Richard Branson’s Virgin Group has applied to run trains on England’s west coast route in direct competition with Avanti.
Virgin Trains confirmed the Open Access licence application over the weekend to operate in tandem with Avanti West Coast, which it lost out to in 2019.
Including routes from London Euston via Birmingham and Manchester to Scotland, Virgin had operated on the line for 22 years before losing its contract as partner Stagecoach failed to meet regulations over the likes of future funding.
“While this application is just the first step towards exploring what might be possible, we think Open Access is the way forward,” a Virgin spokesperson said.
“Open Access increases consumer choice and competition, both of which Virgin has always supported.”
Avanti, a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia, saw its contract renewed for nine years by the Department for Transport in September.
The company has since faced scrutiny over delays and cancellations, with the government previously encouraging Open Access services to boost competition.
Such licences mean operators do not receive state subsidies, which has become a common feature of the industry since the pandemic, leaving five operators effectively nationalised.
Virgin’s latest venture would be independently run, with an application made for routes between London, Preston and Rochdale via Manchester and Bolton in the north west, alongside to Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow.