Virgin Trains unveils newly-named Pendolino train to recognise the people of Cumbria following the floods in December 2015

LONDON, 2016-Mar-04 — /Travel PR News/ — Today (Mar 03, 2016) Virgin Trains unveiled a newly-named Pendolino train at Carlisle station to recognise the people of Cumbria, following the devastating storms in December 2015.

Pendolino 390010 now carries the name ‘The Cumbrian Spirit’ to acknowledge the courage and resolve shown by local as they rebuild their lives and businesses after the floods.

The Cumbrian Spirit was unveiled by Andrew Hunter of Grasmere Gingerbread, in front of flood victims and representatives from organisations who helped them throughout December and continue to support the region’s recovery. Grasmere Gingerbread’s warehouse flooded, resulting in their stock being damaged.

Cumbria was hit by the worst flooding on record as a result of storms Desmond, Eva and Frank in December, which saw some areas flooded three times within one month.

Anna Doran, General Manager at Virgin Trains, said: “We care about Cumbria and its people, so it has been heartbreaking to see the devastation the floods have caused across the region. But the people of Cumbria have not been beaten. They have shown tremendous courage and determination to continue business as usual and rebuild their communities – something described locally as the ‘spirit of Cumbria’. At Virgin Trains, we share their spirit and wanted to recognise everything they have been through. The Cumbrian Spirit is a small gesture to acknowledge the local communities that we’re proud to play a part in. We’re keen to continue helping those who have been affected and today is about celebrating Cumbria and showing that Cumbria is very much open for business.”

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive, Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “We think it’s great that there will be a train travelling along the West Coast Mainline carrying this positive message about the people of Cumbria.”

The Cumbrian Spirit made its inaugural journey with a trip to London today, stopping at Penrith and Oxenholme.

ENDS

About Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group (VRG), which is owned by Virgin Group (51%) and Stagecoach (49%). Virgin Trains has operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997, serving key UK cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. In June 2014 the Department for Transport (DfT) awarded VRG a new franchise until at least April 2017.

Virgin Trains is committed to delivering a high speed, high frequency service, offering shorter journey times, more comfortable travel and excellent customer service. We provide the most frequent long-distance rail service in Europe (London – Manchester and London – Birmingham, both every 20 minutes).

Since 1997, Virgin Trains has introduced over 70 new trains at a cost of £1.5 billion. The service carries more than 34.5 million passengers a year and Virgin Trains employs approximately 3,290 staff.

Virgin Trains customers consistently rate the company as one of the top long-distance rail franchise operators in the National Passenger Survey (NPS) commissioned by industry watchdog “Passenger Focus”.

Visit the Virgin Trains Media Room – www.virgintrains.co.uk/mediaroom – for the latest news, images and videos. Subscribe here for regular news from Virgin Trains.

Press Office: 0845 000 3333. Company website: www.virgintrains.co.uk.

About Virgin Trains East Coast
Virgin Trains East Coast is the brand name of InterCity Railways Ltd (ICR), which is owned by Stagecoach Group (90%) and Virgin Group (10%). Virgin Trains East Coast began operating services on the East Coast Main Line on 1 March 2015, serving key UK cities including London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. In November 2014 the Department for Transport awarded ICR a new franchise until at least 31 March 2023.

Virgin Trains East Coast is committed to delivering a high speed, high quality service with new services, faster and more frequent journeys, more comfortable travel and excellent customer service. More than £140m is to be invested in delivering improved service and a more personalised travel experience for customers.

Visit the Virgin Trains East Coast Media Centre at: http://www.virgintrainseastcoast.com/media-centre for the latest news and images.

Contact the Virgin Trains Press Office: press.desk@virgintrains.co.uk or call us on 0845 000 3333.

 

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Virgin Trains unveils newly-named Pendolino train to recognise the people of Cumbria following the floods in December 2015

Virgin Trains unveils newly-named Pendolino train to recognise the people of Cumbria following the floods in December 2015