In 2002, Virgin Trains ' new £ 5m high speed Super Voyager train number 221130 was named " Michael Palin " – it carries his name externally and a plaque is located adjacent to the onboard shop with information on Palin and his many journeys.

Virgin Trains won the franchises for the former Intercity West Coast and Cross-Country sectors of British Rail.

On 21 September 2006, Branson pledged to invest the profits of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains in research for environmentally friendly fuels.

In Great Britain, the inter-city rail links are now operated by a number of private companies such as Virgin Trains, East Coast, East Midlands Trains, Cross Country and First Great Western.

Virgin Trains ' British Rail Class 390 | Class 390 Pendolino is the flagship train of the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom

* British Rail Class 390 " Pendolino " ( United Kingdom ), a high-speed train run by Virgin Trains from London Euston to Liverpool / Manchester / Glasgow / Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Normal scheduled departures from Chester Station are: multiple services on the North Wales Coast Line ; Virgin Trains to London Euston via Crewe ; Arriva Trains Wales to Manchester Piccadilly via Warrington Bank Quay and Cardiff Central / Birmingham New Street via Wrexham General ; Northern Rail to Manchester Piccadilly via Northwich ; Merseyrail to Liverpool on the Wirral Line.

* In 2002, the English train company Virgin Trains introduced a new type of train called British Rail Class 221.

From May 2003 until September 2004 Midland Mainline operated an hourly service between St Pancras and Manchester Piccadilly at the request of the Strategic Rail Authority whilst the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Manchester underwent engineering work using former Virgin CrossCountry High Speed Trains.

Former Virgin Cross-Country High Speed Trains were used and after overhaul were repainted into Midland Mainline livery.

Holyhead is currently the terminus of the North Wales Coast Line and is served by Virgin Trains and Arriva Trains Wales services.

In recent decades, the principal solution to the problem of the WCML's curvaceous line of route has been the adoption of tilting trains, formerly British Rail's APT, and latterly the Class 390 Pendolino trains constructed by Alstom and introduced by Virgin Trains in 2003.

But then the privatisation of BR intervened, under which Virgin Trains won a 15-year franchise in 1996 for the running of long-distance express services on the line.

A Virgin Trains | Virgin Pendolino and English Welsh and Scottish Railway | EWS British Rail Class 66 | Class 66 freight train on the WCML

Virgin Trains operates an intensive express network, from Platforms 1-7, 12-18.

Category: Railway stations served by Virgin Trains

This restored direct London services to Shropshire ( Wrexham already being served by a Virgin Trains service to Euston ), with five return trips per day on weekdays.

** A nickname for Virgin Trains ' British Rail Class 57, often used as such due to the aforementioned 60s television programme

Virgin Trains ( legal name West Coast Trains Limited, company no 3007940 ) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Group ( 51 %) and Stagecoach ( 49 %) that has operated the InterCity West Coast franchise since March 1997.

( Anguilla, the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands )

* British Virgin Islands ( UK )

The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands ( BVI ), is a British overseas territory located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico.

The official name of the Territory is still simply the " Virgin Islands ", but the prefix " British " is often used to distinguish it from the neighbouring American territory which changed its name from the " Danish West Indies " to " Virgin Islands of the United States " in 1917.

British Virgin Islands government publications had traditionally continued to commence with " The Territory of the Virgin Islands ", and passports simply refer to the " Virgin Islands ", and all laws begin with the words " Virgin Islands ".

The British Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty other smaller islands and cays.

There is no record of any native Amerindian population in the British Virgin Islands during this period, although the native population on nearby St. Croix was decimated.

The British Virgin Islands were administered variously as part of the British Leeward Islands or with St. Kitts and Nevis, with an administrator representing the British Government on the Islands.

Map of British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands comprise around sixty tropical Caribbean islands, ranging in size from the largest, Tortola long and wide, to tiny uninhabited islets.

See also Islands of the British Virgin Islands.

The British Virgin Islands enjoy a tropical climate, moderated by trade winds.

Executive authority in British Virgin Islands is vested in The Queen and is exercised on her behalf by the Governor of the British Virgin Islands.

Virgin Rail Group was formed by Virgin Group to bid for rail franchises in the United Kingdom during the Privatisation of British Rail.

Virgin Rail Group bid for a number of rail franchises being awarded the InterCity West Coast franchise after beating Sea Containers and Stagecoach.

In October 1998 Virgin Group sold 49 % of the shares in Virgin Rail Group to Stagecoach.

In July 2002 in the wake of the collapse of Railtrack and the inability of Network Rail to deliver on the 140 mph West Coast Main Line upgrade, both the Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin West Coast franchises were suspended in favour of management contracts.

Virgin Trains operates a First Class Lounge, and Network Rail runs the customer reception on the main concourse.

The Stagecoach Group took over the franchise on the privatisation of British Rail in 1996 and retained it against stiff competition in 2007 making it, with Chiltern Railways and Virgin West Coast, one of the three longest-running franchises.

Virgin Rail Projects has been selected to introduce the new trains.

* Platform 1-Northern Rail stopping services to and from Manchester Piccadilly and occasionally Virgin Trains northbound services to Manchester Piccadilly.

It is owned by Network Rail, and managed by First ScotRail but all services are provided by either Virgin Trains or First TransPennine Express.

From the start of 2007 until 31 October 2009 Colas Rail hired Class 57 / 3 locos from Virgin Trains.