varah


Hi, I’m TT-ONR-NRN and I monitor the rebranding of Avanti West Coast’s fleet. I try to post updates regularly, if you become aware of any changes please do let us know!

 

[CRUK91]

View from my office a few minutes ago, 30 seconds south of Warrington Bank Quay.

 

[RealTrains07]

That makes more sense
Yeah, my pic was as it arrived at Picc. That's what confused me, that fact that you mentioned the 1003, which was roughly the same time this new-liveried unit arrived at Manchester.

TPE units are being relivered in LNR as prep for transfer so it makes sense that it would be manchester

 

[Starmill]

Northern, for example, operate hundreds of them which is why you see old branding clinging on for far longer.

Actually, I don't think Northern are changing their station nameboards and other signage.

We haven't really had any significant signage and nameboard changes made since 1 April 2016.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Actually, I don't think Northern are changing their station nameboards and other signage.

I can't think of any they've done - Northern stations do generally look like an utter tip of badly-applied partial stickers.

 

[59CosG95]

So, the Avanti-operated stations (and a summary of their running boards) are:

• Rugby - Avanti'd
• Coventry - still VTWC?
• Birmingham Int'l - Avanti'd
• Stafford - Avanti'd
• Stoke-on-Trent - still VTWC?
• Macclesfield - Avanti'd
• Stockport - Avanti'd
• Crewe - still VTWC?
• Runcorn - still VTWC?
• Warrington BQ - Avanti'd
• Wigan NW - still VTWC?
• Preston - still VTWC?
• Lancaster - still VTWC
• Oxenholme (Lake District) - still VTWC?
• Penrith - still VTWC?
• Carlisle - still VTWC?

 

[Mathew S]

• Wigan NW - still VTWC?

No, there's no VTWC branding left, and there's Avanti posters and I think an Avanti CCTV sign. The staff also all have Avanti uniforms. There are some things which I think will be Avanti branded which are not branded at all at present (e.g. station signs on the platforms).

 

[Mathew S]

You are also a lot younger than me by the sounds of it, as the yellow stripe was universal in BR days?

No idea. But I've been travelling regularly on the railway for more than 20 years and I didn't know it was a thing - so I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I disagree, not everyone who travels by train has Mensa membership and unfortunately a lot of marketing guru's (and software writers in other cases) don't or refuse to appreciate this.

Can you honestly tell me if you are stood 4 feet in front of a carriage, you can see all the "A"'s along its length? Particularly with impaired vision, we aren't all 20 somethings.

It's nowhere near the doors, obviously part of the logo, and there are signs which are near the doors which have the right letter on them. In fact, the signs by the doors with the coach letters on are actually bigger on the re-liveried units than they were on the Virgin ones. Honestly, to get it wrong you either have, as you say, have impaired vision - in which case no amount of changing the branding is going to solve the problem - or simply not paying enough attention.

I design and engineer control systems where the biggest priority is the removal of doubt. Generally speaking if there is a chance that someone might do or interpret something incorrectly, then there is a very good
chance they will. I'm sure you've heard of Murphy's Law?

There's a big difference between getting on a train at the wrong door and having to walk to another carriage, and the failure of a control system.

This really is a solution looking for a problem. If you can find me someone anywhere in the country who has a problem with this - a real normal passenger who, though no lack of attention or effort on their part, gets on in the wrong place and suffers some form of disadvantage because of it - then I'll accept it's a thing; but I am certain that you won't be able to.

 

[andyj158]

View attachment 71371 08.00 from Euston approaching Macclesfield

Image of it on here: https://twitter.com/AvantiWestCoast/status/1203977872907669504

I meant in general.

There's still a small yellow strip just above the front window on the First Class end. Granted, it's not the easiest to see.

 

[Worldwide]

I’m not sure if this has been posted but it included a video of an Avanti branded train leave Manchester Piccadilly this morning.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....news/first-new-avanti-west-coast-17387191.amp

 

[Grumpy Git]

I’m not sure if this has been posted but it included a video of an Avanti branded train leave Manchester Piccadilly this morning.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....news/first-new-avanti-west-coast-17387191.amp

Coupling cover is still not closed on this image.

 

[Exile2828]

I have just noticed that on the national rail list of fares for Avanti West Coast (https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/1424.aspx) that 'Take 10 Carnets' are mentioned. I cant see a way of buying these online so I'm not sure if you can actually buy them as yet? Does anyone know anything about Avanti and carnets? To be best of my knowledge these were not offered by Virgin, so may have come in with the rebrand/TOC change.

 

[RealTrains07]

So, the Avanti-operated stations (and a summary of their running boards) are:

• Rugby - Avanti'd
• Coventry - still VTWC?
• Birmingham Int'l - Avanti'd
• Stafford - still VTWC?
• Stoke-on-Trent - still VTWC?
• Macclesfield - Avanti'd
• Stockport - still VTWC?
• Crewe - still VTWC?
• Runcorn - still VTWC?
• Warrington BQ - Avanti'd
• Wigan NW - still VTWC?
• Preston - still VTWC?
• Lancaster - still VTWC
• Oxenholme (Lake District) - still VTWC?
• Penrith - still VTWC?
• Carlisle - still VTWC?

Stockport has avanti running boards

 

[LMBishop]

Stafford - still VTWC?

VTWC signage has been completely removed and logos replaced at Stafford.

 

[alistairlees]

I have just noticed that on the national rail list of fares for Avanti West Coast (https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/1424.aspx) that 'Take 10 Carnets' are mentioned. I cant see a way of buying these online so I'm not sure if you can actually buy them as yet? Does anyone know anything about Avanti and carnets? To be best of my knowledge these were not offered by Virgin, so may have come in with the rebrand/TOC change.

These products are around 10 years old! (Might be older)

 

[Trainfan2019]

I noticed a Voyager at Crewe this evening and the destination displays next to the doors were all displaying VT and the numbers as normal. The station looks no different apart from no virgin trains logos or wording as far as I could see. The long thick blue coats the staff wear don't have an Avanti logo on the back. I think the staff have id badge lanyards. Think I saw staff in shorter jackets or fleeced with logos on though.

 

[westralian]

The ticket gate barriers at Glasgow Central low level have the Avanti logo on them. Not sure why as I highly doubt platform 16 or 17 will be seeing any of their trains!

 

[RealTrains07]

VTWC signage has been completely removed and logos replaced at Stafford.

Including the running boards as well i presume?

 

[Matt_pool]

At Lime Street this morning only one of the 7 or 8 (why so many!?) Avanti gateline staff had an Avanti logo jacket.

The others wore their old red Virgin jackets with Avanti logo hi viz jackets on top to hide the Virgin branding!