Easter Travel Information for Virgin Trains

LONDON, April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- There will be alterations to services over the Easter weekend because of route improvement work but the principal travel days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Bank Holiday Monday afternoon and evening will see normal services operating.

On the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend there will be work taking place at various times between Euston and Rugby, Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton, Stafford station, Wigan and Preston, Crewe and Liverpool, and between Oxenholme and Glasgow/Edinburgh.

Maundy Thursday, 21 April and Good Friday, 22 April

There will be a normal service on both days with some extra trains on the Euston to Preston/Glasgow route on Thursday.

Saturday, 23 April

Because of route improvement work between Wigan and Preston and between Carlisle and Glasgow/Edinburgh services from London Euston to Glasgow Central will terminate at Crewe and services from Birmingham to Glasgow/Edinburgh will be diverted via Manchester and terminate at Preston. There will be an hourly train shuttle service between Preston and Carlisle, together with a two hourly train shuttle service from Carlisle to Glasgow Central diverted via an alternative route. Rail replacement coach services will serve Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western stations and will run between Carlisle and Edinburgh Waverley.

Sunday 24 April

Because of route improvement work principally between Euston and Rugby involving the closure of two out of the normal four lines, Euston to Birmingham and Euston to Manchester services will be reduced to two services per hour instead of the normal three per hour that would normally operate from lunchtime over these two routes.

The line between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton will be closed all day and trains from the south will have to terminate at Birmingham New Street. Trains from Birmingham New Street to the North will not be able to call at Wolverhampton. A replacement coach service will run in both directions between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton serving Sandwell and Dudley.

The line in the Runcorn area will be closed to allow route improvement work to take place. Passengers travelling from Euston to Liverpool should take a Manchester service and change at Stockport form where a shuttle service will be in operation to Liverpool Lime Street. The scheduled London Euston to Liverpool service will terminate at Crewe until 1700 after which trains will go through to Runcorn. Rail replacement coaches will run between Crewe and Runcorn and between Runcorn and Crewe.

Because of route improvement work between Wigan and Preston and between Oxenholme and Glasgow/Edinburgh services from London Euston to Glasgow Central will terminate at Crewe and services from Birmingham to Glasgow/Edinburgh will be diverted via Manchester and terminate at Preston. There will be an hourly train shuttle service between Preston and Oxenholme. Rail replacement coach services will serve Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western stations and will run between Oxenholme and Carlisle and between Carlisle and Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Waverley.

Trains will be unable to call at Stafford until 12:00 to enable Network Rail to carry out essential maintenance at this key rail junction. A replacement coach service will run from Stafford to both Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton.

Bank Holiday Monday 25 April

Because of route improvement work between Watford Junction and Rugby until 12:00 involving the closure of two out of the normal four lines, Euston to Birmingham/Wolverhampton and Euston to Manchester services will be reduced to two services per hour instead of the normal three per hour that would normally operate over these two routes. Also, until 12:00 most London Euston to Holyhead services will run between Crewe and Holyhead only.

London Euston to Wolverhampton services will be unable to serve Sandwell & Dudley all day. A replacement coach service will serve the station instead.

Notes to editors

- Images of Virgin Trains and the company's operations are available in the Image Library on our online Media Room website http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/about/media-room/. You can subscribe to receive alerts to new press releases by visiting http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/about/media-room/.

- Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012. Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.

- Virgin Trains has been recognised in numerous industry awards. In 2010 the company was named Best Rail Operator of the Year at the Travel Globe Awards (voted for by readers of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Evening Standard), and Best Rail Operator in the Group Leisure Awards (which we also won in 2009). In 2009 we were also voted Best UK Domestic Train Service by Business Traveller magazine for the second year running. Virgin Trains first achieved Investors In People accreditation in 2007and this was renewed in 2010. The IIP Gold award was achieved in 2011.

For further information passengers should visit nationalrail.co.uk or telephone +44(0)8457-484950.