03.09.12
For or against?
Differences in the timeline of Virgin complaints against the award of the WCML franchise to FirstGroup have now arisen.
Greening has suggested that Virgin did not lodge any issues about the bidding process until it lost, and hypothesised that had it won, there would not be any complaint, or call for a judicial review of the process.
Support for the operator is mixed, with many staunch supporters (or critics of FirstGroup, which amounts to a similar approach) calling for the franchise to be returned to Virgin, citing the fears over rising fares and a lack of space to raise capacity.
Others are less involved in Virgin’s success, but truly believe there are significant problems with the bidding process and award of franchises in the UK.
Then there are those who see Sir Richard’s emotive campaign against the decision as a sign of just how much money he is set to lose from this franchise and dismiss his case for a legal review as signs of sour grapes.
Emotions are running high on either side of the fence, as the parties involved await the decision of the High Court, to settle the argument once and for all.
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