Associate
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Sounds like an almighty ****-up.
West Coast Main Line Deal Ditched
- Thread starter philip2009
- Start date
Sounds like an almighty ****-up.
Do one and pass it off as the other.
I don't have much experience with long distance train journeys, so I asked my sister who sometimes has need to travel around on business whether she thought Richard Branson was making a reasonable objection or was it just a case of sour grapes. She thought that inevitably sour grapes would come into it but that overall the better of her experiences of travelling involved going with Virgin, and that she expected service to suffer a lot if this contract went through and so didn't want to see it happen.
Definitely some dodgy handshakes going on here I reckon. I'd like to see if a news agency has a breakdown of details of why this might have been a bad idea, as I'm far too lazy to research it myself.
Definitely some dodgy handshakes going on here I reckon. I'd like to see if a news agency has a breakdown of details of why this might have been a bad idea, as I'm far too lazy to research it myself.
Soldato
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That something was wrong with the selection process doesn't surprise me. That the Government admitted this and cancelled the initial decision does!
Perhaps someone at the DfT realised that the money FirstGroup were offering just wasn't possible without dropping the quality of services on the trains. Interesting that the announcement comes so soon after a new Secretary of State starts at the DfT.
And the previous one got a demotion to International Development. 
Perhaps someone at the DfT realised that the money FirstGroup were offering just wasn't possible without dropping the quality of services on the trains. Interesting that the announcement comes so soon after a new Secretary of State starts at the DfT.
And the previous one got a demotion to International Development.
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Interesting that the announcement comes so soon after a new Secretary of State starts at the DfT.
Exactly!
shows again the need for urgent reform of the civil service. The current situation where ministers are expected to take responsibility for their department, when they have no actual control of the employees is untenable.
civil service staff have been suspended as part of this, why are people blaming the government and not the civil service?
civil service staff have been suspended as part of this, why are people blaming the government and not the civil service?
you do realise that two senior Tory MPs who were recently in the cabinet had massive personal interests in First Group, coincidence that they got the bid, yeah right!!!!
anyway anyone who has had the misfortune of using first great western will realise that virgin keeping this line is better for commuters, seriously first group cancel trains all the time
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
I use them on a regular basis and find them on the whole to be excellent - far better than they were 5+ years ago and an altogether better experience than Virgin CrossCountry was (Which is now no better now its Arriva). Though frankly much of this is more down to geography and rolling stock than it is management.
That said I do think the right decision has been here and they should not have been awarded the West Coast franchise.
well considering whatever happens they usually find someone low down the food chain to take the bullet for the ministers incompetence, yeah it probably is.
Whatever your problem is with public sector workers, I think you need to change the record. one minute its the NHS the next its the civil service, give it a rest, you cant run a country without public sector workers, leave your jealous rage at the door and come back with some decent debate.
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Soldato
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I had the distinct displeasure of travelling on a First Trans Pennine Express train from Manchester Piccadilly to Newcastle on Sunday. The train had originated from Manchester Airport, one stop prior to Piccadilly, yet was strewn with litter (probably hadn't been cleaned before being turned around), was massively overcrowded with people resorting to sitting on tables while the aisles and doorways were packed with those standing. I myself had to stand for about 2.5 hours of the 3.5 hour journey.
I'd only gone home for the weekend so elected to take the train instead of driving like I normally do, as the ticket costs £45 while the petrol for the journey would have cost me £70. In retrospect, given the conditions on the train, the extra £25 would have been well worth paying to drive. Never again by rail.
I'd only gone home for the weekend so elected to take the train instead of driving like I normally do, as the ticket costs £45 while the petrol for the journey would have cost me £70. In retrospect, given the conditions on the train, the extra £25 would have been well worth paying to drive. Never again by rail.
Man of Honour
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They we saying an Radio4 that this is the result of unworkable government policy rather than technical difficulties in the bidding process.
Associate
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Typical bunch of clowns. Apparently this ballsup is costing us £40 Million!
Caporegime
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40million, oh my!
If it had been a roaring success, who would you be thanking? I'll bet actual money that it wouldn't be the civil servants.