FlyerTon Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Eight year contract just awarded to Virgin Trains & Stagecoach. The franchise will be known as 'Inter City Railways' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30222458 The RMT union called the return of the franchise to the private sector "a national disgrace". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bairn Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Good decision IMO. Virgin are sound c***s IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scary Bear Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "This is a fantastic deal for passengers and for staff on this vital route. It gives passengers more seats, more services and new trains. "We are putting passengers at the heart of the service. I believe Stagecoach and Virgin will not only deliver for customers but also for the British taxpayer." Platitude central. Who the f**k comes up with these wanky statements for MPs? The real life Malcolm Tucker and Co need a good kick in the studs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyerTon Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 We hand to East Coast Mainline back to private operators and yet the Scotrail franchise is being taken over by the Dutch Government.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scary Bear Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 We hand to East Coast Mainline back to private operators and yet the Scotrail franchise is being taken over by the Dutch Government....According to the reports, it was thought that a French government backed train company was the favourite. Wouldn't surprise me if they had the best bid but lost out for political reasons. With UKIP on the rise, the Tories don't want to be giving them more ammunition....anyway, what about this weather, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyerTon Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 ...anyway, what about this weather, eh? Supposed to get really Arctic by the end of the year. White Christmas odds: http://www.paddypower.com/bet/novelty-betting/weather/white-christmas-2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scary Bear Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Supposed to get really Arctic by the end of the year. White Christmas odds: http://www.paddypower.com/bet/novelty-betting/weather/white-christmas-2013 To be fair, I'd rather discuss the weather than listen to the current BBC headline news (over and over and over) that some cricketer is dead. Seriously, slow news day or what. White Christmas you say, about time we had another. To keep this thread vaguely on track, how will this white Christmas affect the train timetable for those returning home from London? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Koop Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "This is a fantastic deal for passengers and for staff on this vital route. It gives passengers more seats, more services and new trains. "We are putting passengers at the heart of the service. I believe Stagecoach and Virgin will not only deliver for customers but also for the British taxpayer." Platitude central. Who the f**k comes up with these wanky statements for MPs? The real life Malcolm Tucker and Co need a good kick in the studs. Did he mention subsidies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Good decision IMO. Virgin are sound c***s IMO Virgin's stake is negligible. Stagecoach are taking 90%, and already own 49% of Virgin Trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Virgin's stake is negligible. Stagecoach are taking 90%, and already own 49% of Virgin Trains. Virgin's stake is to allow use of the name. Virgin carries a lot of goodwill for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Virgin's stake is to allow use of the name. Virgin carries a lot of goodwill for some reason. I can't stand the beardy cnut. Makes Craig Whyte look ethical and honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
th1stleandr0se Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing. My family always gets half the fare back from East Coast as they're always over an hour late. Swings and roundabouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherrif John Bunnell Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Virgin's stake is to allow use of the name. Virgin carries a lot of goodwill for some reason. Here's hoping their trains are more reliable than their spaceships and hot air balloons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Might be a bit of a bumpy journey in a Stagecoach driving down the east coast rail track. :unsure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyarabnuts Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 "the companies will invest £140 million over 8 years" Not really a lot these days ,£1.6 M approx. a year??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 "the companies will invest £140 million over 8 years" Not really a lot these days ,£1.6 M approx. a year??? Does a new station not cost an obscene amount which would use up a considerable chunk of that annual figure for just one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scary Bear Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Does a new station not cost an obscene amount which would use up a considerable chunk of that annual figure for just one? I would have thought new stations would be done by Network Rail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyarabnuts Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I would have thought new stations would be done by Network Rail. I think they do, as there was a lot of arguments about NR when it came to the decision to rebuild Dundee station Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 With Stagecoach/Virgin now running both lines between England and Scotland, expect to see an end to cheap advance fares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elixir Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Went to Hearts v Spurs via East Coast without a hitch. Went to Hearts v Liverpool via Virgin on the West Coast and it was a shambles. What an utter disaster rail privatisation is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.