Virgin Trains looks set to continue running West Coast services after it announced an increase in trains on some routes.
The operator said that it would be adding two extra daily services from London to Glasgow from December 10 using Pendolino trains.
Sir Richard Branson’s group lost the original franchise bidding process to First Group but this decision was later cancelled by the government because of “significant flaws” in the way the bids were evaluated by the Department for Transport.
The government has asked Virgin to continue running the service on an interim basis of 9-13 months while a new bidding process for the West Coast franchise takes place.
Virgin Trains said negotiations with the government were “making good progress” but a formal deal to keep running the West Coast services has yet to be announced.
The extra services to Glasgow are the surest sign yet that Virgin will continue operating the West Coast network – Virgin’s original franchise is due to end on December 9.
Virgin will be adding 1,750 seats per day from Euston to Glasgow when there will be a train every hour for the first time. Carlisle, Penrith and Oxenholme will also benefit from increased capacity created by the extra trains.
Karen Hattie, general manager for Virgin Trains in Scotland and Cumbria, said: “Overall passenger numbers have more than doubled on our routes.
“Demand for travel between Glasgow, Cumbria and London has grown steadily since the last big timetable improvement in 2008-9. The extra capacity from December will provide a great opportunity for even more passengers to enjoy the service.”