Congratulations...

[AlistairW]

Everyone at Network Rail, Virgin West Coast and Bombardier!

Over-budget and nodoubt late, but who cares, with the help of new track, stations, trains, increased frequency and faster services, in my opinion, the West Coast once again offers a top class railway to passengers.

Also the DfT are considering extra coaches, yet more line improvements and Virgin say they'll be offering more services its looking to get better and better. With so much bad press about the railways etc I thought this was worth a mention!

[AlanP46]

Everyone at Network Rail, Virgin West Coast and Bombardier!

Bombardier have very little to do with WC...since the pendolinos are ALSTOM products.

[jonathanmlewis]

Pity you can't see out the windows on the trains. no wonder they wanted to speed the trains up so you don't have to put up with a awful pendo for too long...

And by the way the WCML is still 15mph slower from it should of been in 2002!

[Samd22]

Over-budget and nodoubt late, but who cares

Me for one, the over run is extraordinary and poor value for money and most importantly of all - it damages confidence, backing and willingness to invest in big future railway projects.

So wasn't worth the cost at all, the money could have easily been used to build a London-Birmingham-Liverpool/Manchester HSL in stages which would have delivered much better results for the level of investment.

Oh and Birmingham New Street is still a grade A underground hell hole.

[mattvince]

WCRM was more, far more than just flashy Pendolinos and Bombardier SuperVoyagers. It was a renewals job in the main - replacing 30-year-old infrastructure, removing unworkable 30-year-old layouts, and eliminating 30 year-old rolling stock. These had to be done, to ensure a safe, reliable railway. The 140mph capability was, in retrospect, impossible, considering the lack of suitable signalling technology. Still - capability for the future, perhaps. And then there is freight.

What really damages investment is, however, Government, moving the goalposts every five minutes...

[AlistairW]

Everyone at Network Rail, Virgin West Coast and Bombardier!

Bombardier have very little to do with WC...since the pendolinos are ALSTOM products.

Opps.

Okay well maybe it was just me that thought it was a good thing then...

[terrycunliffe]

Virgin's fare policy is still Pants.
All to confuse (and expolit ) the unwary passenger.

Wigan-London Standard advance Return £57.20
Advance Single fare £12.50 each way giving total cost of £25
T

[jpantera]

WCRM was more, far more than just flashy Pendolinos and Bombardier SuperVoyagers. It was a renewals job in the main - replacing 30-year-old infrastructure, removing unworkable 30-year-old layouts, and eliminating 30 year-old rolling stock. These had to be done, to ensure a safe, reliable railway. The 140mph capability was, in retrospect, impossible, considering the lack of suitable signalling technology. Still - capability for the future, perhaps. And then there is freight.

What really damages investment is, however, Government, moving the goalposts every five minutes...

Some trains are still slower than in 1966?

How is that progress...