Virgin granted six-month extension to West Coast Main Line franchise

WEST Coast Main Line operator, Virgin Trains, has had its right to operate the service extended for six months – half of what the company was hoping for.

The Department for Transport has agreed to extend the franchise agreement until September 2017; it had been due to finish at the end of March 2017.

The DfT will then issue an open tender for the service.

In a trading update, transport group Stagecoach, which is a 49% shareholder in Virgin Trains, said it “noted” the DfT’s decision but added no further comment.

In its annual results last month, Stagecoach had called on the Government to exercise its powers and extend the right of Virgin to operate the route for a further 12 months.

It said then: “We continue to believe there is a compelling case for the Department for Transport to exercise the discretion that it has to extend the contract, on pre-agreed terms, by one additional year to March 31, 2018.”