VIRGIN TRAINS OVERCROWDING

Tuesday 16^th March 2010

07:23 from Rugby to Euston

I embarked on the 07:23 pendolino non-stop service from Rugby to Euston. Due, perhaps, to an earlier train cancellation, or delay, the train was unusually busy. This resulted in ALL the seats in standard class being taken, forcing 30-40 people to stand and perch in the corridors, links, and vestibules. Some people, including myself, moved to seats in first-class. First class had plenty of spare seats and, as the train would be making no further stops, these seats would remain unoccupied.

Just prior to arriving in Euston the train manager (Mohammad) asked to see my ticket, which was for standard class. He then charged me the excess to upgrade my ticket to first-class (note: I did not take any of the food/drink offered as part of first-class). I questioned him regarding his reasons, arguing that the train was overcrowded and unsafe. He stated that there were seats and that there were only around five people stood in the aisles. This was such a palpable lie (I’d negotiated all the carriages to get to first-class) that I was roused enough to ask him (calmly, politely, reasonably) to define when a train was deemed ‘overcrowded’ and to define when it was deemed ‘unsafe’. His response was: ‘I do not have to give you an answer’. I was amazed. I asked him to confirm that he was refusing to answer my questions. He merely repeated this negative response and walked away.

On disembarking at Euston I attempted to speak with standard-class ticket holders as they left the train. One lady complained of paying £120 and still not getting a seat, another that the lack of a seat and her ‘bad leg’ meant she had also sat in first-class and been charged the excess. I also spoke with a man who had sat in first-class but had simply refused to pay the excess with no further action taken by the train manager – very inconsistent behaviour.

Once of the train, I immediately went to Virgin’s station office. There, I asked Rashid for a copy of the Virgin passenger’s charter. After being questioned as to why I wanted it, I was given a copy of the latest charter (2007). I also asked for the quarterly independent market research cited in section 1.3 of the charter as being published and available at ‘all major stations used by Virgin Trains’. Rashid had no idea what I was talking about and could not supply it. He also could not supply a copy of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage (NRCOC) but did suggest I try the ticket office.

At the ticket office, Kim (Virgin staff) also had no idea about the market research but went away to find out more and to find a copy of the NRCOC. She returned to tell me that the market research was available on posters around the station. She also supplied me with an out-of-date (2006) copy of the NRCOC (all they had) advising me to look online for the latest edition.