me and my friend went on a virgin train last Friday and we both had no trouble on the way to Birmingham it was nice and quite not too crowded, we found our seats straight away and it was very comfortable. but on the why back we thought that the train was far too hot there were not many people on the train more than the morning but still with lots of empty seats. and it was not a hot day sunny but not hot. but the train was just burning so much so that when i got off the train that going from the hot train to the slightly chilly platform i very quickly ended up with a nose bleed and as we had to get two more trains we could not stop and wait for it to stop bleeding. i ...  Read the complete review

As an American, my experience with the Virgin brand comes from the Virgin Airlines. They have worked hard to develop a brand that centers on excellent service, with a cutting edge approach to passenger service and comfort. I cannot believe that Virgin Train is owned by the same man. My recent experience was truly horrible. From being overcharged, mislead, lied to; buying first class, when the only time I EVER saw a cabin attendent was 30 minnutes before the end of a 4+ hour trip. The "conductor" or ticket taker was rude...I mean downright rude to us. Their platform personnel was unhelpful, and gave us incorrect information. It was just a ...  Read the complete review

I travel first class on virgin trains regularly and find the service is extremely patchy. Today for example, as soon as the train set off, the waitress (or whatever they're called on a train) came to offer me a choice of 2 sandwiches and she later brought one to my seat. No trolley service at all. For my complimentary drink, only water was available, no hot drinks as advertised online. I didn't see the serving staff for the rest of the journey, except for my trip to the shop car for a cup of tea, the staff were all in there sitting and chatting. This is usual, but it only seems to occur when the staff from Liverpool are serving. I'm making an assumption here, but I'm ...  Read the complete review

Just yesterday I travelled with Virgin trains from London Euston to Manchester Picadilly and having bought the tickets online (option available to hopefully make your life easier) found myself being refused to receive my ticket at the Virgin ticket office. For security reasons I use a special online card (MBNET) which allows me to purchase goods online and its attatched to my current account but obviously the number on my card and the one with which I bought the ticket is different (otherwise it wouldn't be a secure method) meaning that the ticket officer wouldn't allow me to receive my ticket. Although I had proof of ID and the confirmation number of my ticket I ...  Read the complete review

Back in the day British Rail ran the railways and the "backbone" if you will of the country's rail network was the West Coast Mainline. Following rail privatisation in 1994, Virgin trains won the franchise to operate on the line - which takes in routes from London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. Virgin also operate the franchise for trains operating between Edinburgh and Glasgow and Birmingham New Street. I travelled on the West Coast Mainline frequently in the days of British Rail. I even travelled on the old Advanced Passenger Train back in the early 80s prior to the launch of the service. My journey incidentally was fast ...  Read the complete review