Virgin rejects offer of extra carriages on Liverpool-London route

Jan 31 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

PLANS to tackle the misery of overcrowding on the West Coast rail line were in crisis last night, after Virgin refused to run extra carriages pledged by the government.

The train operator announced it would boycott Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly’s promise to add an extra 106 coaches on the flagship line within three years.

The new carriages would add an extra 100 seats to every Pendolino train from Liverpool to London, stretching them from nine to 11 sections.

But Virgin insisted it would be too costly and time-consuming to lengthen the trains, as the clock ticks down to the end of its franchise in 2012.

Earlier this month, it was revealed the Department for Transport (Dft) had rejected Virgin’s bid for a two-year extension to the franchise, through to 2014.

Now the extraordinary stand-off – which critics will see as evidence of the absurdities of rail privatisation – threatens to leave passengers standing on overcrowded trains.

The longer Pendolino trains are designed to meet a predicted 24% rise in passenger numbers on the Liverpool-London line by 2014.

Even that sharp increase seri- ously underestimates the rail boom, according to Virgin. It predicts a 24% rise in just three years.

Every seat will be taken on 15% of trains on the West Coast line, forcing passengers to stand, unless the extra coaches are added, Virgin has warned.

Yesterday, Ms Kelly hailed the 106 extra carriages, part of 1,300 to be delivered nationwide, as “a major step forward towards fulfilling our commitment to tackle overcrowding on the busiest routes”.

But, rejecting the plan, a Virgin spokesman said: “The new carriages would be fitted in 2010 or 2011 and our franchise is due to expire in 2012.

“This is a huge task on a modern train, because a Pendolino has 240 different computers. It would mean taking trains out of service while the carriages are fitted.

“We want to do it, but it would not make sense just before the franchise runs out. We have asked for a two-year extension, so we get a couple of years out of the extended trains, but this has been refused.”

Asked about the stand-off, a DfT spokeswoman said: “I have not seen those comments from Virgin.” She added: “Virgin has put in a proposal to lengthen the Pendolinos and extend their franchise, but it did not offer value for money. We will now explore all the options.”

The 1,300 extra carriages – if they are fitted – will expand the current rolling stock fleet by around 10%, adding around 100,000 extra seats each day.

They will be paid for by manufacturers, who will lease them to rail operators, which in turn will receive subsidies from the Dft.

The plans include 182 carriages on Northern Rail Services, which run to Chester, Edge Hill, Ellesmere Port, Huyton, Liverpool, Ormskirk, Southport, St Helens, Warrington and Widnes.

And the Transpennine Express franchise – which also runs trains to Liverpool – will receive a further 42 coaches.

STATIONS BOOST: PAGE 8