Capital train service

Jun 27 2008 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

SENIOR officials from Virgin came to Chester to outline a new train service arriving in the city at the end of the year.

The increased fleet of high speed Voyager trains, capable of speeds up to 125mph, is set to play a key role in boosting tourism numbers in Cheshire and open up new commercial opportunities between Chester and London-based businesses.

There will be a daily service of 13 trains travelling direct each way with the first train expected to pull into the capital at 8.30am. The first train from London Euston arrives in Chester at 9.10am.

With Wi-Fi facilities and on-board breakfasts, the First Class allocation is expected to have a high take up from Chester’s corporate community.

Media manager Steven Knight said: “Trains have become a fleet of mobile offices for business with many passengers starting their working day when they get on the train.

“Getting people into London before 9am is a strong selling point and we fully expect the business community to enjoy this new service.”

The extra trains signal a potential capacity of 4,500 passengers, about 10 carriages per journey, travelling daily between London and Chester.

Mr Knight added: “We are offering 2,000 extra seats per day which is a significant increase. We know there is a real demand here for our services. A huge amount of tickets are sold from Chester which ranks very highly as one of our top stations and we are looking to improve our services.

“We know that many Chester passengers are having to change at Crewe; the direct trains provide a much better journey experience and reduces journey time.

Virgin have been working closely with Visit Chester and Cheshire to promote the day-tripper market.

The tourism board is actively marketing the many attractions that Chester has as a heritage city.

Mr Knight, who hailed a successful working partnership between Virgin and Visit Chester and Cheshire, believes the new fleet will forge new opportunities.

He said: “There is huge potential to get people into Chester. Chester has reinvented itself as a major tourist attraction and we are excited about the new markets that it will attract. We have been working with Visit Chester and Cheshire for many years on this.”