--------------Main Menu

Transport - Virgin Trains

TrainA Virgin express train was so full that TEN people packed into a toilet. One sat on the loo and the others crammed in like sardines around him. Computer worker Paul Downing boarded the 12.51 Edinburgh to Exeter service at Preston. He said, “It was so crowded you would not want an animal to travel on it (in fact, it would be illegal). All the aisles were packed with people standing. Passengers sat on every inch of floor. One toilet was out of order and the other was crammed with people who had nowhere else to go. It was a large cubicle to allow wheelchair access but it was never meant to be so full. There must have been at least ten in there. I squeezed in on the gangway outside.”

The train, consisting of just four coaches, was running 30 minutes late (of course) because of the number getting on and off at each station, said Paul, from Suffolk. One woman was sitting on the floor trying to feed her baby. Virgin Rail said, “There was an unexpected and particularly heavy demand for this train. The train manager can turn passengers away in extreme circumstances but this is not a popular move. We apologise to customers who were inconvenienced.” No compensation though!

Virgin Trains were criticised by the Government following the news that fares were to rise by 10%. Junior transport minister Keith Hill said the increases on the West Coast mainline related to unregulated fares. Responding to a Commons written question from Tory Michael Jack, Mr Hill said the Strategic Rail Authority would be meeting representatives from Virgin Trains to discuss the matter. But he added, "In light of recent disruption on the rail network, and the wish to attract more passengers to rail, the Government finds Virgin's announcement regrettable." The development followed criticism of the increases from Margaret Beckett, the Leader of the House. When asked about the fare rises by Mr Jack during business questions, Mrs Beckett said she shared his concerns. She said, "It's hard to see how it will attract passengers back to the railway."

Virgin Trains was blaming a rise of almost 10% in prices on the aftermath of the Hatfield disaster. Passengers who had endured months of delays on the rail network would have to pay the increased ticket prices. Virgin said it regretted the increase and blamed Railtrack for failing to provide adequate compensation for disruption caused by the Hatfield crash. A Virgin spokesman said, "We are very unhappy with the situation, which is entirely out of our control. Rail users are having to help pick up the pieces from the Hatfield disaster, which they shouldn't have to do."

The spokesman said the company was concerned that passenger numbers would fall as a result of the increases, but said, "We are trying our best to minimise the impact on passengers." He said the Hatfield disaster had cost Virgin more than £100 million in lost revenue, but Railtrack had offered less than half that sum in compensation. A standard open return fare from London to Manchester increased from £150 to £164; Birmingham to London from £80 to £87.50; Exeter to Birmingham from £83 to £91; and Preston to London from £155 to £170. The company froze the cost of Virgin Value tickets and planned to run various promotions offering cut-price fares.

Virgin Trains told rail passengers wanting to take advantage of their half-price ticket offer to be patient. Since the promotion was launched at a cost of £10 million, customers said they couldn't get tickets. They said telephone lines were jammed, the website was too busy and the queues were too long at stations. A Virgin Trains spokesman said the offer was like a sale and said they had been swamped by 367,000 calls as opposed to around 20,000 on a normal day. "We are doing all we can. It is a popular offer," he added. "We would ask people to bear with us and keep trying."

Richard Branson announced the half-price ticket scheme in a bid to lure travellers back on to the trains following the disruption caused by the Hatfield crash and poor weather. The spokesman said all Virgin Trains ticket prices were being dropped by 50% but added monthly and annual ticket prices would remain the same, as these customers had already received compensation.

Passengers on Virgin's tilting trains are facing hot, smelly and "uncomfortable" journeys, according to the managing director, Charles Belcher. An internal memo from Mr Belcher warns that travellers on some of the new Pendolino services between London and Scotland will have to put up with pungent lavatories and an eccentric air-conditioning system that is prone to blowing warm air at passengers when temperatures rise. This winter, the bizarre mechanism often switched heating off when temperatures dipped below zero and refused to come back on until the coach had warmed up, the note reveals.

The Pendolino trains have been hit by problems since the 125mph service was introduced amid much fanfare. The first in a series of mishaps occurred when a train hit a buffer at Lime Street Station in Liverpool. Several passengers were injured. A 110mph limit was subsequently imposed on the London-to-Glasgow west coast main line after a warning from the Health and Safety Executive. The company also met Tony McNulty, a Transport minister, to discuss concerns about the trains. The memo sets out a range of problems afflicting the Pendolino toilets and a timetable for fixing them.

Toilets were often locked when sensors incorrectly showed waste tanks full. At the depot, sometimes the waste tanks were not emptied. The supplier of the equipment took "many weeks" to complete repairs. Among the other problems are: spillages from incorrectly installed pipe-work; depot staff not properly trained and customers blocking the toilets by flushing rubbish down them. Doors have tended to jam on their runners. Mr Belcher's memo said, "Many key components within the system failed, in particular the sensors that monitor the exterior ambient temperature, controlling the temperature in each vehicle. The defects caused the system to increase the heat, wrongly thinking the temperature was low."

Mr Belcher insists many of the problems have been solved. However, he warns, "There may be some uncomfortable journeys if there is warm weather before then." The managing director points out punctuality and reliability have improved after initial problems. More than 82% of trains are arriving on time and more than 97% of scheduled services are running. He said there was no room for complacency, but revenue was growing at 20% and the volume of complaints were half those at the same time the previous year. Barrie Clement

Next >>>


Home

These articles have been collected from various sources. If you are the copyright owner of any of them, contact us for either a credit and link to your site or removal of the article.