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Virgin is making moves to reintroduce its brand to British railways, with plans for a direct rail service from Bolton and Horwich to London Euston. The company, which lost the West Coast mainline intercity franchise to Avanti in 2019 after a 22-year tenure, has applied to the Office of Rail and Road for four Open Access rail paths, aiming to have services up and running by the end of 2025.

This type of licence would mean that Virgin wouldn't receive any state subsidies and would take on the risk of operating the rail service itself, unlike a franchised operator who holds a contract with the government to run the route.

The proposed route would start at London Euston, stopping at Nuneaton, Stoke, Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly before heading north to Bolton, Horwich and Chorley, and finally ending at Preston. The service would also operate in reverse, with the same stops.

Bolton, currently the largest town in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ without a direct train service to the capital, had hopes of a direct service raised following the recent electrification of the line between the town and Manchester. Rail passengers from Bolton currently have to change platforms at Piccadilly for London-bound journeys. The lack of a direct route has led many travellers to start their journey from Wigan North Western, which offers frequent services to London via Avanti, reports .

Bolton Council and local MPs have been advocating for a direct service to London for several years, citing it as a crucial factor in revitalising the town's economy. A spokesperson for Bolton Council previously said the town was disadvantaged compared to other areas in Greater Manchester, adding: "Rail transport is an essential prerequisite for the regeneration of Bolton and its economy.

"Bolton is in the north of the conurbation (and) is at a distinct disadvantage compared with the south of GM in terms of access to London, the West Midlands and other main economic centres."

Until the early 1990s, Bolton had a direct service to London, but this was discontinued due to franchising agreements.

Josh Bayliss, CEO of the Virgin Group, revealed: "Virgin has submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road for four Open Access rail paths. While this application is just the first step towards bringing Virgin back to the rail network, we think Open Access is the way forward.