Train Fares Going Up Again

[johnny on the spot]

I see Branson's lot have lost their last franchise to those shitbags at First for stupid money. £390m a year up from £160m. Completely unsustainable.

Cue a swathe of job cuts, declining service, further fare hikes, union and passenger fury and ultimately the deal being terminated early.

Virgin are the only people that have upgraded stuff in the last 100 years

Yep. For much of their tenure times were better (pre-financial crisis) and the weren't paying the incredible figure First have pledged (£5.5bn over the life of the contract). Somehow First are going to give us more trains and cheaper fares, attracting thousands more passengers...

 

[BoyBlue_1985]

I see Branson's lot have lost their last franchise to those shitbags at First for stupid money. £390m a year up from £160m. Completely unsustainable.

Cue a swathe of job cuts, declining service, further fare hikes, union and passenger fury and ultimately the deal being terminated early.

Virgin are the only people that have upgraded stuff in the last 100 years

Yep. For much of their tenure times were better (pre-financial crisis) and the weren't paying the incredible figure First have pledged (£5.5bn over the life of the contract). Somehow First are going to give us more trains and cheaper fares, attracting thousands more passengers...

I dont get this to they have to pay to hire the rail line itself??

 

[tidyman]

so does that mean virgin wont be running on the west coast line.i always made sure i got the virgin train as it was much more comfortable and cleaner.and you got a seat

From September. ( Sorry, meant December )

Already speculation that they won't have catering on their trains which would cost 600 jobs.

Biggest difference for some passengers would probably be the end of the Virgin concession that people with railcards can travel with off peak tickets at any time.

 

[nijinsky's fetlocks]

i'll post the pics soon

Are you threatening me?

;-)

That's Piccadilly Gardens with a colander photoshopped onto it.
We can see the Plaza building behind.
Good try though.

 

[Pieblue]

Virgin are the only people that have upgraded stuff in the last 100 years

Yep. For much of their tenure times were better (pre-financial crisis) and the weren't paying the incredible figure First have pledged (£5.5bn over the life of the contract). Somehow First are going to give us more trains and cheaper fares, attracting thousands more passengers...

I dont get this to they have to pay to hire the rail line itself??

#

Virgin have upgraded fuck all it's you as a taxpayer who have paid for any upgrades on the track and in rolling stock. Although that slimy little self publicist Branson would like you to think differently. You have also asked the 64 million pound question do they have to pay to hire the rail line the short answer is yes and the long answer will need to wait until tonight when I get more time. The rail industry is a fragmented mess with different companys paying each other for different services and then claiming compensation back off each other when a service is not provided or perceived to be not provided whilst you the tax payer provide the cash in the first place.

 

[BoyBlue_1985]

Yep. For much of their tenure times were better (pre-financial crisis) and the weren't paying the incredible figure First have pledged (£5.5bn over the life of the contract). Somehow First are going to give us more trains and cheaper fares, attracting thousands more passengers...

I dont get this to they have to pay to hire the rail line itself??

#

Virgin have upgraded fuck all it's you as a taxpayer who have paid for any upgrades on the track and in rolling stock. Although that slimy little self publicist Branson would like you to think differently. You have also asked the 64 million pound question do they have to pay to hire the rail line the short answer is yes and the long answer will need to wait until tonight when I get more time. The rail industry is a fragmented mess with different companys paying each other for different services and then claiming compensation back off each other when a service is not provided or perceived to be not provided whilst you the tax payer provide the cash in the first place.

I meant more the trains upgraded even if we did pay as taxpayer at least something was changed. Most rail companies still using shitty old trains that maybe were new in the 70's

 

[2sheikhs]

What does Branson do with all these trains now that he's lost the contract?

 

[totallywired]

Not defending privatisation or slating nationalisation with this question, but given the state of the rolling stock and the service in general when it was nationalised do you think we'd have seen the improvements we currently have if it was still nationalised?

The fact that the government is still pouring millions into the `privatised` railway then yes i do. The massive payments and bonuses that we the tax payer are funding, for the directors of the TOCS. would go straight in the service.

The TOC's dont pay for the rolling stock the Government provides the money for any new stock. The TOC's dont own any trains they rent them so if Virgin lose the franchise today and I sure hope he does because he has received millions in tax payers money,then thetrains now in use will just be painted in the new franchisee's colours.

Networkrail is not responsible for any trains as it does not run them and was formed after the shambles that was Railtrack was forced into liquidation by the government due to it's appling record.
It is responsible for the Track and signalling and some but not all stations
All maintenance used to be outsourced to companys such as Carrillion, Jarvis etc until the likes of the Hatfield disaster and Potters bar crash when it was taken back in house at massive cost but an increase in safety.
Major renewals are still outsourced and are a cash cow for the likes of Balfour Beatty and at massive cost to the tax payer. The TOC's receive more in tax payers money every year than the whole of BR did in it's last year of existence. Rail privatisation has been a masive failure and was the last throw of Majors government before he was ousted. We the tax payer are being drained of cash to support a railway industry whilst the government and the TOC's pretend they are private companys standing on there own 2 feet. It's a joke and a scandal.

I will second that

 

[tidyman]

What does Branson do with all these trains now that he's lost the contract?

Think someone else mentioned it already but
the train companies don't own the trains. They rent them
so they'll just be repainted and the new company's
local stuck on them. Horizon or something I think.

 

[2sheikhs]

What does Branson do with all these trains now that he's lost the contract?

Think someone else mentioned it already but
the train companies don't own the trains. They rent them
so they'll just be repainted and the new company's
local stuck on them. Horizon or something I think.

I know. I didn't read all of the posts properly and was hoping nobody would notice how lazy and ignorant I was being.