 | |
| Industry | Coach transport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 30 May 1999 |
| Defunct | circa 2009 |
| Parent | Virgin Rail Group |
Virgin Trains ExpressCoach (formerly Virgin CoachLink) was a coach brand in England owned by the Virgin Rail Group.
| | |
| Industry | Coach transport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 30 May 1999 |
| Defunct | circa 2009 |
| Parent | Virgin Rail Group |
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 InterCity West Coast 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 to Coventry station, the Peak District to Macclesfield station, Bromsgrove to Birmingham International station and Luton Airport to Milton Keynes Central station (VT99) commenced. On the same day a service from Hampshire to Southampton station on Virgin's CrossCountry franchise was introduced. All were operated by Stagecoach subsidiaries, Stagecoach having a 49% shareholding in the Virgin Rail Group. [1] [2] [3] A service from Heathrow Airport to Watford Junction station was introduced in September 2005, being withdrawn in May 2008. [4] [5]
The service between Milton Keynes and Luton Airport was relaunched by Stagecoach Bedford and Virgin Trains in 2006. [6] The services no longer operate with Virgin Trains branding; however, some are still operated as Stagecoach services.
National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Germany, Bahrain, and Morocco and long-distance coach services across Europe. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Midland Mainline was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by National Express that operated the Midland Main Line franchise from April 1996 until November 2007. Midland Mainline ran fast and semi-fast passenger services from London to the East Midlands and Yorkshire, on the Midland Main Line. Most services ran between London St Pancras and either Derby, Nottingham or Sheffield. Some services extended to Burton upon Trent, Matlock, Barnsley, Leeds, York and Scarborough.
National Express is an intercity and Inter-regional coach operator providing services throughout Great Britain. It is a subsidiary of National Express. Most services are subcontracted to local coach companies. The company's head office is in offices above Birmingham Coach Station.
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company operates transport services in the United Kingdom, and Ireland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Stagecoach Group is a Scottish transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses, express coaches and a tram service in the United Kingdom. It previously had extensive operations in Africa, Asia, mainland Europe, North America and Oceania. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Scottish Citylink is a long-distance express coach operator in Scotland and Ireland and England. The company was formed as a subsidiary of Scottish Transport Group in March 1985. It was operated as a 65/35 joint venture between ComfortDelGro and Stagecoach from September 2005
Virgin CrossCountry was a train operating company in the United Kingdom operating the InterCity CrossCountry passenger franchise from January 1997 until November 2007. Virgin CrossCountry operated some of the longest direct rail services in the United Kingdom but most avoided Greater London after 2003. All services called or terminated at Birmingham New Street.
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, England. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of London. The station is served by Avanti West Coast intercity services, and by West Midlands Trains regional services.
Luton railway station is a railway station located in the town centre of Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is about three minutes' walk from The Mall Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by Thameslink.
Megatrain is a provider of low-cost train travel in the United Kingdom. A subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, its operations have been associated with its parent's East Midlands Trains, South West Trains, Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin Trains West Coast train operating companies. Even though Stagecoach ceased operating train franchises in its own right in August 2019, Megatrain services continue to operate on East Midlands Railway services.
RailAir describes a number of airport bus and coach services designed to connect the National Rail network to airports in the United Kingdom. Services are currently concentrated on Heathrow Airport, with one other from Luton Airport. RailAir services are operated as public transport services by or on behalf of train operators, where the whole journey is paid for as a through ticket which combines the railway and bus journey, although journeys can be made using the bus only. As such, many are operated where the train and bus operator are owned by the same company.
easyBus is part of the easy Family of Brands. It was founded by entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 2003. It initially also offered intercity services within the UK in addition to city to airport low-cost bus transfers. In 2019, easyBus expanded its operation to include many thousands of new routes in partnership with more than 150 bus operators in Europe and beyond.
Stagecoach East is the divisional name for the bus operations of the Stagecoach Group in eastern England.
The United Kingdom has a number of intercity coach services.
United Counties Omnibus was an English bus company, operating in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and parts of surrounding counties.
Megabus is a long distance coach operator operated and founded by Stagecoach, it commenced operating in August 2003, initially in the United Kingdom, and later expanding into continental Europe. Some services link with Megatrain services, also operated by Stagecoach. Fares use a yield management model, formerly starting at £1. In June 2016, Stagecoach Group sold all operations in the European mainland, as well as those services linking London with Europe, to German competitor Flixbus. Megabus serves as a contractor, so the sale resulted in no route changes for passengers.
The Milton Keynes Coachway is a Coachway interchange close to junction 14 of the M1 motorway on the eastern edge of Milton Keynes, north Buckinghamshire, England. It supports National Express intercity coach services to cities, towns and airports on the M1, and on into Scotland, to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton Airports, as well as Stagecoach East's route X5 between Oxford and Cambridge, and interchange between these services. There are also local bus services and nearby, a park and ride site. It is the second busiest coach station in the United Kingdom. Dating from 1989, it was the first of the UK's Coachway interchanges.
Buses in Milton Keynes are run by a mixture of operators on a network of urban and rural routes in and around the Milton Keynes urban area. These services have a varied history involving five different companies. At the foundation of the 'New City' in 1967 and for some years afterwards, Milton Keynes was served by a rural bus service between and to the pre-existing towns. Apart from a small-scale experimental service, urban buses arrived on the scene with deregulation in 1986. Since April 2010 the core local services have been provided by Arriva Shires & Essex. Long-distance coach services also serve MK, often via the Milton Keynes Coachway located near junction 14 of the M1 motorway.
Stagecoach X5 is an inter-urban bus service linking Oxford and Bedford via Bicester, Buckingham and Milton Keynes
Transport in Bedford provides links between the town and other parts of England. Road access to the town is provided by the A6 & A421 roads, with the latter connecting the town with the M1 to the west and the A1 to the east via a bypass, with both being around 10 miles (16 km) away. Other roads that serve or skirt the town include the A422, which runs westwards towards Milton Keynes, and the A428, which runs between Coventry and Cambridge. The town is served by two railway stations and a network of bus services.
Media related to Virgin Trains ExpressCoach at Wikimedia Commons
