21/08/2006

megatrain.com, Stagecoach Group’s innovative budget rail initiative, has clocked up its 100,000th passenger booking.

New figures show that megatrain.com, which offers off-peak rail fares from just £1, is now attracting up to 1,000 passengers a day.

More than 900,000 people have visited the megatrain.com website since the service went live last autumn.

Bargain megatrain.com fares are on offer on the South West Trains and Virgin CrossCountry rail franchises, covering 22 destinations across the UK.

Ian Dobbs, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group’s rail division, said: “We are delighted with the success of megatrain.com, which is bringing cheaper rail travel to thousands of customers across the country.

“megatrain.com‘s flexible, value-for-money pricing is changing the way fares are managed and helping to make the most of the capacity on the rail network.

“Our award-winning service has been recognised for its innovation, but the best recognition is that passengers are voting with their feet and travelling with megatrain.com.”

Stagecoach launched megatrain.com in November 2005, introducing the cheapest tickets on the UK rail network for decades.

More than 5,000 cheap seats a week are available on off-peak South West Trains services, Monday to Saturday, linking London with nine locations: Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Exeter, Salisbury, Yeovil, Bath and Bristol.

megatrain.com fares are also available on more than a fifth of all Virgin CrossCountry services, covering the Birmingham-Bournemouth, Bristol-Plymouth, Manchester-Edinburgh/Glasgow, Morpeth-Edinburgh and Plymouth-Penzance routes.

The budget rail service was launched following the huge success of Stagecoach’s market-leading low-cost inter-city coach operation, megabus.com, which now has a national network covering 40 UK cities and carries around 2 million passengers a year.

ENDS

For media enquiries only, please contact:

South West Trains Press Office
Tel: 020 7620 5229.

NOTES TO EDITORS

• 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.
• Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transportation group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs around 30,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.