Virgin Trains East Coast launch day

[Joshrowlands]

Hi everyone I was just wondering what day does Virgin East Coast officialy start services?

And I was just wondering will there be a launch event on the day at Kings cross which is their terminus? Or will it just be another normal Monday but with a different TOC at the station?

I was just wondering because if it's like a launch kind of thing and they make an event of it id love to go, if anyone knows of any information that'd be great

 

[MidnightFlyer]

First day is Sunday 01 March.

 

[Murph]

Given SRB's love of publicity, I'd be quite surprised if there isn't some sort of glitzy launch event. If you're keen to see it, I'd give them a call and ask.

 

[rg177]

As far as I'm aware the first (rail) service (I can see a 0655 bus from Doncaster) is the 0755 Newcastle-Kings Cross which I happen to be booked on. I must admit that i'm curious to see what they do.

 

[DarloRich]

:roll: Fanboys :roll:

The trains will be the same, the stations will be the same, the staff will be the same EVERYTHING WILL BE THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Minilad]

:roll: Fanboys :roll:

The trains will be the same, the stations will be the same, the staff will be the same EVERYTHING WILL BE THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nooooo. Everyone will Arrive Awesome :roll:

 

[D1009]

(I can see a 0655 bus from Doncaster)

They probably wouldn't want you to know that the first service to be run by the new franchise is a rail repacement bus!

 

[CockneySparrow]

They probably wouldn't want you to know that the first service to be run by the new franchise is a rail repacement bus!

It will probably be the EMT (ex unbranded Stagecoach) bus lol

 

[dk1]

:roll: Fanboys :roll:

The trains will be the same, the stations will be the same, the staff will be the same EVERYTHING WILL BE THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe a new tie & name badge & of course the odd train in a
Slightly different livery. Apart from that the big changes are a long way off.

 

[Joshrowlands]

Everybody wait, I know people aren't that fond of Virgin/Stagecoach but this is going off topic now,

I haven't been into this whole rail thing for long and this is the first big event I would of occurred im just wondering will there be a special launch day I know the trains and most of the staff are going to be the same just with a different colour on them but if it's going to be a special publicity type of event id just like to go?

What happened when Virgin started services on the wcml, did they have a big launch event then or? (I was only 2)

 

[Searle]

:roll: Fanboys :roll:

The trains will be the same, the stations will be the same, the staff will be the same EVERYTHING WILL BE THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And? What does it matter to you what they do with their spare time?

 

[Chrism20]

Everybody wait, I know people aren't that fond of Virgin/Stagecoach but this is going off topic now,

I haven't been into this whole rail thing for long and this is the first big event I would of occurred im just wondering will there be a special launch day I know the trains and most of the staff are going to be the same just with a different colour on them but if it's going to be a special publicity type of event id just like to go?

What happened when Virgin started services on the wcml, did they have a big launch event then or? (I was only 2)

Can't speak for the WCML but I do remember on the first day of XC they did give out "First day" cards which entitled you to discounts on stuff. Can't remember exactly but there was definitely a buffet discount on it and something else but it was that long ago.

There was a bit of a fanfare at Edinburgh that morning and we were given Virgin pens etc in a bag.

Sir Dickie will be out and about somewhere within the first couple of days that's for sure and no doubt something will be planned for the main termini - Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds and Kings Cross.

Virgin or Stagecoach don't particularly bother me tbh and I'm actually looking forward to the change albeit I will miss EC Rewards but that one has been done to death and I have some bizarre admiration for SRB in some way. IIRC for the first two years of VXC I only ever paid for one fare which was the first day, everyone after that was covered by delay repay. The arrival of the voyager cost me a fortune lol.

 

[387star]

Is the plan to debrand the trains en masse or leave them how they are for a time

 

[dk1]

Is the plan to debrand the trains en masse or leave them how they are for a time

Outgoing operator needs to debrand before end of franchise. Will be done throughout Feb. new operator will be permitted to make a mark if only in a limited nature for the launch. All usually done quite amicably.

 

[387star]

Outgoing operator needs to debrand before end of franchise. Will be done throughout Feb. new operator will be permitted to make a mark if only in a limited nature for the launch. All usually done quite amicably.

That livery will look awfully plain with no East Coast branding

 

[ainsworth74]

Does it especially matter if the livery is 'awfully plain' for a short while until they get their own sorted out?

 

[westv]

:roll: Fanboys :roll:

The trains will be the same, the stations will be the same, the staff will be the same EVERYTHING WILL BE THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Except for the Rewards scheme.

 

[Hadders]

Outgoing operator needs to debrand before end of franchise. Will be done throughout Feb. new operator will be permitted to make a mark if only in a limited nature for the launch. All usually done quite amicably.

Remember this is technically not a franchise change as the East Coast Mainline Company is being sold to Stagecoach/Virgin. I suspect they will de-brand in the normal way but they might not have it done for day 1.

In any case the base silver/grey colour will lend itself quite well to an interim Virgin livery. Remove the East Coast purple lettering and stripe and replace with a large Virgin logo on the 91's/DVT's and HST powercars and smaller Virgin logos on the ends of each carriage. Maybe add a red stripe in place od the purple one.

 

[DarloRich]

Everybody wait, I know people aren't that fond of Virgin/Stagecoach but this is going off topic now,

I haven't been into this whole rail thing for long and this is the first big event I would of occurred im just wondering will there be a special launch day I know the trains and most of the staff are going to be the same just with a different colour on them but if it's going to be a special publicity type of event id just like to go?

What happened when Virgin started services on the wcml, did they have a big launch event then or? (I was only 2)

What really annoys me about this site is that people are more worried about the colour of the trains than the fact a successful publicly owned company returning a substantial premium to the government was disposed of to the private sector for no reason other than dogma. We as tax payers and passengers will all suffer for this.

Maybe a new tie & name badge & of course the odd train in a
Slightly different livery. Apart from that the big changes are a long way off.

They will do what they did with west coast:

minimal branding, apologise for having to make passengers use aged stock, run down maintance and trumpet how they will save the railways by buying new super duper trains, forgetting of course, that they represent a reduction in passenger service and comfort.

And? What does it matter to you what they do with their spare time?

they can do what they want - i think it is a waste of time

Except for the Rewards scheme.

tell me about it! I have loads of points to use up. :cry::cry:

 

[SaveECRewards]

What really annoys me about this site is that people are more worried about the colour of the trains than the fact a successful publicly owned company returning a substantial premium to the government was disposed of to the private sector for no reason other than dogma. We as tax payers and passengers will all suffer for this.

I agree with you. I feel annoyed with myself that I didn't have the foresight to do my best to keep East Coast public. Problem was I've been working abroad a lot over the last few years and wasn't keeping track of things. I thought after the West Coast franchising farce they'd be more keen to sort that out and so (not being up on UK news) I thought they'd have sorted out the expired franchises rather than rush through a successful public company that was well respected before the election. That really annoyed me, but I felt it was too late to do anything.

It did upset me a few months after coming back to the UK to find East Coast were replaced with Virgin-lite (i.e. Stagecoach in majority control), particularly as the west coast should have been retendered. Ideally EC and WC should be run by DOR now.

East Coast showed that the public sector could run the railway effectively. They couldn't have that before an election.

BTW I'm doing a poll on what you think the best brand (i.e. what you'd rather have the ECML service called): only a few people voted so far but GNER is winning: http://saveecrewards.co.uk/polls/1-ecml-poll

Things like this make me really hate the Virgin group: http://www.virgin.com/travel/50-reasons-sign-virgin-trains-e-petition
The amount of spin they create and the amount of people who signed the petition was crazy. I do think the east coast aren't going to fall for the spin as much as we've had decent services before.

 

[Lincoln]

Things like this make me really hate the Virgin group: http://www.virgin.com/travel/50-reasons-sign-virgin-trains-e-petition
The amount of spin they create and the amount of people who signed the petition was crazy. I do think the east coast aren't going to fall for the spin as much as we've had decent services before.

I love the spelling, grammar and punctuation! I wonder who on earth wrote that piece on their site, and if they're (or is it there) still employed in that role?!

 

[driver_m]

I agree with you. I feel annoyed with myself that I didn't have the foresight to do my best to keep East Coast public. Problem was I've been working abroad a lot over the last few years and wasn't keeping track of things. I thought after the West Coast franchising farce they'd be more keen to sort that out and so (not being up on UK news) I thought they'd have sorted out the expired franchises rather than rush through a successful public company that was well respected before the election. That really annoyed me, but I felt it was too late to do anything.

It did upset me a few months after coming back to the UK to find East Coast were replaced with Virgin-lite (i.e. Stagecoach in majority control), particularly as the west coast should have been retendered. Ideally EC and WC should be run by DOR now.

East Coast showed that the public sector could run the railway effectively. They couldn't have that before an election.

BTW I'm doing a poll on what you think the best brand (i.e. what you'd rather have the ECML service called): only a few people voted so far but GNER is winning: http://saveecrewards.co.uk/polls/1-ecml-poll

Things like this make me really hate the Virgin group: http://www.virgin.com/travel/50-reasons-sign-virgin-trains-e-petition
The amount of spin they create and the amount of people who signed the petition was crazy. I do think the east coast aren't going to fall for the spin as much as we've had decent services before.

That 'spin' was ultimately proven to be correct. Why does this constantly keep coming up. The system was flawed and yet it still comes up on here about 'I hate beardie because he spins'. Give it a rest!!!

 

[Searle]

And? What does it matter to you what they do with their spare time?

they can do what they want - i think it is a waste of time

Well, to put it bluntly, no one really cares, especially not enough for you to be putting it in all caps with a ridiculous amount of exclamation marks.

 

[DarloRich]

Well, to put it bluntly, no one really cares, especially not enough for you to be putting it in all caps with a ridiculous amount of exclamation marks.

whatever - They are more than welcome to attend. I think it is a wast of time. You dont.

 

[class26]

I agree with you. I feel annoyed with myself that I didn't have the foresight to do my best to keep East Coast public. Problem was I've been working abroad a lot over the last few years and wasn't keeping track of things. I thought after the West Coast franchising farce they'd be more keen to sort that out and so (not being up on UK news) I thought they'd have sorted out the expired franchises rather than rush through a successful public company that was well respected before the election. That really annoyed me, but I felt it was too late to do anything.

It did upset me a few months after coming back to the UK to find East Coast were replaced with Virgin-lite (i.e. Stagecoach in majority control), particularly as the west coast should have been retendered. Ideally EC and WC should be run by DOR now.

East Coast showed that the public sector could run the railway effectively. They couldn't have that before an election.

BTW I'm doing a poll on what you think the best brand (i.e. what you'd rather have the ECML service called): only a few people voted so far but GNER is winning: http://saveecrewards.co.uk/polls/1-ecml-poll

Things like this make me really hate the Virgin group: http://www.virgin.com/travel/50-reasons-sign-virgin-trains-e-petition
The amount of spin they create and the amount of people who signed the petition was crazy. I do think the east coast aren't going to fall for the spin as much as we've had decent services before.

Yes, but a successful publicly owned company were not proposing trains from Stirling, Middlesborough, Huddersfield etc and even CUT the originally proposed 2 hourly Lincoln service to one fairly useless service a day. It doesn`t hurt to have new thinking.

 

[crewmeal]

Sir Dickie will be out and about somewhere within the first couple of days that's for sure and no doubt something will be planned for the main termini - Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds and Kings Cross.

As long as he doesn't flash his bits under the kilt like he did for 'Little Red' look what happened to that!

 

[DarloRich]

Yes, but a successful publicly owned company were not proposing trains from Stirling, Middlesborough, Huddersfield etc and even CUT the originally proposed 2 hourly Lincoln service to one fairly useless service a day. It doesn't hurt to have new thinking.

In fairness we don’t know what EC would have proposed for the new IEP trains - they weren’t allowed to bid. New thinking is fine; shall we make sure that everyone involved is allowed to offer new thinking though?

 

[55z]

Although the first day is SUNDAY 1st March there are diversions all day via Lincoln, Grantham/Newark to Retford closed so I would expect launch day to be MONDAY 2nd March.

 

[gordonthemoron]

perhaps Virgin should use the logo they had in the early 1970s? Or would they get arrested?

 

[sprinterguy]

Everybody wait, I know people aren't that fond of Virgin/Stagecoach but this is going off topic now,

I haven't been into this whole rail thing for long and this is the first big event I would of occurred im just wondering will there be a special launch day I know the trains and most of the staff are going to be the same just with a different colour on them but if it's going to be a special publicity type of event id just like to go?

What happened when Virgin started services on the wcml, did they have a big launch event then or? (I was only 2)

For the launch of both the Virgin West Coast and Crosscountry franchises, Virgin provided a fully re-liveried train formation for a high profile naming ceremony: For the West Coast, 90002, paired with a newly painted mark 3 rake, was named “Mission Impossible” at Euston on 10 March 1997, the day after the franchise officially began, to reflect the challenges of the West Coast Route Modernisation. For Crosscountry, 43063 was named “Maiden Voyager” in a ceremony at Edinburgh Waverley on 5th January 1997 to mark the start of the franchise (43068 being the other power car repainted for the launch).

As the branding side of the new East Coast operation will be Virgin, I would expect something similar. Dry ice, roller girls, some sort of banner breaking…actually something that BR was getting quite adept at doing in its closing days.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

What really annoys me about this site is that people are more worried about the colour of the trains than the fact a successful publicly owned company returning a substantial premium to the government was disposed of to the private sector for no reason other than dogma. We as tax payers and passengers will all suffer for this.

Heaven forbid that anyone should show an interest in the changes on Britain's railways, especially on a forum catering for railway interests. :roll: