Virgin via Chorley/Bolton

[L+Y]

Just a quick query: when did Virgin trains stop running through Chorley and Bolton? I seem to remember seeing Voyagers coming through Chorley in about 2004, and I certainly remember watching Intercity 47s coming out of the station in the mid/late 90s, but I just wondered exactly when these trains transferred to TPex?

 

[kevconnor]

AFAIK the WCML routes didn't go through this way it was only the Cross Country routes which switched to TPE after Arriva were awarded the Cross Country contract. This happened in November 2007 and then TPE commenced Glasgow/Edinburgh services at the start of the new timetable in December 2007.

 

[dannypye9999]

these services should have gone to virgin. The route from Preston to Carlisle goes through the lake district and is nothing to do with the pennines yet the trains that run are trans "pennine".

 

[Emyr]

It's just a name. I've previously been confused by services to Peterborough operating under the brand "Great Northern".

 

[thealexweb]

One can only hope First Transpennine will hopefully be carved up with the Scotland routes going back to Virgin where they belong, Blackpool and Windermere to Northern, South Transpennine going to East Midlands and Transpennnine North going to Northern (and East Coast / Crosscountry?)

Transpennine's problem is virtually all its routes overlap with another franchise(s).

 

[northwichcat]

AFAIK the WCML routes didn't go through this way it was only the Cross Country routes which switched to TPE after Arriva were awarded the Cross Country contract. This happened in November 2007 and then TPE commenced Glasgow/Edinburgh services at the start of the new timetable in December 2007.

Not quite. Virgin WC took over the service from Virgin XC (using the Voyagers that were later used to enhance North Wales/Chester-London services) for a period of a few weeks between the end of the Virgin XC franchise and the December 07 timetable change. However, most people wouldn't have noticed any difference in that period.

 

[Beveridges]

Virgin still use both the Bolton and Walkden lines for diversions though.

 

[thealexweb]

Virgin still use both the Bolton and Walkden lines for diversions though.

They currently only use the Bolton route for stock movements (221s) in the mornings. The Newton Li Willows route is favoured because it means 390s can be moved without the need for a thunderbird.

 

[Moonshot]

these services should have gone to virgin. The route from Preston to Carlisle goes through the lake district and is nothing to do with the pennines yet the trains that run are trans "pennine".

irrelevant to the most important part of the equation - the passenger. Who is only interested in getting from A to B. It matters not one jot what or who is actually running the service. I happened to ride on one of the new electric trains the other day, its excellent and does exaxtly what is advertised.