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Virgin Trains ExpressCoach (formerly Virgin CoachLink) was a coach brand in England owned by the Virgin Rail Group.
As part of Virgin Rail Group's winning bid for the Access for all as Virgin Trains and Stagecoach upgrades Milton Keynes-Luton Airport coaches
Virgin Trains 18 November 2006 The services no longer operate with Virgin Trains branding; however, some are still operated as Stagecoach services.
History
As part of Virgin Rail Group's winning bid for the InterCity West Coast
InterCity West Coast (ICWC) was a 1997–2019 Passenger rail franchising in Great Britain, railway franchise in the United Kingdom for passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line (and branches thereof), between Euston railway station, London E ...
franchise, it committed to introducing coach links with through ticketing to destinations off the West Coast Main Line.
On 30 May 1999, services from Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...
to Coventry station
Coventry railway station is the main railway station serving the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England. The station is on the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line (WCML); it is also located at the centre of a junction where the ...
, the Peak District
The Peak District is an Highland, upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It includes the Dark Peak, whe ...
to Macclesfield station
Macclesfield railway station is a main line station serving the Cheshire town of Macclesfield. It lies on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom.
Facilities at the station include ticket sales, a k ...
, Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about northeast of Worcester and southwest of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 (39,644 in the wider Bromsgrove/Catshill urban area). Bromsgrove is the main town in th ...
to Birmingham International station and Luton Airport
London Luton Airport is an international airport located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, situated east of the town centre, and north of Central London. The airport is owned by London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL), a company wholly owned by L ...
to Milton Keynes Central station (VT99) commenced. On the same day a service from Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
to Southampton station on Virgin's CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT ...
franchise was introduced. All were operated by Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...
subsidiaries, Stagecoach having a 49% shareholding in the Virgin Rail Group. A service from Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
to Watford Junction station
Watford Junction is a railway station that serves Watford, Hertfordshire. The station is on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), 17 miles 34 chains from London Euston and the Abbey Line, a branch line to St Albans. Journeys to London take between ...
was introduced in September 2005, being withdrawn in May 2008.
The service between Milton Keynes and Luton Airport was relaunched by Stagecoach Bedford and Virgin Trains in 2006.Virgin Trains 18 November 2006 The services no longer operate with Virgin Trains branding; however, some are still operated as Stagecoach services.
References
External links
{{Virgin Group Bus transport brands Bus transport in England Virgin Trains 1999 establishments in England