New Megatrain Routes

[virginjon]

New Megatrain routes are starting as from 14 July 2008. All on the following Virgin West Coast Voyager Trains:

04:58 Manchester Piccadilly - Glasgow Central
08:03 Birmingham New Street - Edinburgh Waverley
11:03 Birmingham New Street - Glasgow Central
21:03 Birmingham New Street - Preston
12:51 Edinburgh Waverley - Birmingham New Street
10:10 Glasgow Central - Birmingham New Street
20:10 Glasgow Central - Manchester Piccadilly

Initially there will be 40 seats on offer on each train per day. Prices will range from £1 to £9, plus 50p booking fee. Passengers can book upto 03:00 the day before departure.
If you go on www.megatrain.com and book for these services for travel on or after 14 July, the tickets should be available, until sold out.

 

[yorkie]

Is that 3am on the day of departure?

I got a Megatrain ticket at approx 10pm for the next day on EMT.

 

[me123]

i can see the 1010 GLC-BHM being popular, and the return route! And that morning Manchester train could be useful for Mancunians doing business in Glasgow.

And a quick look shows a single to BHM for a quid... with a return the next day at the same price. If a could find cheap overnight accommodtion..suddenly a Brummie bash seems possible.

 

[djw1981]

Cheap overnight Accom at Birmingham International (Airport)!

The Manchester train is actually not that popular with business travellers bizarrely I think due to start time and journey length (due to slack time for engineering diversions), hence why it becomes a Megatrain. Also the cheap return departs Glasgow at 2010 - meaning a long day! Great for bashers etc but I can see why Business[people might prefer to travel other times. The 1251 from Edinburgh will also be very busy, especially on Fridays during the Uni term.

 

[devon_metro]

Do Voyagers have enough spare capacity to offer this :?

If so, it shows the Voyagers would be better utilised on the overcrowded XC route.

 

[djw1981]

These are VWC Voyagers, not AXC Voyagers though anyway, the initiative is a capacity driven marketing ploy to boost or transfer capacity to quiet trains, so I would imagine that they have capacity on these journeys only. Note how most of the peak trains are not included. And I would imagine there are perhaps only 20-25 seats per 5car train, i.e. about 10% of standard seats.

 

[virginjon]

Is that 3am on the day of departure?

I got a Megatrain ticket at approx 10pm for the next day on EMT.

Tickets will be able to be booked up until 03:00 the day before travel.
e.g. If you want to book a ticket for Thurs 17 July, the booking deadline will be 03:00 on Wed 16 July.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Do Voyagers have enough spare capacity to offer this :?

If so, it shows the Voyagers would be better utilised on the overcrowded XC route.

Well as from December, Cross Country will have 5 less voyagers than now, as 5 more 5 car sets are being transferred to West Coast, to enable an hourly Chester-Euston service as part of the new 'VHF' timetable. Also they'll help alleviate the shortage in Voyager sets out of use on the Birmingham-Scotland WC route, due to the refurb program that's just about to start on them.

 

[Max]

Well as from December, Cross Country will have 5 less voyagers than now, as 5 more 5 car sets are being transferred to West Coast, to enable an hourly Chester-Euston service as part of the new 'VHF' timetable. Also they'll help alleviate the shortage in Voyager sets out of use on the Birmingham-Scotland WC route, due to the refurb program that's just about to start on them.

I didn't know about this! If this is the case, I fail to see how XC will cope, they haven't exactly got loads going spare. And additionally, I thought that the introduction of the HSTs was designed in part to relieve Voyagers and allow more service to run as double Voyagers. If another 5 are on their way I don't see how this can happen.

 

[1D53]

Seems like you fell for the spin too!

Wonder where this leaves VT's Manc - London E-Ticket system.

 

[yorkie]

e.g. If you want to book a ticket for Thurs 17 July, the booking deadline will be 03:00 on Wed 16 July.

So the rules for Megatrain on Virgin are stricter than they are for EMT! How confusing! Also stricter than buying a "normal" advance purchase.