InterCity West Coast
InterCity West Coast (ICWC) was a 1997–2019 railway franchise in the United Kingdom for passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line (and branches thereof), between London Euston, the West Midlands, North Wales, Liverpool, Manchester, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other major destinations between.
Virgin Trains Class 390 Pendolino passing through Lichfield Trent Valley in August 2011 | |
| Current operator | Avanti West Coast |
|---|---|
| Main Route(s) | West Coast Main Line |
| Stations called at | 44 |
| Stations operated | 17 |
| Dates of operation | 9 March 1997 – 7 December 2019 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
The franchise was formed during the privatisation of British Rail and transferred to the private sector on 9 March 1997, when Virgin Trains commenced operations. It was due to be re-let in December 2012, with FirstGroup announced as the winning bidder; this decision was later reversed after the discovery of irregularities in the franchise letting process. In December 2012, Virgin Trains was awarded an extension to continue to run the franchise until November 2014, which was extended in several increments until December 2019.
The InterCity West Coast franchise was superseded on 8 December 2019 by the West Coast Partnership, currently operated by Avanti West Coast.