Virgin Trains has said it is delighted to be part of the £10 million revitalisation of Chester Railway Station, ahead of its introduction of an hourly train service to and from London, which starts in January 2009.

"The first sight many visitors to Chester see is the railway station and with an increase in London trains from five to 13 a day, we will be delivering far more visitors to the City than ever before. We will also be linking London and Chester in just two hours. The improvement work will revitalise the area around the station," said Virgin West Coast Managing Director, Charles Belcher.

Virgin Trains is part of the Chester Gateway Partnership which also includes Network Rail, Arriva Trains Wales, Cheshire County Council, Chester City Council, Merseyrail, Merseytravel, North West Development Agency, Railway Heritage Trust, and Visit Chester & Cheshire. In total around £10 million has been committed to the scheme.

Network Rail's plans for the station include a new glazed roof over the concourse and platforms and the replacement of the passenger information screens at the station. During next year Network Rail will commence on stonework repairs to the main station building.