A petition to stop Virgin from killing W&S

[whole diary]

[Btline]

I love the way that you believe Worcester is entitled to some sort of special train service, yet when places that have no direct London service whatever are offered the prospect of one, you're up in arms about it.

I've got no problem with Aber having a direct service, it is just the effect the service will have on W&S^▸ (Wrexham and Shropshire (Open Access Operator)) and Chiltern.

There are going to be less regular travellers than Worcester anyway. There are excellent connexions at B'ham Int, and I expect people will start using them. The Cambrian Line user group thinks this is sufficient, and like me think that Mid-Wales would benefit far more with an hourly service.

And for someone who is obsessed about the smell of toilets on Virgin's trains, why are you so keen on putting the people of Mid-Wales on them?

Not sure what you're saying. W&S don't run Voyagers.

Re: Chiltern: they have more than doubled passenger numbers. The NSE^▸ (Network South East) service was unreliable and slow on single track - BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) was mothballing the route. I doubt any people used the train from Moor Street to Marylebone.

I suppose W&S running into Mid-Wales would cause pathing problems. But it would enable them to increase services to London as part of a more "standard" timetable (or splitting existing trains) and providing the direct service at the same time.

[willc]

Oh please...

What effect on Chiltern? From a whole two trains a day each way? There may well be an argument to be had about the timings of the train Arriva want to run from London at 12.15, just ahead of W&S^▸ (Wrexham and Shropshire (Open Access Operator)), but the others are well spaced out and a 158 is no Mk3.

Not sure what you're saying. W&S don't run Voyagers

No, they don't, but you are saying that excellent connections are available at Birmingham from ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) into Virgin services - using Pendolinos, which also have smelly toilets. Whereas, unless you enjoy sitting around at Shrewsbury for about half-an-hour, connections from the coast trains to W&S services are nothing to write home about, while the other way, they miss a connection by about 10 minutes, or there isn't one.

BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) was mothballing the route

... that would be why they carried out an extensive modernisation programme on the Chiltern lines under NSE^▸ (Network South East) in the early 1990s, with new signals and new trains, with ATP^▸ (Automatic Train Protection), after ditching the plan to close Marylebone. Obviously, they wanted Birmingham-London passengers to go to Euston but it was perfectly possible to go to Marylebone on NSE if you wanted (this was the time they tried out Birmingham Snow Hill-Worcester-Cotswold Line-Paddington services) and at that time there were XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) trains from Birmingham to Paddington via Oxford as well. Laing Group chose to bid for the Chiltern line at privatisation because they could see there were good foundations to build on, which they did, but to make out that BR did nothing to assist this process is just wrong.

W&S don't want to go to the coast. And even if they did, they would be charged a small fortune by Network Rail to run class 67s west of Shrewsbury, if they allowed them at all, given the effect they have on track.

[caliwag]

Very complimentary article, in today's Observer, about the service. Full page in main paper, will do W&S^▸ (Wrexham and Shropshire (Open Access Operator)) the world of good and make uncomfortable reading for Sir Richard.
Comparison with Titfield Thunderbolt rather fun...

[devon_metro]

This perhaps?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/12/train-travel-virgin-wrexham-shropshire

[caliwag]

Thanks DM...my post was a bit lazy

[willc]

Having experienced W&S^▸ (Wrexham and Shropshire (Open Access Operator)) myself, while I agree with everything that is said about the quality of the onboard service and the trundling through Birmingham, it's a bit much that he completely sidesteps the recent service cuts and why they have made pretty drastic changes in the fare structure and is vague, to put it politely, about the Virgin proposal, making it appear it was announced and then dropped within a matter of days, when it has been on the table since late February - and makes out that Virgin gets ^35m a year for services to Shropshire, when that is the sum for its entire WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) operation.

I'm sure there are plenty of very friendly and helpful Virgin conductors too, never mind all the ones that posters on this forum encounter on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services.

It's very easy to cast Branson as a corporate baddie - and I regarded the Shrewsbury service as a pretty cynical scheme myself - but his services aren't the ones where restaurant services are being killed off (albeit that at-seat meals are confined to first class) nor are they running from one end of the country to the other with trolley catering - which FGW has decided won't work on far shorter journeys in this part of the world. And I'm not sure some other operators would have stuck it out through the route modernisation scheme.

The Virgin service to Chester and North Wales is now the best offered in years, 3tph on the Birmingham and Manchester routes speaks for itself. This is a company that has done good things for the railways - if only they could get someone in who knows how to design a decent toilet flushing system.

And if they really do have a Voyager or two spare, then I'm sure the citizens of Blackpool would be delighted to see them a couple of times a day.

[Btline]

I agree with Willc - I think VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises) are the only TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) enhancing their dining service. Other operators should follow suit: Provide high quality food with decent china, free to First Class passengers; and provide a buffet car for second class passengers.

As well as this, Virgin West Coast have done lots of good things to the rail network; being, for example, one of the only companies decreasing journey times, not adding slack/stops to them; (ignoring their XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) franchise) and of course using tilting.

Thanks to the VHF timetable, Britain now has the highest frequency train service linking its top cities in the world.

Unfortunately, the bad things (new trains) have caused hatred. The VHF timetable will only work - as Christian W says - if walk up fares are reasonably priced.