travellinkco-ordinators.co.uk Travel Link Co - Train Information Travel Link Virgin train Information Travel by train
TRAVEL LINKS TO BRITISH RAILWAYS
VIRGIN TRAINS AND ALL TRAIN TICKETS
ALL INFOMATION
Virgin: CrossCountry - Virgin Trains
CrossCountry is probably the least known of all the inter-city services in the UK. Yet, it links 115 towns and
cities from Aberdeen to Penzance and carries about 19.2 million passengers in 2004, up from 15 million in 2001.
Virgin was quick to spot the potential of the CrossCountry network in its 1996 bid for the franchise.
Its rambling network of ageing trains was, to Virgin, an opportunity to create a regional network of high frequency,
high speed trains across the UK.
CrossCountry had been allowed to remain the Cinderella of the rail network for too long and its transformation into a
princess is recognised as one of the most exciting developments in recent times. The fleet of new trains has led to
a staggering improvement of performance and reliability.
In the beginning By the 1890s, rail travel was the principle form of transport in Britain. The growth of seaside resorts
in particular led to a dramatic increase in traffic and many of these were off the main routes, served by cross-country
or branch lines. Torturous routing and slower steam-hauled trains proved unattractive, even at a time when there was
no real alternative to road transport. It was often quicker to travel by main lines and change stations in large cities
than to take through trains.
In 1905, the London & North Western Railway and the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway introduced the
“Sunny South Express” which ran between Manchester and Brighton. A year later, the Great Central Railway began
operating between Newcastle and Bournemouth.
Bournemouth, famous for its pine trees, gave its name to perhaps the most famous cross-country train of them all,
the “Pines Express”. Introduced between Manchester and Bournemouth in 1910, it ran until the 1960s
(with the exception of Wartime) over the classic cross-country route between Bath and Bournemouth to complete its
journey to the resort.
The grouping After the First World War and the 1922 Railways Act, the railways were rearranged into four groups:
The Great Western Railway (GWR), The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR), The London &
North Eastern Railway (LNER) and the Southern Railway (SR). Despite the simplified structure, cross-country services
never benefited from the kind of development enjoyed on the continent (particularly in France and Germany).
Only the LMS attempted to expand cross-country operations. The “Devonian” was introduced in 1927,
to run between Bradford and Bristol. This itself was something of a misnomer, but the title was justified by
three coaches which were detached for onward movement to Torbay (Brixham Paignton & Torquay)
British Railways Reorganisation of the railways took place after the Second World War and, following the 1947
Railways Act, were nationalised on 1 January 1948. Despite now falling under the auspices of just one company
(British Railways), the opportunity was missed during the 1950s to enhance cross-country services which had
deteriorated into a handful of services between Newcastle and Bristol, Sheffield and Bristol, with just one train between
Scotland and the South West.
By the mid-1960s, the cross-country routes shrunk following the publication of Dr Beeching’s
“The Reorganisation of British Railways”, often referred to as the Beeching Report, which eradicated mile after mile of
railway from the network map.
By the 1970s, Birmingham was emerging as the hub of the remaining cross-country network.
It coincided with an attempt to market these services effectively and the publication of the famous Table 51
in the National Timetable. When InterCity was setup in 1981, there was still uncertainty within the British Railways
Board about the future role of cross-country, even omitting it from a network published to promote the overground network.
Within a very short period of time, however, the British Railways Board found the strength to sponsor these services
despite the decline of the traditional seaside holiday, which had, until then, formed a large part of the
cross-country market. (Tourism is now beginning to rise especially in the South West)
A sector of InterCity By 1982, CrossCountry was emerging as an integrated part of the new InterCity sector of
British Rail. Although it was intended that CrossCountry would benefit by having 23 new High Speed Trains,
11 of them were, at the last minute, diverted for use on the Midland Main Line services in and out of St Pancras.
This was the only time that new trains and cross-country services were mentioned together.
By 1986, CrossCountry was a full sub-sector of InterCity. The arrival of the High Speed Trains and a dedicated
management team enabled the business to grow. During this time the number of trains expanded with the
introduction of new services such as the “Cornishman” between Dundee and Penzance.
Under new ownership Following legislation passed in 1993 to privatise British Rail, CrossCountry became one of the
last franchises to be let in January 1997 to Virgin Rail Group.
Conclusions CrossCountry is a train operating company with a somewhat muddled history. It has seen a gradual
evolving into the network we know today. Researchers will look in vain for a clear definition of cross-country and
historians will despair in being the remit to find the definitive starting point for their tome.
Class 221 Super Voyager Diesel Units Virgin Trains placed an order worth more than £1 billion with
Canadian Company Bombardier Transportation in December 1998 for 78 trains,
of which 44 are brand new tilting trains for its CrossCountry franchise. The trains were procured in association with
train leasing company Voyager Leasing.
Bombardier has a number of plants across Europe, and the Voyager Class 221 train was developed in Bruges (Belgium),
Crespin (France) and Wakefield (England). The class comprises 40 tilting five-car and four 5-car trains.
To the undiscerning eye, the Class 220 and Class 221 trains look identical. However, there are obvious design
differences in the bogies to accommodate the fitting of the tilt mechanisms.
The contract with Bombardier covers design, building and maintenance of the new trains up to the end of the
existing CrossCountry franchise in January 2012.
Like the Voyagers, the Super Voyagers encompass a number of innovative features including a shop,
electronic seat reservations and on-board audio entertainment. There is also provision for four bikes per train
to be conveyed, the accommodation for which needs to be reserved in advance for a small fee.
The Super Voyagers are built to the standards required by The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and have four toilets
on board (all of which can accommodate wheelchairs).
Unlike conventional trains which rely on a single engine (or two in the case of High Speed 125 trains),
the Class 221 Super Voyager has one power unit underneath each vehicle. Each engine equates to 750 hp,
giving a total of 3000 hp per 4-car train, capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in 70 seconds.
Each unit has a fuel range of 1,200 miles.
There are 250 seats in each five-car unit, 26 of them being in Club Class, which offers an at-seat service of
complimentary food and drinks.
Like the Class 220 Voyagers, the Super Voyagers incorporate the latest safety developments. The body shell features
crush zones with twice the absorption capacity of the existing High Speed Train fleet. Each new train has the
Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) fitted on delivery. The fleet will be fitted with the European Train
Control System (ETCS) offering automatic train protection by the 2008 deadline.
The trains are maintained by Bombardier Transportation at the purpose built £30 million Central Rivers Depot,
near Burton-on-Trent. Overnight servicing and maintenance is carried out at 14 satellite depots across the network.
More Train and FERRY savers information (Ferry crossing info and direct discount booking).
|
 |
 |
Translated Text 
