New figures from Virgin Trains show journeys between Chester and London last year have broken through the half a million mark, setting a record for the number of journeys taken by train.

For the first time since Virgin Trains took over the West Coast Main Line in 1997, journeys between London and Chester have surpassed half a million.

In the months between January and December 2017, 522,000 journeys were made between the two cities - an increase of nearly 6% on the previous year and nearly a quarter (23%) compared to five years ago.

The figures, released by Virgin Trains, mirror those from Marketing Cheshire, which confirmed swelling numbers of visitors to the city of 62m, an increase of 7.7% on the previous year.

Many in the region are excited by the prospect of a new Northern Forest, which some are predicting will significantly boost visitor numbers and create £2bn for the surrounding economy.

Since taking over the West Coast Main Line 20 years ago, Virgin Trains has transformed journeys between London and Chester – increasing the number of direct services from three a day to 14 a day in 2017 and reducing the journey time by 20 minutes to two hours.

The company is celebrating its 20th anniversary of running services on the west coast mainline.

This record growth follows investment by Virgin Trains designed to improve the experience for customers, including the introduction of m-tickets, and the extension of the booking horizon to six months – meaning customers can now take advantage of fares from as little as £17 one way between London and Chester – and the launch of its onboard entertainment portal Beam.

Amanda Hines, general manager at Virgin Trains on the west coast, said: “We’re proud to be welcoming a record number of journeys to and from the Chester, as we celebrate more than 20 years on the track.

“At Virgin Trains we’ve strengthened the rail link between Chester and the capital, helping to support the local economy and play our part in bringing visitors to the city. We hope to continue to bring more people to this beautiful city and its many attractions for years to come.”