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Branson warns of more misery on key rail line
Dick Murray, Transport Editor23 May 2008
Sir Richard Branson today predicted further misery for rail passengers on the West Coast Mainline as the route undergoes a £8.6 billion upgrade.
The chairman of Virgin Group warned disruption caused by closures on the London to Scotland line could get worse if Network Rail sticks to a plan to complete work by December.
In a letter to the Financial Times, Sir Richard called for a later deadline to minimise disruption and avoid creating even more pain for passengers.
He said the number of closures had increased dramatically since January when the Office of Rail Regulation fined Network Rail a record £14 million after three New Year engineering projects overran.
He said: "In order to deliver the proposed timetable that Network has set itself, almost every weekend of this year will require significant track possessions and delays for our customers.
"It is clear that if any of these weekend works do not deliver the expected results, Network Rail is highly unlikely to meet the December deadline."
Referring to recent signalling problems around Milton Keynes which delayed nearly a quarter of a million passengers, Sir Richard said he was increasingly worried about Network Rail's ability to meet its timetable.
He said Virgin Trains had raised its concerns with Network Rail, the ORR and the Government, and urged "a more realistic timeframe to avoid further pain to our passengers".
