Brummies revolting after journey time shock

Telegrammed by Sir Joseph Chamberlain
Much unease in the West Midlands over Virgin's current Euston - Birmingham - Wolverhapton service.

A Virgin advert in the Conservative Party Conference brochure claimed an average journey time of just over two hours for the journey between the Capital and the Second City.


Perhaps a tad embarrassing as the usual journey time is actually 81 minutes - a time already considered pisspoor by many of the region's great and good as it is only eight minutes faster than the service was 30 years ago.

Of course Virgin's PR boo-boo did little to reasure the local business community who are already feeling unloved.

The very same week that Virgin was unsuccesfully schmoozing the Tories for a franchise extension the TOC also sent a General Manager to sooth Business Leaders at the influential West Midlands Business Transport Group.

Sadly he declined to give a presentation, and struggled to list even three items on the route that had improved under Virgin's watch. The refusal to engage in meaningful discussion left many seething, with a consensus quickly emerging that the time could better have been spent on the Golf Course!

This apparent disspassion towards the West Midlands seems in marked contrast to Beardie Rail's successful relationship with business travellers in the North West

Indeed, some Virgin-endorsed posters promoting Warrington as a business destination, just 1h40 from Euston, have caused a significant sense-of-humour failure in Wolverhampton. Aggrieved Blackcountry businessfolk were horrified to learn that the journey from Wolverhampton to London (126 miles) actually takes nine minutes longer than the journey from Warrington to London (180 miles)!

Perhaps the final straw was to discover that the fleet-of-foot can change trains at Stafford, and reach Wolverhampton in just 1h32 minutes, saving eight minutes on the direct service.

Perhaps Virgin has relied too long on the reputation Brummies have for being slow on the uptake?

Sadly, they can do so no more.

The powerful West Midlands Business Transport Group, led by Birmingham Chamber's eminance grise Jerry Blackett, has had enough of the nonsense, and is determined to see the Midlands get a fair share of goodies in any future franchise:

"A future franchisee would have an impact on the economic well-being of the Midlands, and we would wish to see a policy of active engagement with business.

"Based on discussions with prospective franchisees, Birmingham Chamber Group will also provide a view to the UK Department for Transport on the alignment of the potential franchisee with the perceived needs of business."

So, with an 'end of term report' due to land on Petrol-head's desk expect the award of the West Coast franchise to become increasingly politically charged.

UPDATE: This from the Shunter...

I had assumed that the McNulty Value for Money review had put paid to Virgin's franchise extension negotiations.

After all DfT were taken to the cleaners twice before by Beardie Rail.

So presumably, for the good of the exchequer, Marsham Street was forbidden to have another go.

So farwell NR's Midland Press Office

Telegrammed by the Major
Scribblers and industry commentators may be sad to hear that Network Rail's Midland Press Office will cease to exist from Monday 22nd February.

According to NR:

The York press office will cover the North East, East Midlands and Lincolnshire.

The Manchester press office will cover the North West, West Midlands and Staffordshire.

The soon to be defunct NR Midland Press Office is of course the vestigial tail of the erstwhile BR London Midland Region Public Affairs empire, which was also based in Birmingham, and included amongst its luminaries such legends as the great Phallex Murray and The Vice Marshall himself (deep doff of the bowler. Ed).

No matter - tempus fugit.

But what is confusing Brum hacks is the timing of the closure decision.

Which has been announced just as NR prepares to spend vast sums of taxpayers' money in putting a brand new roof on New Street station.

Surely not evidence of NR's lack of joined up thinking?

UPDATE: This from NR's Chief Spinmeister, Kevin Groves, for it is he...

It is indeed sad to see the Midlands office close.

It is particularly sad to lose a popular and effective member of the media team but CP4 efficiencies have to be made in all departments and resources reallocated as best we can.

We’re all joined up too as the £650m rebuild of Birmingham New Street will have its own dedicated communications professional looking after all its needs, including media.

Vice squad

Legendary BR PR supremo, Alan Marshall, has joined the ranks of Railway Eye readers.


Alan, writing in the latest Railnews, uses a quote from our very own Brochet to sign of his comment piece on the proposed redevelopment of Birmingham New Street Station.

The Fact Compiler is happy to confirm that there are currently no plans to add 'Telegrammed by The Vice Marshall' to the growing list of Railway Eye bylines.

£600m sticking plaster?

Telegrammed by Brochet
A wondrous new website, on the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station, has appeared on the interweb.

Regrettably it has been built using Flash so those with restrictive IT policies on Javascript will be unable to view it - to get frustrated click here

As a service to the industry The Fact Compiler has reproduced the home page image here.

Lovely!

But a hole is still a hole, even if you cover it with a pretty tent!