2010s
Virgin was shortlisted for the InterCity West Coast franchise by the DfT in March 2011.[36] In August 2012, the Department awarded FirstGroup the new franchise.[37] Virgin felt that the methodology used to award the franchise was flawed, and Richard Branson said it was unlikely Virgin would bid for any future franchises.[38][39] When the DfT did not respond to Virgin's concerns, it launched proceedings for a judicial review.[40] While preparing its case for the judicial review, the government discovered significant technical flaws in the way the franchise process had been conducted, and cancelled the competition, vindicating Virgin's protests.[41]
In December 2012, Virgin was awarded a 23-month management contract to run the West Coast franchise until November 2014;[42] the contract was extended in stages until March 2020.[43]
During May 2013, there was a controversy regarding new uniforms, with claims that the blouses were too revealing and potentially exposed dark bras to the public. Virgin Rail Group responded to this by offering a voucher worth £20 to allow employees to purchase a top to wear underneath the new blouses.[44]
In November 2016, the government announced that the InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by the West Coast Partnership, which included operating High Speed 2 (HS2). Services were planned to begin on the first phase of HS2 in 2026.[45] The DfT requires that the new operator have experience in operating high speed trains (250 mph) and infrastructure.[46][47] To satisfy this requirement, Stagecoach (50%) and Virgin (20%) bid in a joint venture with SNCF (30%).[48][49] In April 2019, Stagecoach revealed that it had been disqualified from the franchises it was bidding for, including the West Coast Partnership.[50][51]
In June 2019, Virgin lodged an application to the Office of Rail & Road for an open access service from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street calling at Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street to rival the West Coast Partnership franchisee from May 2021.[55] The application was later withdrawn.
