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First Trenitalia (Avanti!) WCML branding, naming and livery

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Amazing how the virgin brand is unblemished despite ordering trains with a load of serious design flaws
 
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Merle Haggard

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Steddenm said:
The only first class lounges that are mentioned in the franchise letter to staff were Euston, Manchester and Glasgow Central. Not sure what is happening at LIV, CRE or SOT.
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SOT closed some time ago - the room is now a bar.
Both EUS and MAN have been refurbished very recently. Hexagons seem to be the motif.
 
krus_aragon

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notlob.divad said:
Maybe it is my colourblind eyes, but i am sure I have seen a very similar colour scheme before......
c02c33c1fb372b1211dc214c4eba88a6
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My eyes didn't see that association. Poundland uses yellow, whereas there's hardly any yellow on the AWC livery (with the lack of yellow front end): the accent colour of the triangle etc. is a dark orange.

Within train liveries, I'd say the end cars remind me of Arriva Wales' dark turquoise.
 
Ladder23

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krus_aragon said:
My eyes didn't see that association. Poundland uses yellow, whereas there's hardly any yellow on the AWC livery (with the lack of yellow front end): the accent colour of the triangle etc. is a dark orange.

Within train liveries, I'd say the end cars remind me of Arriva Wales' dark turquoise.
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Took the words right from my mouth I also thought the same at a quick glance with regards to arriva
 
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notlob.divad

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krus_aragon said:
My eyes didn't see that association. Poundland uses yellow, whereas there's hardly any yellow on the AWC livery (with the lack of yellow front end): the accent colour of the triangle etc. is a dark orange.

Within train liveries, I'd say the end cars remind me of Arriva Wales' dark turquoise.
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It was more the line along the top to mark the danger area from the ohle.

As I said, maybe it is my colour blindness and the lighting in the render.
 
krus_aragon

krus_aragon

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notlob.divad said:
It was more the line along the top to mark the danger area from the ohle.

As I said, maybe it is my colour blindness and the lighting in the render.
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Ah, I see what you're referring to, now. In fairness to you, that is pretty much a poundland shade.

Maybe I was innoculated against that observation by having seen so much of the ATW livery in the flesh. (Their livery has that line in orange, rather than yellow.)
 
LeylandLen

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There are new 'Advance timetables ' with red Virgin branding, identical to the previous collection of all Virgin WCML services after timetable change covering Dec 15th to May 16th 2020 ,with a Virgin Pendo on cover with yellow nose and it seems to me with same dining arrangements in First Class.There is note on page 3 about change of Franchise .Obviously my Virgin accunt will be no more and have to register with First Trenitlia.
 
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LeylandLen said:
There are new 'Advance timetables ' with red Virgin branding, identical to the previous collection of all Virgin WCML services after timetable change covering Dec 15th to May 16th 2020 ,with a Virgin Pendo on cover with yellow nose and it seems to me with same dining arrangements in First Class.There is note on page 3 about change of Franchise .Obviously my Virgin accunt will be no more and have to register with First Trenitlia.
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I'd have thought that First Trenitlia will be hurriedly getting Avanti branded timetables printed if they haven't already. I doubt those Virgin branded ones will be available for very long.
 
Class455

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NRDocumentary said:
Hello everyone!

My name is Isabelle and I am currently working as a Researcher for ITV on a brand new documentary about Network Rail. We have been covering all bases, being situated predominantly at Birmingham New Street as well as delving into signalling centres, trackside incidents, control rooms and various other railway related angles. We are looking to cover the Virgin / Avanti story and would love to hear from anyone who might be looking to travel / watch the very last Virgin service on Saturday evening or the very first Avanti service on Sunday morning; Both departing from the west midlands area.

If this sounds like something you may be able to help with or can assist with pointing me in the right direction I would be extremely grateful. I would love to do this story justice and felt there may be people on here who can make that happen.

Please get in touch via email or WhatsApp.
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07805208999

Thank you! x
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Is there anything like this going on at Manchester tomorrow? As I will be on the last Euston to Manchester train and not to Wolverhampton I'm afraid
 
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C J Snarzell

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Very sad day for the railway industry considering Virgin Trains have been around for so long. I live near Wigan and the town's multiplex cinema which was built in 1996 was originally run by Virgin when it first opened (it has been a few different names over the last two decades). They sold Virgin branded cola too back then! (is this no longer available?) I also fondly remember the Virgin Megastores in Liverpool and Manchester where I regularly bought my CDs and they too have sadly long gone - I remember they were taken over by another company who's name began with 'Z' but they didn't last too long.

The Virgin Train site is still up and running but I have a feeling it will be taken down imminently.

I went for a job with Virgin Trains at their talent academy in Crewe earlier this year and there is a retired locomotive decorated in the Virgin colours that sits behind the main building for visitors to enter. I'm wondering whether Avanti will take over this site and what will become of this cherished possession?

CJ
 
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ag51ruk

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My Pendolino this morning is already announcing "welcome aboard this Avanti West Coast service to..." - it's the same voice, edited in. The headrest covers in First are missing on every train I've seen so far.
 
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jon0844

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atacama40 said:
Thanks Mathew I sort of imagined that might be the answer.

And yet when an airline takes over a routing or airport or a hotel takes over a franchise, they always do this stuff up front. (speaks a man who who has spent far too much of the last 30 years in airports and hotels) ... the soft stuff that is, not the heavy lift and complex refit. You might have thought that very simple catering aspects, and the soft product could be added in and branded within days? Not seat refits and new hardware or software, just marketing impact stuff. And indeed even the lounges are so small and limited in scope that it's hard to see how any of them could take more than 5 days to implement from an F&P point of view.

And also parallel to the airline and hotel world, the intro phase usually has enhanced product even if the first few days. Like BA adding their first A380 to LHR-HKG ... they gave branded A380 sleep suits out in F. Childish stuff but very very common in those worlds and product.

Am I over simplifying the rail world? Just comparing to the one I work within. Either way I think you are right. Maybe the marketing machine is a little more old school.
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I am sure any TOC could do a blitz with lots of staff all instructed to change as much as possible overnight, companies coming in to refit waiting rooms, lounges, ticket halls, trains etc - but there's one big issue in that whereas you'd expect an airline or hotel to spend the money, it would be massively negative PR for a train operator.

Cue the 'I pay £5k a year and you're wasting money changing the paint in a waiting room?'. It is more positive PR to do some work, and hold other stuff back until it was going to be repainted anyway.

I suppose branding matters too. I suspect 'Virgin' wouldn't attract the same negativity as First would, for example.

Should Virgin decide to get back into rail by licensing its name to another operator, I bet they'll do things as quickly as you've detailed above.
 
Ladder23

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I’m looking forward to seeing the livery’s start rolling out, any idea when I can expect to see them
 
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atacama40

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C J Snarzell said:
Very sad day for the railway industry considering Virgin Trains have been around for so long. I live near Wigan and the town's multiplex cinema which was built in 1996 was originally run by Virgin when it first opened (it has been a few different names over the last two decades). They sold Virgin branded cola too back then! (is this no longer available?) I also fondly remember the Virgin Megastores in Liverpool and Manchester where I regularly bought my CDs and they too have sadly long gone - I remember they were taken over by another company who's name began with 'Z' but they didn't last too long.

The Virgin Train site is still up and running but I have a feeling it will be taken down imminently.

I went for a job with Virgin Trains at their talent academy in Crewe earlier this year and there is a retired locomotive decorated in the Virgin colours that sits behind the main building for visitors to enter. I'm wondering whether Avanti will take over this site and what will become of this cherished possession?

CJ
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Totally agree that ... is a left hand side of brain emotion but 100% agree all of that. Virgin were a feel good organisation in those respects. The virgin megastores were pretty much the only way a responsible adult with all the life trappings and demands could escape for an hour!
 
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atacama40

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jon0844 said:
I am sure any TOC could do a blitz with lots of staff all instructed to change as much as possible overnight, companies coming in to refit waiting rooms, lounges, ticket halls, trains etc - but there's one big issue in that whereas you'd expect an airline or hotel to spend the money, it would be massively negative PR for a train operator.

Cue the 'I pay £5k a year and you're wasting money changing the paint in a waiting room?'. It is more positive PR to do some work, and hold other stuff back until it was going to be repainted anyway.

I suppose branding matters too. I suspect 'Virgin' wouldn't attract the same negativity as First would, for example.

Should Virgin decide to get back into rail by licensing its name to another operator, I bet they'll do things as quickly as you've detailed above.
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Is an entirely valid assessment that I had not considered. As you say there is a huge amount more public scrutiny on the rails than if Singapore Airlines launches a new First cabin or BA launches a new payed economy food service. Solid point.

Fingers crossed for an uplift on last months Virgin TEL-EUS F service when they dropped a carriage at Shrewsbury for some reason and shoe horned us all into one car. Being only a relatively light user on train services I take a relaxed and modest view of such issues but when I asked the ticket guy the lightweight question, his answer was "it is what it is mate" :s .... this has become the new beacon of logic and reason at 'Atacama Towers' whenever we cannot or don't want to explain anything to the kids!
 
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