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Trains service 'shoddy and too dear'
From the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, first published Wednesday 12th Jul 2000.
VIRGIN Trains' "shoddy and shabby" service to the North West has been condemned by MPs.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott joined with Labour's Tony Lloyd and Nicholas Winterton in branding the service "miserable" and "over-priced".
The exchange in the House of Commons came as the company, owned by Sir Richard Branson, prepared to take legal action against Railtrack over the modernisation of the West Coast main line.
Mr Lloyd said: "The travelling public in the North West, served by Virgin Trains, hold the strong view that the standard of that service is appalling. It is not punctual often enough. It is shoddy and shabby. And more importantly, it is very over priced."
Mr Prescott said he was well aware of the complaints and said its punctuality record was "pretty miserable".
He said part of the problem was that Railtrack and Virgin were arguing over the cost of modernising the line.
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