Virgin Radio.

[Mugby]

Can you still get it on any Virgin stock, Pendolinos or Voyagers?

I still have my headphones which I got when Voyagers were still quite new but I havn't taken them with me for years.

How about XC Voyagers, the sockets are still there, do they still work?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The on-board audio on Virgin went a long time ago; I think it might have gone when Wi-Fi was installed. The sockets are redundant nowadays. Can't comment on Arriva XC but I'd guess it's the same.

 

[Drsatan]

Yes, when Arriva took over the XC franchise in November 2007 the on-board radio was deactivated. Presumably it was deactivated since few used it, especially as portable music players had become commonplace since the introduction of the Voyagers in 2002.

 

[jopsuk]

It was never the "broadcast" Virgin Radio (which no longer exists either), at least on the Voyagers- it was pre-recorded shows. Though I'm sure I was once on a Virgin Cross Country Voyager where the TM had set it so one channel was Radio 1 live (signal went through tunnels!)

 

[telstarbox]

I thought on the Pendolinos there were eight channels:
1-4 were BBC Radios 1 to 4 (live)
5-8 were prerecorded audio

 

[Yew]

Its a shame they didnt keep the BBC radio channels on, it cant have been all that expensive to do..

 

[cjmillsnun]

I think very few people used it from the start.

In 2001 many people had personal music players, and that number has only grown since then. It would've been a good thing for InterCity to have introduced with the Mk4s (and to the existing stock at the same time), but was hopelessly outdated by the time the Voyagers and Pendos were introduced.

 

[BurtonM]

I often used the at-seat radio on VT for listening to Radio 2, and was quite disappointed when it stopped. Equally so when the wi-fi became paid...

 

[radamfi]

The Voyagers had fewer (four) channels, the only live station being Radio 4.

 

[whhistle]

As others have said, the radio isn't on the trains... at the moment.

 

[voyagerdude220]

It was never the "broadcast" Virgin Radio (which no longer exists either), at least on the Voyagers- it was pre-recorded shows. Though I'm sure I was once on a Virgin Cross Country Voyager where the TM had set it so one channel was Radio 1 live (signal went through tunnels!)

I also once was able to listen to Radio 1 on a Virgin Super Voyager running up the West Coast north of Birmingham. I think the CSA in First Class said that the TM was unofficially able to adjust the frequency of the live radio station on the system at the time.

 

[Zoidberg]

I thought on the Pendolinos there were eight channels:
1-4 were BBC Radios 1 to 4 (live)
5-8 were prerecorded audio

That's what I remember from my frequent return trips Wolves-Euston over a few years up to 2010ish.

I used the service whenever it was available to listen to live BBC radio.

 

[D1009]

With the growth of portable DVD players, tablets and other forms of entertainment, I was amazed FGW equipped one coach of its entire HST fleet with a TV system for which it believed people would pay, particularly after other TOCs withdrew their audio service.

 

[cjmillsnun]

As others have said, the radio isn't on the trains... at the moment.

I doubt it will be back. Little point when most people have smartphones that double as music players.