MP Daniel Kawczynski blasts Virgin trains on national radio
Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski has expressed his dissatisfaction of Virgin trains and welcomed the news that First Group have been awarded the West Coast Main Line contract.
The local MP was talking this morning on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast with Nicky Campbell. The show was asking the question “Has the government got it right on the West Coast Main Line?” after the Government announced last week that First Group had been awarded the 13-year contract instead of Virgin trains.
He described the current service in his opinion as overcrowded, extremely expensive with rude staff and late trains.
The conversation came about when the Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham explained that he had been telephoning the Communications Director of Virgin trains, Arthur Leathley, almost on a weekly basis to highlight his frustrations and concerns about the service as he himself had found the service very, very poor.
When asked by presenter Nicky Campbell what was wrong with it, Mr Kawczynski replied "Overcrowding on many occasions, lateness of trains, things not working properly, rude staff at times and extremely expensive tickets."
Another caller who was also on the line replied to Mr Kawczynski saying his statement was hilarious and accused him of towing the typical Tory partyline.
The Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham has been campaigning for sometime for a Shrewsbury to London service to be reinstated after Wrexham and Shropshire's short lived service ended in January 2011, with Chairman Adrian Shooter stating that there was no prospect of the business ever being profitable.
Mr Kawczynski explained how he was pleased to hear the contract had been awarded to First Group and Shropshire MPs had called in local operators to discuss the future of the line and was pleased with how First Group were willing to listen and come up with solutions.
He said he would be meeting the Chief executive of First Group in September to talk about bringing the new service from Shrewsbury to London in sooner and with cheaper tickets.
The Shrewsbury and Atcham MP accused The Virgin boss of having sour grapes.
He said "Richard Branson and his cohorts are being very un-British, because they are showing a lot of sour grapes."
Mr Kawczynski explained how he could not understand why after knowing for many months the decision was due this month that the Labour Party was asking for a pause.
He said "Why now all of a sudden Richard Branson, somebody who is quite closely associated with the previous government, has failed in his bid - why are they all jumping up and down.
When questioned by presenter Nicky Campbell about what he meant by "a close association with the previous Government" Mr Kawczynski replied "Well some of my Constituents have made the point to me that he is very much a Labour supporter"
A caller then interrupted saying that he was politicising the point and the fact was that such a serious contract should be debated properly.
