Alexander told to put the brakes on rail plan meddling

TRANSPORT secretary Douglas Alexander has been told to stop meddling with rail routes, amid a new threat to a vital service linking Scotland with the south of England.

Tory transport spokesman Chris Grayling mounted a furious assault on the "absolutely bonkers" plans to curtail the direct route from Dundee to south-west resorts, during the Tory conference in Bournemouth last week.

The government has made an early start on putting the franchise for the route out to tender, five years before it is due. But it has emerged that the popular direct route will be lost, with passengers having to change at Birmingham New Street and wait for separate services to other parts of the country.

Passenger numbers on the Virgin Cross Country routes have almost doubled to more than 22 million a year since 1997, but they face disruption in the coming months after Darling decided to offer the routes for franchise renewal five years ahead of schedule.

Although he insisted the changes would not mean cuts for rail users, it has now emerged that the unique Scotland-Cornwall service will be cut. The Penzance-Dundee train, which stops at a series of cities, including Birmingham, Preston and Crewe, is the only direct service linking Scotland to the south of England without passing through London.

But under Labour's proposal all journeys will end at Birmingham. "This shows why we need to get the fingers of ministers out of the operation of the railways," Grayling complained during a transport fringe meeting at the Tory conference.

"It will mean more people hanging around in New Street station making their connection when the station is already overcrowded. Cross Country train services are going to be split in half.

"What is ridiculous is this is a decision taken by the government. Why should ministers be deciding whether we get through services or not, when it is something the train operators themselves can decide?"

Virgin's own research reveals three-quarters of passengers using the route stay on after Birmingham, whether en route to Scotland or southern England.

And research amongst rail passengers shows that if forced to swap trains at Birmingham, the majority would think twice about going by rail.

The change will mean passengers, many with heavy luggage, will have to cross over the station's footbridge to reach another platform.

Critics fear the proposals would also add to overcrowding at New Street, which is already so bad that Network Rail, the stations owners, has been forced to close it several times for health and safety reasons.

Chris Gibb, managing director of Virgin Cross Country, which is bidding for the new franchise, would not criticise the government's proposals. But industry sources have branded the proposed changes - which also include hiving off routes from Aberdeen to Cornwall and Glasgow to Brighton to a separate franchise - as baffling.

Gibb said: "The Department for Transport is currently carrying out a consultation on the Cross Country network.

"They have proposed that on a journey like that, you will have to change at New Street.

"We await the results of that consultation. They have their own reasons stated in the consultation for that change."

The new franchise would begin on November 11 next year. Virgin had expected to hold its franchise, which runs 184 services, until 2012.

Four operators are bidding for the tender, which merges part of Cross Country with parts of the current Central Trains franchise.

A Department for Transport official conceded that "some passengers ... will have to change trains".

She added: "We expect bidders to let us know how they will assist those changing trains at Birmingham New Street."

Passenger Focus, the rail consumer watchdog, quizzed 32,000 Cross Country passengers about the changes, which also involve the potential loss of services from Bournemouth and Coventry to the north-east.

Some 44% of passengers already have to change trains at least once in their journey - and most insist another change at Birmingham New Street might put them off.

Those surveyed warned that changing trains and chasing empty seats would also be an issue, and 92% said delays in one service could see them missing their connection in Birmingham.