Megatrain
Encyclopedia
Megatrain offers low cost intercity train
travel via the megabus.com
website, using yield management
pricing, on East Midlands Trains
and South West Trains
which are rail franchises in the United Kingdom
operated by Scottish
-based Stagecoach Group
. The services began on 1 November 2005.
travel on East Midlands Trains
and South West Trains
both of which are owned by Stagecoach Group
. In addition, Megabusplus
tickets allow combined coach and train journeys to London via East Midlands Parkway railway station
with Feeder services from Huddersfield - Halifax - Bradford, Harrogate - York - Castleford and Hull - Scunthorpe. A similar scheme is available from The Trainline on Virgin Trains
West Coast between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly
(Virgin Trains is 49% owned by Stagecoach).
In the UK, prices are advertised as starting at £1, with a 50p booking fee. Megatrain follows the yield management
model typically used by low-cost airlines where the lowest fares are offered to those who book early or on less popular journeys. Tickets must be purchased in advance, via their website or by telephone.
Services are available Monday through Saturday only with no service on Sundays and many public holidays.
The concept was piloted on South West Trains
, Stagecoach's first franchise. The first services of Megatrain were on the London Waterloo to Portsmouth
and London Waterloo to Southampton
routes. The trains continue to be operated as standard timetabled services by South West Trains but with designated areas for Megatrain customers.
The service was launched on 1 November 2005 for trains to start running on 14 November 2005. Tickets start at £1 and can go up to £19.
From 22 April 2006, the scheme was expanded to provide cheap rail travel on South West Trains services from London Waterloo to Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa
, Exeter St Davids/, Yeovil Junction, Bournemouth
, and in addition to the Southampton Central and / services. has since been added as an option on the Weymouth line. From 29 October 2007, following the completion of the Portsmouth area engineering works, the sceme now also operates on services from London Waterloo to Havant
, Honiton
and Axminster
.
On 6 March 2007, the Times Online announces that only 1 in 900 of the passengers carried by either Virgin or South West Trains companies bought a Megatrain low-fare ticket.
On 2 January 2008, the Megatrain concept was extended to certain rail services on the East Midlands franchise, with the introduction of Megatrain between London St Pancras and Sheffield
, and London and /, on selected East Midlands Trains
services.
The new East Midlands Trains
franchise was awarded to Stagecoach in November 2007 and from 2 January 2008 Megatrain services started running from London St Pancras International
to , , , Derby
, and Sheffield
.
The service was available on the following Virgin Trains
(which is 49% owned by Stagecoach) services as well: - Bristol Temple Meads, and Southampton Central - Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly - Glasgow Central/ and Morpeth
- Edinburgh Waverley
. Tickets are also available from some intermediate stops on these routes. These routes were withdrawn on 11 November 2007 when the train services were transferred to CrossCountry
, owned by Arriva
.
At the start of 2009 more routes were introduced between Norwich and Nottingham, and Leicester and Sheffield.
In March 2009 Megabusplus
tickets offering for combined coach and train journeys to London via East Midlands Parkway railway station
were introduced; Three feeder coach routes were provided: Huddersfield - Halifax - Bradford, Harrogate - York - Castleford and Hull - Scunthorpe.
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
travel via the megabus.com
Megabus (United Kingdom)
Megabus is a UK coach service operated by Stagecoach Group. It started in 2003 and as of February 2010 operated 19 UK coach routes serving 41 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. Some services link with Megatrain services which are also operated by Stagecoach...
website, using yield management
Yield management
Revenue management is the process of understanding, anticipating and influencing consumer behavior in order to maximize yield or profits from a fixed, perishable resource...
pricing, on East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
and South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
which are rail franchises in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
operated by Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-based Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
. The services began on 1 November 2005.
Service overview
Megatrain offers low cost intercity trainTrain
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
travel on East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
and South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
both of which are owned by Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
. In addition, Megabusplus
Megabus (United Kingdom)
Megabus is a UK coach service operated by Stagecoach Group. It started in 2003 and as of February 2010 operated 19 UK coach routes serving 41 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. Some services link with Megatrain services which are also operated by Stagecoach...
tickets allow combined coach and train journeys to London via East Midlands Parkway railway station
East Midlands Parkway railway station
East Midlands Parkway is a railway station located north of Ratcliffe-on-Soar on the Midland Main Line in the East Midlands of England. It provides park and ride facilities for rail passengers on the routes from Leicester to Derby and Nottingham...
with Feeder services from Huddersfield - Halifax - Bradford, Harrogate - York - Castleford and Hull - Scunthorpe. A similar scheme is available from The Trainline on Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
West Coast between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
(Virgin Trains is 49% owned by Stagecoach).
In the UK, prices are advertised as starting at £1, with a 50p booking fee. Megatrain follows the yield management
Yield management
Revenue management is the process of understanding, anticipating and influencing consumer behavior in order to maximize yield or profits from a fixed, perishable resource...
model typically used by low-cost airlines where the lowest fares are offered to those who book early or on less popular journeys. Tickets must be purchased in advance, via their website or by telephone.
Services are available Monday through Saturday only with no service on Sundays and many public holidays.
Routes
| Route | Start date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sheffield - Chesterfield - Derby - Loughborough - Leicester - London St Pancras International | 2 January 2008 | |
| Nottingham - Loughborough - Leicester - London St Pancras International | 2 January 2008 | Replacement for the M13 Megabus route. |
| Sheffield - Chesterfield - Nottingham - Peterborough - Norwich | 5 January 2009 | |
| East Midlands Parkway - London St Pancras International | 20 March 2009 | Part of the Megabusplus service, providing onward coach connections to Yorkshire |
| Portsmouth Harbour - Portsmouth & Southsea - London Waterloo | 1 November 2005 | |
| Havant - London Waterloo | 29 October 2007 | |
| Southampton Central - London Waterloo | 1 November 2005 | |
| Bournemouth - London Waterloo | 22 April 2006 | |
| Poole - London Waterloo | 22 April 2006 | |
| Weymouth - London Waterloo | 22 April 2006 | |
| Salisbury - London Waterloo | 22 April 2006 | |
| Yeovil Junction - London Waterloo | 22 April 2006 | |
| Axminster - London Waterloo | 29 October 2007 | |
| Honiton - London Waterloo | 29 October 2007 | |
| Exeter St Davids - Exeter Central - London Waterloo | 22 April 2006 | |
| Bath Spa - London Waterloo | 22 April 2006 | |
| Bristol Temple-Meads - London Waterloo | 22 April 2006 | |
| Birmingham New Street - Coventry - London | 2009 | Selected journeys as part of Virgin Trains Virgin Trains Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland... |
History
Megatrain announced by Stagecoach, on 31 October 2005: there will be more than 3000 seats available each week.The concept was piloted on South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
, Stagecoach's first franchise. The first services of Megatrain were on the London Waterloo to Portsmouth
Portsmouth and Southsea railway station
Portsmouth and Southsea railway station is the main railway station in central Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. It is close to the Commercial Road shopping centre....
and London Waterloo to Southampton
Southampton Central railway station
Southampton Central railway station is a main line railway station serving the city of Southampton in Hampshire, southern England. It is on the Wessex Main Line, the South Western Main Line and the West Coastway Line...
routes. The trains continue to be operated as standard timetabled services by South West Trains but with designated areas for Megatrain customers.
The service was launched on 1 November 2005 for trains to start running on 14 November 2005. Tickets start at £1 and can go up to £19.
From 22 April 2006, the scheme was expanded to provide cheap rail travel on South West Trains services from London Waterloo to Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa
Bath Spa railway station
Bath Spa railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Bath, in South West England.-Architecture:Bath Spa station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel and is a grade II* listed building...
, Exeter St Davids/, Yeovil Junction, Bournemouth
Bournemouth railway station
Bournemouth railway station, originally known as Bournemouth East and then Bournemouth Central , is the main railway station serving the town of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. It is located on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth...
, and in addition to the Southampton Central and / services. has since been added as an option on the Weymouth line. From 29 October 2007, following the completion of the Portsmouth area engineering works, the sceme now also operates on services from London Waterloo to Havant
Havant railway station
Havant railway station is a railway station near Portsmouth.It is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs between London and Portsmouth...
, Honiton
Honiton railway station
Honiton railway station serves the town of Honiton in East Devon, England. It was opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1860 but is now operated by South West Trains which provides services on the London Waterloo to Exeter route.-History:...
and Axminster
Axminster railway station
Axminster railway station serves the town of Axminster in Devon, England. Opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1860, it is now served by South West Trains’ London Waterloo to Exeter services. It is from Waterloo.-History:...
.
On 6 March 2007, the Times Online announces that only 1 in 900 of the passengers carried by either Virgin or South West Trains companies bought a Megatrain low-fare ticket.
On 2 January 2008, the Megatrain concept was extended to certain rail services on the East Midlands franchise, with the introduction of Megatrain between London St Pancras and Sheffield
Sheffield Midland station
Sheffield station, formerly Pond Street and later Sheffield Midland, is a railway station in Sheffield, England and is the busiest station in South Yorkshire...
, and London and /, on selected East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
services.
The new East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
franchise was awarded to Stagecoach in November 2007 and from 2 January 2008 Megatrain services started running from London St Pancras International
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
to , , , Derby
Derby Midland railway station
Derby railway station , also known as Derby Midland Station, is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, the station is also used by CrossCountry services and one Northern Rail service...
, and Sheffield
Sheffield Midland station
Sheffield station, formerly Pond Street and later Sheffield Midland, is a railway station in Sheffield, England and is the busiest station in South Yorkshire...
.
The service was available on the following Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
(which is 49% owned by Stagecoach) services as well: - Bristol Temple Meads, and Southampton Central - Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly - Glasgow Central/ and Morpeth
Morpeth railway station
Morpeth railway station is a railway station on the East Coast Main Line in Northumberland, northern England, serving the town of Morpeth.- History :The station was opened by the Newcastle and Berwick Railway on 1 March 1847...
- Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
. Tickets are also available from some intermediate stops on these routes. These routes were withdrawn on 11 November 2007 when the train services were transferred to CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
, owned by Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
.
At the start of 2009 more routes were introduced between Norwich and Nottingham, and Leicester and Sheffield.
In March 2009 Megabusplus
Megabus (United Kingdom)
Megabus is a UK coach service operated by Stagecoach Group. It started in 2003 and as of February 2010 operated 19 UK coach routes serving 41 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. Some services link with Megatrain services which are also operated by Stagecoach...
tickets offering for combined coach and train journeys to London via East Midlands Parkway railway station
East Midlands Parkway railway station
East Midlands Parkway is a railway station located north of Ratcliffe-on-Soar on the Midland Main Line in the East Midlands of England. It provides park and ride facilities for rail passengers on the routes from Leicester to Derby and Nottingham...
were introduced; Three feeder coach routes were provided: Huddersfield - Halifax - Bradford, Harrogate - York - Castleford and Hull - Scunthorpe.
Former routes
| Route | Start date | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penzance - Bristol Temple Meads | 22 April 2006 | 10 November 2007 | Was operated as part of Cross Country franchise |
| Bournemouth/Southampton Central - Birmingham New Street | 22 April 2006 | 10 November 2007 | |
| Manchester Piccadilly - Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Waverley | 22 April 2006 | 10 November 2007 | Partially reinstated in 2008 with one early morning journey, and one late evening journey |
| Morpeth - Edinburgh Waverley | 22 April 2006 | 10 November 2007 | |
| Manchester Piccadilly - Glasgow Central | January 2008 | January 2009 | One journey each direction as part of Virgin Trains Virgin Trains Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland... |