FirstGroup trumps Virgin as frontrunner for WCML franchise (guardian 29/07/2012)

[whole diary]

[vacman]

I think Bransons pram will be well and truly empty by the end of the week!

[Btline]

I was at Wolverhampton station today and the VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchise (or, possibly, in a France context, Versement Transport - a payroll tax on employers to fund local transport) ) staff weren't smiling...

Then again, does anyone in Wolverhampton?

[JayMac]

Once had an enforced stay in the Britannia Hotel Wolverhampton. Never again.

I certainly wasn't smiling after that visit.

[JayMac]

Rebranding another of the idiocies of franchising.

It has to be said though that the nationalised railways were hardly immune from periodic rebranding.

The British Railways regions had their distinct brands. WR, SR^▸ (Southern Railway / Southern Region / Scot Rail / Scottish Region (rather confusing - it depends on the context)) etc. With differing liveries. With the advent of British Rail some uniformity was achieved, but there were still differences in liveries and numerous regional variations in brands. Then there was sectorisation. Inter-City, Regional Railways, ScotRail, Network SouthEast. All branded distinctively different.

Yes, there's more brands these days, but the periods of change aren't much different to nationalised days.

And if you want to go back to pre-grouping in the 1920s, there were literally hundreds of 'brands'.

The network as a whole still hangs on to the BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) 'double arrow', though. And long may that continue. 

[EBrown]

I have to say that a Pendolino does look quite good in First (Great Western) Dynamic Lines Livery. (Photo from RM Web)

[broadgage]

I rather prefered this livery !http://www.fictitiousliveries.co.uk/photo.php?S_A4_1_vt.jpg

[eightf48544]

Well it was on the Today programme this morning. Interviwed Tony Miles Editor Modern Railways.

Seems to be done deal!

[paul7575]

Well it was on the Today programme this morning. Interviwed Tony Miles Editor Modern Railways.

Seems to be done deal!

 

I'm fairly sure Tony Miles is only a freelance contributor to MR^▸ (Midland Railway, or Motor Rail, depending on context) - did they really introduce him as the editor?

Paul

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

An article in yesterday's Mail on Sunday  talking about a First Group takeover of the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) franchise has the following:

"It is understood that if FirstGroup wins the franchise, officials fearful of another 'overbidding' fiasco may force it to give up its other franchises - First Great Western and First Capital Connect. FirstGroup, which has a good reputation for running efficient services while at the same time cutting costs, declined to comment." Of course the frachising process obliges bidders not to make public comment on their bids during the bidding process so "no comment" is only to be expected.

[broadgage]

"Overbidding", and consequent failure is certainly a risk as previous events on the East coast route have shown.

I dont understand how making the winner give up other franchises would help in this respect.
If first group have bid excesively for the west coast franchise, then how would making them give up one or other of their other franchises help ?

[paul7575]

"It is understood that if FirstGroup wins the franchise, officials fearful of another 'overbidding' fiasco may force it to give up its other franchises - First Great Western and First Capital Connect.

That might stem from a somewhat naive view that franchises are shared out in turn according to some secret ratio?  You see this in some other rail forums, stuff like 'if Virgin lose WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line), the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) will probably give them the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line)'.  Sorry, but it just doesn't work like that.

The two other franchises mentioned are already up for renewal anyway (as we know), and in the particular case of First Capital Connect the declared aim is to merge it with Southern and parts of Southeastern - so I'd suggest that it wouldn't be much of a surprise if that went to GoVia anyway.

My personal view is that Virgin are being eased out, and it is because someone has seriously upset the DfT civil servants at some time in the past.

Paul

[JayMac]

I rather prefered this livery !http://www.fictitiousliveries.co.uk/photo.php?S_A4_1_vt.jpg

Ye Gods! That's just wrong. Gresley would have a fit if he were alive to see that.

[grahame]

I rather prefered this livery !http://www.fictitiousliveries.co.uk/photo.php?S_A4_1_vt.jpg

Ye Gods! That's just wrong. Gresley would have a fit if he were alive to see that.

But some things could work: http://www.fictitiousliveries.co.uk/photo.php?dmu153_gwr.jpg

Mind you ... none of the Passenger Focus studies that I've seen has suggested that customers rate the colour of the train as important - it's more about reliabiity, price, (over)crowding and having trains at the times they're wanted 

[JayMac]

Tony Miles, Modern Railways magazine on the Today programme, Radio 4 this morning:

Interview at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9744000/9744375.stm

Virgin could lose its franchise to run trains on the West Coast Main Line this week, with reports that First Group has bid ^7 billion for the franchise and would cut staffing.

Tony Miles of Modern Railways Magazine, said newspaper reports and a letter from Virgin boss Richard Branson suggested a new operator could be running trains between London Euston, the West Midlands, north west England and Glasgow.

He said a new operator would not be allowed to cut services, meaning "staff is the only thing" it could change to cut its costs.

And he suggested the chancellor was pushing the transport secretary to accept the highest bid.

I'm also hearing on the rail forum grapevine that the announcement of the franchise award has been postponed until Wednesday, possibly Thursday. Just rumour, we may get an announcement that the announcement has been delayed!

[Brucey]

In the Twitosphere (have I just made that up?) there are a few cryptic posts from a Virgin Trains employee suggesting there has been a development of some kind in the last few hours.  Presumably to do with the announcement being delayed.