New age of the train

May 2 2008 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

A NEW fleet of Virgin Trains will unlock huge opportunities for the leisure and business market in Chester.

The improved public transport infrastructure will increase business networking and potentially attract inward investors into Chester.

Tourism board Visit Chester and Cheshire VCC have worked closely with Virgin and are looking to capitalise on an untapped day tripper and weekend breaks market from London and Milton Keynes.

The hourly trains schedule reinforces Chester’s status as a North West holiday and business hub which could pay dividends in the city’s flourishing conference sector.

The tilting Voyagers can reach a top speed of 125mph which they can achieve south of Crewe Station but the average journey speed will be around 90mph

The first train from Chester will depart at 6.25am and arrive in London Euston at 8.30am while the train from London will depart at 7.10am arriving at Chester 9am.

The Voyager trains will take an average of 2 hours 10 minutes cutting down current travel times by 20 minutes

First Class passengers will pay £312 for an open return meaning they can travel on any train during the day.

An off-peak saver will cost £62.60. Advanced savers cost £13 each way and advanced first class can cost as little as £32.

As the line from Crewe to Chester and North Wales is not electrified, the diesel Voyager fleet will be used.

Virgin spokesman Steven Knight said: “We’ve worked very closely with Visit Chester and Cheshire and have a real feel for the potential for leisure and business market which is why we are putting in the investment.

“There is a real untapped market that we want to get involved with. If we can get people to London before 9am and get leisure visitors to Chester then we will be part of a very exciting new market.

“We have been aware for some time of the number of passengers from Chester and North Wales using the Crewe connection and our new fleet is all about providing a top class inter city service between Chester and London. We see Chester as a massive opportunity.

“We will be altering stopping patterns so that the Chester to London trains will only be stopping at Crewe and Milton Keynes.”

First Class passengers can look forward to cooked or continental breakfast on a par with business class airlines and Virgin is looking to install Wi Fi facilities on board in the future.

Bob Clough Parker, chairman of Chester Business Club, has welcomed Virgin’s commitment to Chester, saying: “The news last year from Virgin Trains signalled that at long last 2009 would see a much-needed and meaningful increase in the number of direct-service trains between Chester and London.”

Officially Virgin have said that the new Voyager fleet will operate from January 2009 but may start earlier, in mid-December.