Posted 19th May 2009 | 7 Comments
Branson calls for longer franchises and control of stations
Sir Richard Branson with Virgin Trains Staff
VIRGIN Boss Sir Richard Branson has called for franchises to last between 20 and 30 years in exchange for a £1 billion investment on trains and track on the West Coast main line.
Speaking at a business briefing at London Euston station, the Virgin group founder mapped out his 2020 vision for the line as a way forward to meet ever increasing passenger and freight demands.
His speech came as Virgin Trains moves into the final three years of its 15-year franchise which has seen the introduction of the new Pendolino fleet, running at 125 mph between London, the West Midlands, the North West and Scotland.
Clearly setting out Virgin’s stall for the next West Coast franchise, the billionaire head of the Virgin group of companies told chambers of commerce and other business leaders that crumbling stations should be modernised with fit-for-purpose buildings that work efficiently for rail passengers and become a source of pride for local communities.
Sir Richard explained that all this would be possible within a partnership with a Government that allowed longer rail franchises of between 20 and 30 years linked to past performance and future investments, engaged and encouraged private sector investment and delivered an effective regulatory system of Network Rail.
He said that the partnership should evaluate environmental benefits and economic gains to the English regions, Scotland and Wales as part of any investment case and should bridge the gap between franchise length and asset life to reflect the whole life benefits of investments.
Within this partnership, he said, train operating companies would play a much larger role in timetable developments, the specification and procurement of rolling stock, station and new route development and as a source of funding.
“We are running 21st Century high-speed trains through 19th Century stations such as Crewe, Preston and Carlisle, which are crumbling away,” said Sir Richard. “I would like new franchises to be given control of stations so that train operators can be incentivised to modernise them.”
Turning to trains and track, Sir Richard continued: “With a £1 billion investment we could, within three to five years, see our trains running at 140 mph, with reductions in journey times between London and all West Coast destinations.
“What I am asking is that the Government re-thinks the franchise situation to give train operators the opportunity to invest, grow the rail business and lessen the burden on taxpayers.”
Among possible initiatives he envisaged within the next decade are:
• Journey times of under 60 minutes between London and Birmingham and less than four hours between London and Glasgow
• The construction of an underground extension of Birmingham International station with a direct link to the WCML at Lichfield using the existing M6 motorway corridor
• Linking of Heathrow and HS1 to the southern end of the WCML route.
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
ian r, birmingham
running through services to hs1 when the link is made could be considered. and change at ashford international. The pendolino can do 140mph, its designed for it. so why not. the new trains for the Olympics is 140mph train, so why not. I understand the pendolino can run well over 150mph safely if on the right tracks as well, given hs2 is straight. why not do that, makes much more sense, than going into euston and walking down the road.
James Rann, Worthing
I believe Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Trains has done an outstanding job within the constraints, red tape, politics, paperwork and contractual obstacles that are at large within the rail industry. From my perspective, two key enhancements are required for this franchise which are longer trains and sorting out the awful smells that linger within the carriages on the class 390 Pendolino trains.
Competition is a good thing, however, Sir Richard says himself that "passengers should have a choice who to fly with" on routes served in competition between his airline and others, so let's see the exclusive rights to the WCML abolished in the new franchise term, bring competition to the WCML between train operators to push the quality of the customer service experience higher, and cost of rail travel lower...
Geoff R, Westhoughton, UK
Richard Branson cares only for two things, 1) Richard Branson and 2) Richard Bransons bank account. This is the man whose franchise has had bank style government bailouts in the past (the last one in 2002 i think) although "Beardie" likes to call it a "Government stabilisation package", and, have you ever noticed when it comes to going cap in hand to the government he always sends his henchman Souter to do all the dirty work. This is the man who paid himself £24,000,000 in 2007 out of Virgin trains. And this is the man who whinged and moaned his way to exclusive rights to WCML express services, stifling competition such as Midland main line's Manchester Piccadilly to London St pancras services in 2003-4. Oh how he probably wishes he could now run that service, giving him direct routes to the Eurostar. If Richard "Beardie" Branson is the answer to the ECML and the running of passenger express trains in the UK then i would love to know the question. Stick to aeroplanes and selling rcords Dick.
Geoff R, Westhoughton, UK
Richard "Sticky Dicky" Branson cares only about two things. 1) Richard "Sticky Dicky" Branson and 2) Richard "Stick Dicky" Branson's bank account. This is the man who promised a 140 m.p.h WCML service in 1997, part of the reason he got the franchise in the first place, he lied. This is the man who gave us the bloody pendolino, the most unpopular inter city train of the lot, and then stood in there in the cumbrian countryside at the site of the Grayrigg derailment and said "the train was like a tank, had this been old IC stock the mortalities would have been horrendous", he lied. Colwich Junction 1986. A head on collision between two WCML trains left no passengers dead. The only death being that of the driver of the Liverpool - Euston train and most of the stock was still fit for purpose. The wrecked pendolino derailed hit nothing else and as a result an 84 year old passenger died. The train has since been withdrawn from service. And this is the man who personally takes £24,000,000 (yes you read that right, twenty four million pounds) out of virgin trains for himself in FY 2007-8. And you thought our MPs were bad value for money!Virgin have also received "Government stabilisation packages" (i.e. BAILOUTS with taxpayers money). He is now targetting the ECML for a 30 year franchise and a 30 year franchise on th WCML. There is a simple answer to this man's requests, dont let them happen.
H. T. Harvey, Birmingham, UK
Lets drop this 'cheap' piecemeal cosmetic improvement and concentrate on a High Speed rail network beyond London. To repeat the mistakes of the WCML upgrade would be foolish in the extreme.
Journey times of under the hour Birmingham to London with maximum speeds of 140mph will be nigh impossible with slow speed out of Euston and into BM New St. Add to mthat stops at Coventry and Milton Keynes
What is the purpose of a link between Birmingham International and the Trent Valley line at Lichfield. Many £millions have just been spent on 4 tracking/re-aligning the Trent Valley Route
It seems to me the Virgin is thinking of Virgin Airline not Virgin Rail
Spending £1billion on WCML improvement would provide no increased line capacity.Far better Virgin spends the £1billion as a partner investing in High speed rail which could provide the first section of 200+mph railway.
As a short term measure the ECML and WCML francise operators joining forces to provide North of London 'Eurostar Services' A half train on the WCML Joining a half train from the ECML at St Pancras with a full service from St P to Paris/Brussells.
Eric Parkinson, Canterbury, Kent, UK.
I note that Mr Branson wishes to increase connectivity between the WCML and MML so that Virgin Trains can access London St. Pancras and HS1.
The most direct connection is along the former route of the Leighton- Dunstable-Luton (LDL) branch. Interestingly one of the routes considered by the East West Rail Consortium is for a link between Luton and Stevenage (for Luton Airport). Thus a WCML-MML link along parts of the LDL branch would open up access on a consderable scale as an east-west connector in its own right.
The Luton-Dunstable busway--proposed to run on part of the above fomation-- needs to be carefully reconsidered in the light of future low-energy regional and national travel patterns. A "busway" that costs 80 million pounds to reduce road traffic by one percent is exceptionally poor value against the gains for regional transport with a Leighton- Dunstable- Luton- Stevenage link with connections to Luton Airport and HS1.
leslie burge, leicester, england
No we don't want Heathrow and HS1 linked to the west coast mainline.
We need a brand new high speed line to Scotland missing out Heathrow.
I don't think franchises like Virgin should run the stations either.
If the ticket office staff at Rugby are anything to go by in my experience it appears they only push Virgin priced tickets even though London Midland run
trains from the same station.