BRANSON PUTS PASSENGERS IN A PICKLE

25-09-2007

Sir Richard Branson has earned himself a reputation as a consumer champion, fearlessly challenging powerful vested interests like British Airways. But when it comes to his West Midlands rail routes, it seems the Virgin boss isn't quite the free marketer we'd all been led to believe.

Branson's Virgin Trains discovered last year that they were about to face competition from the Wrexham & Shropshire Railway line, which aimed to restore a direct link between North Wales and London.

The new service, due to start this summer, had to run through Wolverhampton, and the company - not unreasonably - thought they'd attract some custom there too. Wolvo, of course, is where Branson's high speed service to the capital also begins and terminates.

So did the bearded one welcome the arrival of the new kid on the block? Did he accept the challenge to improve time-keeping on his trains and keep down prices? Did he welcome the extra capacity that would result, meaning that fewer passengers would have to stand on long journeys? Did he, in short, behave in a manner true to the spirit of customer-friendly laissez-faire capitalist enterprise?

Did he heck!

Virgin Trains activated a "moderation of competition" clause in their franchise agreement, which basically protects them from having a direct competitor on their routes.

This had such a devastating effect on Wrexham & Shropshire that their original plans had to be shelved, and their launch date put back to next spring.

Now a ludicrous compromise has been agreed in which the new company's trains will stop at Wolverhampton, but depending on the direction of travel, passengers will either be banned from getting on or getting off.

Heading towards London, travellers from the West - the route passes through Shrewsbury and Cosford - will be allowed to disembark at Wolvo, but not get on; while heading back from the Smoke, they'll be able to board, but not leave.

The only bonus is that Tame Bridge Parkway station in Walsall which is close to the Wednesbury border will give the Black Country a new departure point to London instead (with trains heading thereafter down the Chiltern Line to Marylebone).

Given that the there are only five trains planned a day on this route and that the journey time from Wolvo would be three hours it's hard to imagine that many West Midlands passengers would have deserted Virgin anyway.

But hey, when you're a go-getting man of the people, it's best not to give them the chance - eh, Sir Richard?