In this issue
Welcome to the Red Letter
A final message from Phil
Our destinations
Liverpool City Region Upgrade Work
Business news
Virgin Trains offers 100% digital tickets
Virgin Trains uniforms put to good use for the homeless
Virgin Trains upgrades Voyager services with Free WIFI & BEAM for all
Virgin Trains supports MyTime project
CRP Corner
Community Rail Lancashire
North Cheshire Community Rail Partnership (CRP)
North Staffordshire CRP
North Staffordshire CRP
Women in Community Rail
Community Rail Cumbria
Useful links
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Welcome to the Red Letter
 
A final message from Phil

Welcome to this final edition of our quarterly newsletter, which provides a snapshot of the fantastic work we at Virgin Trains have worked so hard to deliver for our customers for the past 22 years. We look back with immense pride, having led the industry in delivering faster journeys to more destinations, harnessing new technology and always putting the customer first.

 

Our record is one of challenging the status quo. We introduced industry- first innovations like the tilting Pendolino trains and the onboard entertainment service, BEAM, and in July we became the first train operator to offer 100% of its ticket types digitally.

 

As you will be aware, First Trenitalia has been announced as the successful bidder to run the West Coast Partnership and will operate services on the West Coast Main Line from December 2019.

 

Looking ahead to the remaining months, our focus is to continue to deliver the best possible experience for our passengers and the communities that we serve across the country. We will be working closely with First Trenitalia to ensure a seamless handover for our customers, who are being reassured that they should book and travel as normal.

 

Up until the moment of handover, our charitable and community activities are continuing at full speed, from upcycled Virgin Trains uniforms for homeless charities, to working with the Community Rail Partnerships along the route.  I hope you enjoy reading about some of our fantastic initiatives in this edition.

 

Phil Whittingham, Managing Director of Virgin Trains

 

 

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Our destinations
 
Liverpool City Region Upgrade Work

On Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd November, Network Rail is carrying out vital upgrade work at Edge Hill, as part of their Great North Rail Project. The work to recontrol signalling at Edge Hill will make journeys more reliable and minimise delays.

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Business news
 
Virgin Trains offers 100% digital tickets

Virgin Trains has become the first train operator to offer 100 percent of its ticket types digitally. The new addition of monthly and annual season tickets in this format means that Virgin Trains now offers a digital version of every fare.

+ Read more
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Virgin Trains uniforms put to good use for the homeless

Virgin Trains will donate blankets, scarves and dog coats which have been made from old staff uniforms to homeless charities. The upcycled clothes – many of which are in Virgin Train’s signature colour of red – were transformed by prisoners at HMP Northumberland at their onsite textile factory.

+ Read more
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Virgin Trains upgrades Voyager services with Free WIFI & BEAM for all

Virgin Trains is pleased to announce that free WIFI for all passengers is now available on all of our Voyager services, in addition to our Pendolino trains.

+ Read more
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Virgin Trains supports MyTime project

In June, Virgin Trains was delighted to support the MyTime Project, a small community-based project based in Merseyside that provides support groups for children who have a parent in prison.

+ Read more
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CRP Corner
 
Community Rail Lancashire
Virgin Trains and CrossCountry by Arriva help Community Rail Lancashire to support local LGBT+ youth charity work

CrossCountry and Virgin Trains have enabled several young members of the Proud Trust to access a vitally important residential through their provision of travel for the group.

 

The Proud Trust is a life-saving and life enhancing organisation that helps young LGBT+ people empower themselves to make a positive change for themselves and their communities. They have been working collaboratively with the COLOURS network with lead worker Chloe Cousins, which brings together LGBT+ young people and youth workers of colour to share and learn together.  Read more here: https://www.communityraillancashire.co.uk/news/train-companies-support-lgbt-youth-charity-work/

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North Cheshire Community Rail Partnership (CRP)

North Cheshire CRP are proud and delighted to be part of the fast growing community rail movement. Each project gives a creative opportunity for everyone involved. Over the past few months we successfully held our first rail safety session at Elton Primary school and recruited new volunteers who help us to make a difference at the local stations. Together with our partners we launched an art project in Castle Park in Frodsham and celebrated re-opening of the Halton Curve, a short section of the railway track that connects North Wales and Chester to Liverpool airport and city centre.  For more information follow us on Twitter.

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North Staffordshire CRP
New Planters at Stoke Station

Two new planters were installed on Platform 1 at Stoke-on-Trent Station in June.  Funded by Virgin Trains and by the North Staffordshire CRP, these provide some welcome colour to the station.  The planters were made by construction students Luke and Jake from Stoke-on-Trent College.  In addition, a very tired existing planter on the same platform was replanted with herbs, available for picking by passers-by. A volunteer station adopter from Longton Station, Ruth Shaw, led on the plantings and is dead heading, weeding and watering as required.

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North Staffordshire CRP
The Circus Train arrives at Stoke Station

Keele University MA Creative Writing student, Dean Brindley, has had his poem “Circus Train” displayed in the Platform 2 Waiting Room at Stoke-on-Trent Station. He reimagines the atmospheric arrival of the Barnum and Bailey’s Circus Train at the station as the animals arrive in their hundreds to take up their winter quarters in the city. The poster was installed by Claire Sandys, Community Rail Officer for the North Staffordshire CRP.

 

Mark Taylor, Virgin Trains Station Manager at Stoke-on-Trent, said: “We have been proud to serve Stoke-on-Trent for over 22 years. It’s a great city I thought I knew well but I was amazed to discover this part of our railway heritage, which is brought to life in Dean’s poem, Circus Train. We work hard to champion the cities, towns and local communities we serve, and we’re delighted to present this piece of work which reveals an usual part of Stoke-on-Trent’s history to the thousands of people who travel through the station every week.”

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Women in Community Rail

Achievements so far in 2019 has seen WiCR’s Code of Conduct adopted by the Department for Transport (DfT), Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) and many Community Rail Partnerships. It sets out standards of behaviour for anyone involved in Community Rail both paid staff and volunteers.

 

A film showing ‘Opportunities in Community Rail’ was launched on Friday 21st June at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) offices to an invited audience. It was aired across the concourse at Manchester Piccadilly. Since then it has been shown at the West Midlands Trains conference in Liverpool where it was well received. The film commissioned by WiCR was funded by Network Rail, Northern Rail and highlights careers and volunteering opportunities in community rail.

 

A branch of WiCR in the South of England is being launched on 27th September in GTR, Monument Place, 24 Monument Street, London, EC3R 8AJ. If you live in the area please feel free to attend. For any further information on any of the above items please contact margebirch@icloud.com.

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Community Rail Cumbria

Staff and students from Sandgate School in Kendal were delighted to enjoy a trip from Oxenholme on the West Coast Main Line courtesy of Virgin Trains. The train was busy, so it was an experience for the students to see that they could manage very well on such a busy and well used line. Sandgate School is a strategic special needs school and the sixth form students all live with severe physical, mental and emotional challenges. The trip was a celebration of a year working hard to encourage confidence using the train and independent travel skills amongst these amazing young people. Virgin Trains staff at Oxenholme gave a brief presentation to pupils in the Oxenholme waiting room and shared helpful books and goodies for their trip out.

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