Virgin West Coast Advance bookings

[STEVIEBOY1]

Good morning,

Does anyone know how far ahead Virgin West Coast open their booking systems. ECML do say on their webiste when they ar ebooking upto. (today it say 12 April), but I can not see similar info on Virgin.

I am trying to get good STD or perhaps 1st. EUS/LLJ/EUS 09 Apr-13 Apr.

Tks.

 

[The Snap]

Everyone's booking system is the same (in the most part), so all ticket websites (whatever the operator) will allow booking up to the same date in advance (AFAIK). A quick glance on Virgin shows they are also allowing booking up to 13th April today.

In terms of Virgin-only advance tickets (the really cheap ones), they tend to be available approximately 3 months before. Although, there tends to be a bit of a lag by about a week, so for 9th April if they're not already out I'd expect them to be imminent.

--------Edit-------------

Looking at the Best Fare Finder on Virgin's site, they're up to Friday 10th April with their cheap fares.

 

[cool110]

The Virgin website is currently saying up to the 2nd but NRE says up to the 9th and is offering advances for that date.

 

[pne]

I’ve always gone by the table on this page at TheTrainline, which says 9 April for Virgin Trains today.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Thank you for this, I will keep an eye on the links and website.

By the way, on this service to North Wales, what type of train is used from Euston, will it be a normal electric Pendalino with diesel haulage from Crewe, or will it be a short voyager unit? I have not done that route beyond Chester before.

Tks.

 

[cool110]

That route should be a voyager. Also it looks like tickets for up to the 12th have just been released.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

That route should be a voyager. Also it looks like tickets for up to the 12th have just been released.

Thank you. I have now been able to get bookings/reservations and seat numbers for both trains. The coach numbers are a bit odd though, perhaps it's because it is a voyager. I have STD Class going up from Eus, coach K and as there was a very good 1st class fare coming back from LLJ it's coach L, that one seems fine, but I was surprised that K is a STD Class carriage. I thought that K would have been a 1st class coach? (I was expecting A-G) Are these trains infact two units that sometime divide enroute?

 

[causton]

Yes, Voyagers are 5-car units, ABCDE and GHJKL, with E, and naturally, with your reservation, L, being the first class coaches.

For what it's worth, I am in coach K of a Pendolino now, which is also first class (and always the best first class carriage to go in but don't tell anyone I said that )

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Yes, Voyagers are 5-car units, ABCDE and FGHJK, with (E I suppose?) and naturally, with your reservation, K, being the first class coaches.

For what it's worth, I am in coach K of a Pendolino now, which is also first class (and always the best first class carriage to go in but don't tell anyone I said that )

That's even more strange then. As my ticket has K as the Standard Class outbound and L for the first class on the return. I wonder if I am on usual trains then?

 

[bb21]

Yes, Voyagers are 5-car units, ABCDE and FGHJK, with (E I suppose?) and naturally, with your reservation, K, being the first class coaches.

For what it's worth, I am in coach K of a Pendolino now, which is also first class (and always the best first class carriage to go in but don't tell anyone I said that )

GHJKL rather than FGHJK, L or KL being First Class accommodation.

So in a 10-car formation, ABCDE+GHJKL, E and L, and sometimes also D and/or K, are First Class.

 

[causton]

That's even more strange then. As my ticket has K as the Standard Class outbound and L for the first class on the return. I wonder if I am on usual trains then?

Apologies, the second set will be GHJKL with L being the first class one. Didn't realise F wasn't used!

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/assets/pdf/global/seating-plan.pdf

There you go

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Apologies, the second set will be GHJKL with L being the first class one. Didn't realise F wasn't used!

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/assets/pdf/global/seating-plan.pdf

There you go

That's great thank you for rechecking and also for the seating plans, very useful indeed, it looks like I have nice seats in both directions. Hope it will be a good service in both directions and especially in first class on the afternoon return journey.

 

[causton]

If it's anything like mine, with curry (probably not, sorry, don't think a Voyager does the hot food as well as the Pendo does), cheese and biscuits, chocolate, tea, gin and tonic, fruit etc...