[Update] FirstGroup WCML franchise Award revoked

[Stephen]

Sitting in 1st class on a Virgin Train right now I hope the government let VT keep running the WCML after the 9th December or at least until they have come to a decision.

I c'mon there were definitely some backhanders involved in the final decision to award the rights to First and am glad it's even decided to fully review the bidding process and try to find out what went wrong.

[devilincarnate]

It looks like they want to look at other things now?

Three Tory MPs with constituencies near the factory have written to Mr McLoughlin demanding a full review of the contract.

Mid Derbyshire Tory MP Pauline Latham said: “The bidding processes used by the Department for Transport are flawed and the decision by the Government clearly shows that the department is not fit for purpose.”

The 1,400 Bombardier jobs have already been axed but more than a year after Siemens won the battle to make the 1,200 carriages for the Thames London commuter route the final contract has still not been signed.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/city-n...rnment-1361108

Originally Posted by Stephen

Sitting in 1st class on a Virgin Train right now I hope the government let VT keep running the WCML after the 9th December or at least until they have come to a decision.

Hooray for Virgin Group staff perks ...

[Stephen]

I know it's great Again on the way back

[denphone]

Virgin in talks on West Coast route contract extension

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19944782

Virgin Trains will be asked to continue to run services on the West Coast Mainline for at least another nine months after the latest decision on the route franchise was scrapped.

The Department for Transport says it will enter into negotiations with Virgin for the "temporary" contract.

A competition will then be run for a new franchise agreement.

Excellent news.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by denphone

Virgin in talks on West Coast route contract extension

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19944782



Excellent news.

Excellent

Hmm! We'll see..

[Ravenheart]

Virgin given 23 month extension to West Coast operation

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20620787

The government has announced Virgin Trains will run the West Coast Mainline for a further 23 months - hours before a report into the collapse of the line's franchise deal is published.

[RB2004]

Dunno why but whenever I went on virgin trains the carriages smell funny like a toilet smell.

Apparently I'm not alone,

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=virgin+trains+toilet+smell&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari

I for one will not miss that if another company took over as there is no excuse for it.

They have staff on board who can clean if need be, as do they have cleaners who come on the train either end tidying up

The Pendolino toilet smell is a well-known phenomenon. They have spent much time and energy trying to fix it by moving various vents and air-con intakes around but unfortunately they do seem to be stuck with it.

[Pierre]

The "pendolino smell" this is the term I will now forever use whenever the wife complains of my bathroom deficiencies.

[RB2004]

Yep I looked into it after and realised it was a design flaw, tank vent too close to intake for air conditioning.

But it does make for an unpleasant journey.

Actually surprised because its not like virgin to accept something like that, well unless its virgin media lol

[denphone]

MPs blame ministers for West Coast collapse.


http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2013/...-for-west.html

Mmmmm - held responsible, not blamed (headline writers hyperbole taking over).

Embarking on an ambitious - perhaps unachievable - reform of franchising, in haste, on the UK’s most complex piece of railway was an irresponsible decision for which ministers were ultimately responsible. This was compounded by major failures by civil servants, some of whom misled ministers.

“Many of the problems with the franchise competition, detailed in the Laidlaw report, reflect very badly on civil servants at the DfT. However, ministers approved a complex – perhaps unworkable - franchising policy at the same time as overseeing major cuts to the Department’s resources. This was a recipe for failure which the DfT must learn from urgently.”

[denphone]

Rail firms start legal action.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21704682