TYPICAL OF VIRGIN TRAINS: Even their customer services runs late:

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We're trying to find out from Virgin why customers who live in Milton Keynes are having to accept a substandard service - the company has announced that, in future, Virgin trains won't stop at MK during rush hour, forcing MK commuters to rely on the slower Silverlink service - hitherto, Virgin has acknowledged that Silverlink run a poorer service by chraging more for their tickets; now, though, asking Virgin why they're happy for MK customers to make do with a poorer service provided by their rival, and the company seems incapable of coming up with an answer - they keep saying that "Silverlink will provide a service", rather than the all-important comparable service, or equivalent service. [Milton Keynes Citizen has also suggested that the extra (crappy, old) rolling stock being added to soak up demand won't have enough seats to cover all the people who currently use the Virgin service.

The second question - why are Virgin happy to swallow subsidies paid by MK taxpayers and yet aren't happy to offer them a decent service - is sidestepped repeatedly as well. Most recently, Mandy Wedge, customer relations rep, has told us:

The changes to services stopping at Milton Keynes are as a result of agreements within the industry between the Train Operating Companies involved and the Strategic Rail Authority. To continually improve performance and reliability stopping patterns and calling points have been revised. Virgin Trains will continue to call during off the peak hours and weekends. Exact details of the timetables are still being finalised and further information will be given

Now, we don't know if Ms Wedge really does think that a commuter stuck with a longer journey home and a longer journey to work will be thinking "Still, it all helps improve performance and reliability", but we seriously doubt it. Because, to be honest, I don't give a fuck if a train is going to have a better chance of arriving in Manchester on time by not stopping to pick me up. I'm hoping Virgin will, eventually, explain to my why it thinks that a journey a person from Milton Keynes makes is less important than a journey a person from Manchester makes, and we'll keep plugging away until we get an explanation.