Virgin Trains' new website hits a million
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Thursday, 18, Oct 2007 12:00
Virgin Trains' easy-to-use ticket booking website has proved a hit with customers who have used it to make a million ticket transactions since its launch last February. Sales made through the website are currently running at around 15 percent up on the same period last year.
Virgin Trains' Commercial Director Graham Leech said: "We are really pleased with the results so far. In preparation for our increased frequency train service which starts in 2009, we're now working on further improvements, including tickets@home, so we can offer an even better ticket booking service to the increased number of customers we will be carrying."
Virgin Trains is leading the railway industry with its new website that makes searching for and buying the cheapest possible ticket far simpler.
The site provides customers with a one-stop-shop from enquiry through to ticket purchase. The system is based on simple-to-understand generic ticket types:
Fully Flexible ? buy anytime, travel anytime
Semi Flexible ? buy anytime, travel off-peak
Book Ahead ? buy in advance, travel on specific trains at peak times
or travel on specific trains at off-peak time
Searching for, and identifying, the cheapest available tickets for a rail journey has long been a bone of contention for many passengers. Virgin Trains has tackled this issue head-on by developing and implementing a brand new search engine, in conjunction with ticket retailer The Trainline.com. It simplifies the process and enables passengers to identify and purchase quickly the best rail fare available.
Virgin Trains has always led the way in making ticket-buying cheaper and simpler; it was the first train operator to sell book ahead tickets as single tickets to increase flexibility and choice, produce the simplest rail website to ease ticket-buying and work with the consumer group, Passenger Focus, to produce leaflets on buying cheap tickets. Virgin is also trying out the brand new e-ticketing system ? tickets@home - develped by The Trainline.com.
Graham Leech explains: "We're undertaking a number of activities in the next six months to show people how to find the best value tickets available and how easy it really is to book, particularly online with our new website and search engine. We believe Virgin Trains is leading the industry in providing a fast, simple and easy-to-navigate way to identify and buy the best possible fare."
Simplification of the Virgin Trains' website has been welcomed by Passenger Focus. When the new website was launched, Passenger Focus Chief Executive,
Anthony Smith said: "There are some great deals on fares out there, but many passengers are telling us that the current ticketing system is too complicated to navigate. There is a clear need to simplify the way tickets are sold to help passengers take advantage of the cheaper tickets. Any move to simplify websites is a step in the right direction."
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Notes to Editors
Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group and currently
operates two rail franchises - West Coast Trains and CrossCountry Trains.
Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent
by Stagecoach.
The simplified fares range is displayed for all fares which are set
by Virgin Trains. Fares set by other train operators are not displayed in the simplified format.
Railcard holders can obtain further discounts on most ticket prices.
Booking a Value Advance ticket could not be easier. Go online at
www.virgintrains.com, call Virgin Trains telesales on 08457 222 333 or visit your local staffed railway station.