Virgin Loses WCML franchaise

[Kali]

For my entire life I've gone between the southwest & London; I can vaguely remember when we first got airconditioned coaches - deep comfy seats at tables! all of them - and then when HSTs arrived with the foul smelling brakes, and you tried to get one of the tables near the ends because they lined up with the windows best and we grumbled about the way things were going - but journeys got quicker and quicker. I can't get out so much atm so I don't travel, last time I went to London via FGW I got a cheap first class ticket and checked what standard class is like now... and jeez, rows of tiny thin seats, all you can see is the back of another seat. Journey times are getting longer and the fares are soaring even in relative terms... this is progress?

When Wessex ran the local trains down here we'd get 158s ( airconditioned, comfy stock designed for medium routes like most of them here ) for most journeys. First GW took over the local trains too and replaced them with pacers. I'd rather take the bus. My commiserations to anyone who uses WC regularily, don't expect anything better...

To be fair, there are more people travelling by train now than there have ever been, even when the rail network was at it's peak - Network Rail make a big thing of this. Might have something to do with more than 60m people being crammed on this little island and having to choose between food and petrol.

[thebigroyboyski]

I think first class would be the only way I'd travel now. Standard class in a voyager is worse than being crammed in a plane. There wasn't enough room for me to put my head down for a snooze.
I've not been on a pacer in years but I can remember being bounced around. Did they not have the nickname nodding donkeys for a while?
The best units I've been on so far are the 380s that run locally up here. Very very smooth quiet and fast. I'll need to get the railworks one and compare.

[dazzharvey]

Interesting point Kali makes about the whole of the transport system will probably be run by Stagecoach and First, would the monopolies and mergers commision not object to that? or they may object but therefore will happen anyways *receives cash* (cough cough)...

I am interested in reading everyones experiences, comparing what it's like now to what it used to be like in the past.

Here's my wee story
I live 33.2 miles from Waverley station in Edinburgh yet there is no pre-determined tavel time to get from Perth to there, it's sometimes 1hr 20 sometimes 1hr 40, i've even seen 2 hrs thrown into the mix, I can make same journey in 40 mins by road but it's not the same :( I recently went to the Edinburgh fringe comedy festival as I received a ticket for a show as a birthday present and had I caught the last train I would have been stranded at stirling with a 50/50 chance of a train taking me home or getting the 2nd last train (a 4 car 158) which was way over capacity, sardines doesn't even begin to cover it, I arrived 10 mins early to an already full train waiting there, i walked up to the far end and hopped on, being a geek I was when i got a sneaky peek of when the driver opened the cab door, the train kept on filling beyond safe limits and I had to politely ask the couple who were sharing a mcdonalds meal 2 inches from my face if they could give me a little space so i could take an insulin injection, I don't feel any malice towards the couple whatsoever, if you're hungry you gotta eat, that i understand being somewhat on a routine for my Diabetes and all that, All i'm saying i suppose is I would just like to have a seat for the train ticket I have paid for, finally got a seat after ladybank and 1 hr, 10 mins had passed, 20 minutes with my feet stretching felt good but by the time i got home at half past midnight I felt like a train wreck myself.

it's a long hike for the short distances involved but it keeps me fit i suppose

[Kali]

Well, you can at least get a seat on a FGW HST now even if you'd rather wish you hadn't once you sit down - I can remember in late 80s/early 90s quite often standing all the way to London from Tiv PW, which is about 2 and a half hours. I guess it was good training for London commuting...

There's about 30m too many people on this island, anyone short of population?

[dazzharvey]

Maybe we can make a movie based on the Trains vs Zombies like the add on pack except *spoiler alert* - - - - I'm not flying it

For anyone interested - I also found this petition for those who want to try help Virgins cause to keep them on the WCML

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/37180

[Kali]

I'm starting to think Stagecoach might well make a serious effort at GW when it's up for renewal ( pretty soon ) - First now have a bunch of interconnected areas all the way from Scotland to London, Stagecoach winning GW would give them anything in the south west of Brighton, the entire southwest area, an incursion into ATW's area and up to the south Midlands... all they'd need then is LM when it comes up in a couple of years and they can fill in the gap to EMT. Stagecoach seem happy to organise commuter services, so that wouldn't be a bad thing. If Govia got thameslink/east anglia & maybe EC ( I'm not sure they want EC, are they even trying to bid? ) and then the govt got off it's high horse & let them integrate services ( hahaha, it is to laugh ) then we'd have basically regional operations at that point, Northern & Chiltern notwithstanding.

Should point out Stagecoach own 49% of Virgin Rail - what a pity it wasn't 51%.