Virgin Trains is soon to give up its role as operator of the West Coast Mainline - but what exactly will that mean for customers?
The line serves some of the 海角视频's busiest stations, including London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly.
But from December 8 onwards, it will be run by First Group and the 海角视频 arm of Trenitalia.
The process of the partnership changing hands is already visible to many passengers, with much of the fleet currently used by Virgin having been stripped of its iconic logos in preparation.
Widely known as being the 海角视频's longest-running rail franchise, West Coast Mainline was launched by Sir Richard Branson in 1997 - and its fleet of Pendolinos has seen passenger numbers almost treble in that time, the .
Scotland-based First Group and the 海角视频 arm of Trenitalia, Italy's main train operator, by the Department for Transport (DfT) in August.
The joint venture - First Trenitalia - has a contract until 2031, which also includes responsibility for HS2 services due to link London to the north scheduled to begin in 2026, subject to an ongoing review of the entire high-speed rail project.
Liverpool City Region Business News
Confusingly, despite Virgin handing over the West Coast Mainline contract, the firm could keep a presence in Liverpool. An earlier this year said the company hoped to launch 24 daily new services between London and Liverpool in May 2020 - said to be the "most advanced and customer-focused" trains. In June, it lodged an 'open access' application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR)
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What the new First Trenitalia trains will look like, and how the programme of scrappage and refurbishment will affect timetables, is yet to be revealed - but a whole new liveried brand is set to hit the concourses of Lime Street and Parkway very soon.
A launch event for the new partnership is to take place later this week - but what will the changes mean for passengers?
What will happen to the Pendolino trains?
The fleet of 56 high-speed titling Pendolino trains will be retained and improved.
New, more comfortable seats, new toilets and extra luggage space are promised in a £117m refurbishment programme.
Will timetables change?
The new partnership has promised later last trains to London Euston, Monday to Friday, from December, 2020.
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Further details about the new times are yet to be released.
Inside the new TransPennine Express trains now running from Lime Street:
Will fares increase?
The government uses July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) - a measure of inflation - to determine an increase in the price of regulated fares.
Regulated fares comprise about 40 per cent of tickets, including off-peak returns on longer journeys, season tickets and anytime fares.
Prices for other unregulated tickets, like super off-peak and advance, are set by train companies in December.
Train companies can choose to increase some while keeping others the same, or even reduce fares on some routes.
On ticketing, the DfT has said the new franchise will offer 'more flexible and convenient' smart ticketing options and improved delay repay compensation.
Will there be more trains?
The Department for Transport has said passengers will benefit from 263 extra train services every week from December 2022.
Motherwell is set to become a major calling point for most West Coast Partnership services.
Destinations including Llandudno and Gobowen will be served by direct trains to and from London, and Walsall will receive its first direct intercity services.
Liverpool South Parkway will also become a new destination for direct trains from London - although it's unclear how this will affect Lime Street services.
Subject to approval from the Office of Rail and Road, two fast trains (not including London Northwestern's services, which take almost four hours) per hour will run between Liverpool and London, the DfT has said.
The partnership said: "To increase capacity and improve journeys, we're replacing outdated diesel Voyager trains with 23 new trains to our fleet on the existing West Coast Mainline.
"We will also refurbish the existing fleet to be as new so that across the Pendolino fleet, 25,000 new seats will be installed meaning a more comfortable journey for passengers."
What will the new livery look like?
There's set to be a new name and a new brand but as yet, no further details have been revealed.
No timetable for a re-branding of the Pendolinos - or a programme of refurbishment - has been confirmed as of yet, although news is promised 'over the coming weeks and months'.
First Trenitalia said: "From the start of the new franchise, we'll go through a new branding process to make sure the new brand and vision is reflected across the network.
"We know how important the brand is to the current franchise. We’re currently developing the new franchise’s brand and hope to be able to announce everything soon, including the new name."
The new branding will include station literature including timetables and any hoardings. Work to remove some Virgin branding from trains has already started.
What will happen to Virgin staff?
The new operator said it would be welcoming almost 3,500 Virgin Trains staff to its workforce on December 8.
They say they will also be able to offer some 'new and exciting opportunities' in the future.
"We’re introducing a staff app, to help give people information when they need it, where they need it.
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"We also have resources available to make improvements to staff accommodation and will collect people’s ideas on how these can best be invested.
"Once the new franchise is underway, we will run a series of workshops with our new colleagues to collect ideas on a wider range of topics, from high speed services to uniforms.
"We have teams responsible for driving, vehicle maintenance, customer services, safety, planning, finance, and HR.
"Colleagues will also receive the benefits enjoyed by other FirstGroup and Trenitalia colleagues.
"At the start of the new franchise, all employees will transfer across following the well-established Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations process (known as 'TUPE') in their existing roles."
Will tickets bought before December 8 still be valid?
Virgin has confirmed that customers can still book travel as normal.
Any tickets purchased before December 8 for travel after this date will still be valid, with exactly the same terms and conditions.
First Trenitalia said: "Any tickets purchased before December 8, 2019, for travel after this date, are valid for travel with the same terms and conditions.
"Services are opened for reservation and Advance tickets up to 24 weeks before the travel date. This process will continue through the transition period."
Any other benefits?
Better and more reliable free Wi-Fi is being promised on board, alongside at-seat wireless charging for electronic devices.
There's also a change in store in terms of food and drink.
A new on-board food offer is due to be launched - featuring produce by 'household names'. No further information has been revealed as yet.
The partnership said it would cut its fleets carbon emissions by more than 60 per cent and increase waste recycling.
Free water refills will also be made available and there will also be a new first class lounge at Stockport railway station.
The DfT said the new trains would result in a reduction to C02 emissions of more than 60 per cent and railway stations could benefit from solar panels and more efficient air conditioning.
The 400-mile West Coast Mainline runs from Glasgow in Scotland through the major cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London, serving Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Wilmslow and Wigan North Western stations locally.
Trenitalia, a subsidiary of Italian state owned Rail provider Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, currently runs trains on the c2c line between east London and Shoeburyness in Essex.
How did Virgin lose the contract?
Virgin Trains, a joint venture between Virgin Group and 海角视频 transport giants Stagecoach, has run its Pendolino trains on the West Coast Main Line route since 1997.
As the long-running contract approached expiration, bids were invited by the Government to run a new franchise on the route.
Virgin Trains' entry comprised a joint bid by Virgin, Stagecoach and SNCF, France's national state-owned railway company.
But Stagecoach said it was informed by the DfT that it has been banned from the three franchise competitions after submitting non-compliant bids 'principally in respect of pensions risk'.
The DfT claimed Stagecoach 'breached established rules' - and insisted the company was 'responsible for their own disqualification'.
As a result, it was barred from entering the running.
Richard Branson hit out at the decision, and said it meant Virgin Trains 'could be gone from the 海角视频'.
Now, both Stagecoach and Virgin are suing the DfT over its decision.
But the handover to the new operator is still set to proceed on December 8.
Making the announcement, the DfT said the new partnership was 'vital to deliver the swift introduction of significant benefits for passengers' and represented a 'significant move away from the previous flawed franchising system'.