Virgin Trains is targeting the West Coast in a return to Britain’s railways five years after Sir Richard Branson lost the franchise. The British billionaire’s Virgin Group submitted an open access application to the UK’s railway and roads watchdog for permission to run separate train services between London and Glasgow. The proposals come after Virgin Rail lost the West Coast Main Line franchise in 2019 and was disqualified by ministers from bidding for the lucrative contract after failing to meet pensions and funding rules. It marks a direct challenge to Avanti West Coast, increasing pressure on the troubled train operator that has been widely criticised for its poor service levels and sustained delays and cancellations since replacing Virgin. Virgin Group, which ran the West Coast line for 22 years, said that customers would welcome its comeback and the company could provide them with “much-needed choice and competition”. A spokesman for the Virgin Group said: “While this application is just the first step towards exploring what might be possible, we think open access is the way forward. “Open access increases consumer choice and competition both of which Virgin has always supported.” Open access licences allow train operators to run services independently...