Response from Virgin Trains

So I sent a link to the blog to Arthur Leathley, Director of Communications at Virgin Trains. He quickly replied by email and arranged to speak by phone a few days later.

Arthur agreed the situation was far from ideal, and explained how most of the maintenance work has to happen at the weekends.

Customers accept this, but it's how the train operators respond to disruption that counts.

In this case, an announcement of how to claim refunds and some complimentary refreshments (since there was no hope of reaching the buffet car) would have been a good start. In the longer-term, they need to think about how to incentivise people to use less crowded services, perhaps in the same way airlines offer air miles or cash to people who opt out of an overbooked flight.

Arthur took all this on board, and gave me details of how to claim a refund for this trip. So a decent, if belated, resolution.

Next time this happens, I hope the staff on the train will show the same initiative in improving the travellers' lot.

Rush hour? No, Sunday afternoon on Virgin Trains

8.30am on a packed commuter train? Nope, this was the scene on the mid-afternoon Sunday service from Crewe to London, run by Virgin Trains.

Groggy after a week's flu, a 3 1/4 hour direct train sounded at least three times nicer than another trip down the M6, so I duly handed over £60, consoling myself that - though twice what I'd have spent on diesel - I'd "speed [my] way to [my] destination ... with the freedom to move around, grab a snack or catch up on some reading."

Arriving at Preston station, my anticipation was dampened when the "cancelled" sign lit up the departures board (by the way, why can they never stretch to more than one board? How many hours are wasted awaiting page 1 of 3? An interview question in the making). After that, London appeared not at all, so I consulted a man in a red suit, who suggested the bus.

Sensing the bewilderment of the occasional traveller, he pointed out platform six, where a train to Birmingham could drop me off at Crewe, where I would wait for half an hour, then take another one to London.

The June weather (which had, apparently, caused the original cancellation) meant half the Northwest had converged on the Crewe train. The aisles were packed with weary travellers, all of whom had shelled out 5x the coach fare to spend 2 1/2 hours not having the freedom to move around, not grabbing a snack, and not catching up on some reading.

I've contacted Virgin Trains to confirm whether they plan to hang on to my £60 in its entirety. If so, it's back to the M6.

I'll keep you posted.