31/10/2005

• Passengers to enjoy cheapest prices on UK rail network for decades
• Pilot project at South West Trains follows huge success of megabus.com

Stagecoach is offering rail fares from just £1 with the launch of a budget train service, megatrain.com.

The new service, which follows the huge success of the company’s market-leading low-cost inter-city coach service megabus.com, will give passengers the best value fares on the UK rail network for decades.

megatrain.com will offer seats through a dedicated website and phone hotline, with the cheapest fares available the earlier customers book.

It follows the huge success of megabus.com, which now has a national network covering 35 UK cities and carries around 1.5 million passengers a year.

The megatrain.com concept is being piloted at South West Trains, the UK’s biggest rail franchise, on the Portsmouth-London and Southampton-London routes.

More than 3000 seats a week will be available through the megatrain.com website on a number of off-peak services Monday to Saturday.

The first megatrain.com services will run from 14 November and bookings will be accepted from today (31 October 2005) when the new website goes live. megatrain.com customers will be able to choose to receive their booking confirmation reference number via email or mobile phone text message.

Passengers will then enjoy travel in a designated area of the train, with many services provided by brand new state-of-the-art Desiros - some of the most modern, comfortable and well-equipped trains on the UK rail network.

Brian Souter, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group, said: “megabus.com has caught the imagination of the travelling public and is now extremely popular and successful. We hope the megatrain.com pilot scheme will enjoy similar success.

“megabus.com stands for unrivalled value-for-money and first-class customer service. These are the same qualities that customers will get when they travel with megatrain.com.”

The launch of megatrain.com will also be supported by an extensive email marketing campaign.

megabus.com, which celebrated its second anniversary in August, has seen weekly passenger numbers shoot up by nearly 25% in just six months. More than three million passengers have travelled with megabus.com since the first trial route was launched in August 2003 and a national network went live in March 2004.

This summer, megabus.com introduced a £6.5 million fleet of new state-of-the-art double-decker coaches with air-conditioning, toilets and more comfortable seats.

ENDS

• To book or for further information about services, go to www.megatrain.com

• Bookings are also accepted by phone on 09001 200 300. Lines are open 8am to 9pm & days a week. Calls cost 60p a minute from landlines. Mobile calls may vary.

• megatrain.com customer services can be contacted  on 0901 331 0031. Calls cost 10p a minute from landlines. Mobile calls may vary.

• All megatrain.com reservations will be subject to a 50p booking fee.

For media enquiries only, please contact:

Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, Stagecoach Group
Tel: 01738 442111 or 07764 774 680

South West Trains Press Office
Tel: 020 7620 5229