Virgin Trains East Coast is targeting business travellers with a range of new initiatives that will be rolled out over the next few years.
The rail firm said passengers on the Virgin Trains East Coast service will see Standard Anytime flexible fares reduced by 10 per cent on its London to Leeds and Edinburgh services. This came into force yesterday (May18).
It comes as Virgin Trains East Coast aims to capture greater market share from domestic airlines and as it approaches the 100th day of business since taking over the franchise in March.
There will also be a more flexible reservation system allowing bookings to be made closer to departure times.
Virgin said this will be attractive to business travellers that want to make ‘last-minute’ reservations. Passengers will see faster journey times, 65 new ‘Super Express’ trains from 2018, and an improved catering service.
Virgin Trains East Coast, which expects to carry over 20 million passengers this year with 50 per cent travelling on business, said passengers can earn Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles on rail tickets purchased.