Meet the new boss. Just like – in fact, it is the old boss. First Group has hired all of Virgin Trains’ existing management team to run the London to Glasgow West Coast service when First takes over from Virgin next month.

Phil Whittingham, the managing director of Virgin Trains since 2013, and a Virgin man since 1999, will become managing director of First’s West Coast Partnership rail service on 8 December.

First confirmed that the existing senior management team at Virgin Trains will also join him – a host of directors in charge of people, finance, commercial, information technology, and corporate affairs.

Even existing interim appointments – including acting customer experience and operations directors – will take their roles to the new organisation,

While the majority of rail staff such as drivers and crew are automatically given jobs at the new operating company under TUPE transfer rules when a franchise changes hands, it is unusual for all the senior managers to retain their roles.

The move could be seen as a tribute to Virgin’s performance – or another indictment of the rail franchising system which has been condemned as unfit for purpose and is now subject to review.

The West Coast Partnership was awarded in August despite the fact that Keith Williams, chairing the rail review, had indicated franchising was dead, and not long after another major franchise competition, South Eastern, had been scrapped.

Virgin, with partner Stagecoach, had been disqualified from bidding after a row over pensions liabilities and is still pursuing legal action.

The eventual scope of First’s franchise remains uncertain due to delays to HS2. New high-speed trains were planned to run under First on the West Coast line from 2026, but that date has been pushed back and speculation remains that the whole scheme could yet be scrapped.

A second managing director, Caroline Donaldson, will remain from First’s bid team, in charge of the West Coast Partnership Development, to work with HS2 and the Department for Transport.

Roger Ford, of industry magazine Modern Railways, said: “The message to Virgin staff is carry on as before … First have no plans to do anything different. It’s a recognition of the fact that new franchisees don’t bring much to the table any more – so why not let the people who run it, run it.”