28,000 in plea for U-turn on rail franchise
More than 28,000 people have signed up to a petition calling for a U-turn on a Government decision on awarding the West Coast Main Line rail contract to FirstGroup.
Campaigners say the value of the line is down to millions of pounds of investment from Virgin over the past 15 years.
They claim FirstGroup cannot deliver on its promise to improve the line due to its poor track record in customer satisfaction surveys.
It comes after FirstGroup announced last week it intends to reintroduce direct trains between Shropshire and London after winning the franchise – but not for another four years.
Virgin representatives have said they would have also introduced trains from the county to the capital, with a plan to bring back the link by the end of 2015.
The online e-petition against the franchise award reads: "FirstGroup consistently rate among the worst train operators in passenger satisfaction surveys – they should show improvements in existing services before being able to bid on more.
"Any previous time Virgin have lost a bid in a rail tender the winner has failed to deliver promised plan and revenue. The Government should look at more than the highest bidder. I urge the Government to reconsider or to seek public opinion."
A total of 28,488 have signed it so far.
