Franchise News

Virgin bosses have claimed that they challenged the franchise bid system years before losing control of the West Coast Mainline. Chief executive Tony Collins has responded to accusations of sour grapes by Transport Secretary Justine Greening, claiming that Virgin had...

FirstGroup has released a statement in response to Virgin's plans to mount a legal challenge against the DfT after losing control of the West Coast franchise. We understand that Virgin Rail Ltd a subsidiary of Virgin Rail Group, the joint...

Virgin has announced that it will proceed with legal action against the British government over its decision to award the West Coast franchise to FirstGroup. A statement on the company's website said: "We have tried for three weeks to get...

It may be too late for Virgin, but could the furore surrounding the West Coast franchise forever change who is picked to run Britain's railways? After losing control of the West Coast Mainline, Virgin did the unthinkable. It told ministers...

One-hundred-thousand people have now signed an e-petition which aims to pressurise the Government into a U-turn over its decision to strip Virgin of the West Coast franchise. Although the petition is now eligible for debate in the House of Commons,...

The UK government has rejected a request from the Scottish Parliament for rail franchising powers to be devolved from Westminster. Transport secretary Justine Greening has stated that there is no evidence that devolution would deliver better value for passengers or...

Celebrities including Jamie Oliver and Lord Sugar have come out in support of Virgin Trains, urging the Government to reconsider Virgin Trains bid for the West Coast franchise. The e-petition is now 30,000 signatures away from being considered for debate...

Martin Griffiths has been appointed as the new chief executive of Stagecoach in a director reshuffle that will see former CEO Brian Souter take up the role of company chairman. The appointment follows last week's announcement that Virgin Rail -...

Richard Branson is cranking up pressure on the government to reconsider its decision to award FirstGroup the West Coast franchise, backing an online petition which demands a fresh look at the bids. Branson, who has described the decision as "insanity"...

A passenger campaign group has called for a review of the Government's franchise awarding system, claiming that the current process puts too much emphasis on the highest bid not the best service. Today the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that...