Richard Branson somehow manages to shrug off the contradiction between claims of being green – with PR stunts such as aircraft and trains running on biofuel – and his support for Formula 1 racing and plans to take rich tourists into space. But his renowned publicity skills came a cropper when he took on a bunch of rail enthusiasts.
Virgin Trains, the rail-borne bit of Branson’s conglomerate, recently withdrew plans that threatened one of the UK’s smallest and youngest railway companies, the Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company (WSMR). Virgin does not admit that bad publicity forced the change of heart, but the media was having none of that. Branson’s Goliath was attacking the WSMR David.
WSMR, which is backed by Renaissance Trains, specialists in reviving orphaned rail routes, has just celebrated the first anniversary of its direct rail service into London from Wrexham in north Wales via Shropshire, a region that other railway operators had abandoned. At one stage it looked like the fledgling operator’s first anniversary would be more of a wake than a birthday.
Virgin Rail had, it seemed, discovered that Shropshire to London could be a profitable route after all. But at the beginning of April, Virgin suddenly withdrew its plans.
The media may have put Virgin’s move down to the company’s fear of bad PR, but the company insisted that it was a purely business decision: “After several months detailed analysis on the proposal there is not a compelling case to justify additional trains, as evidenced by WSMR's recent withdrawal of part of its service,” - a reference to the minnow’s cutback in frequency.
Branson’s team could not resist the temptation to put the boot in from several angles, including sideswipes at Johnny Foreigner and his state-funded stooges. “We hope that WSMR and its key backer - Deutsche Bahn, the state-owned German railway - will now commit long term to providing their service to Shropshire, despite recent reductions in the service.”
Unfortunately, WSMR hasn’t seen off all the threats from the subsidised giants of the railway industry. Arriva Trains Wales also has the upstart in its sights. Ostensibly serving Aberystwyth, Arriva’s trains would run along part of the same route.
If popularity polls had any influence, Arriva’s plans would also stay in the sidings. If, despite considerable PR skills, Richard Branson and his Virgin Group can evoke so much ire, what hope has Arriva of garnering public sympathy? Then again, many rail travellers will laugh at the idea that large train operators really care about public opinion.
Paradoxically, Virgin’s misguided tactics and perhaps those of Arriva, may have helped WSMR to rustle up more business. Not only did the media rush at the excuse to beat poor old Branson around the head, they flocked on to the trains to Wrexham and loved what they discovered – a train service operated by humans for humans. It may have been slow. But it was fun.
That really could be the message that comes out of this minor episode. There may not be many steam engines around these days, but train journeys can still be fun rather than an ordeal. Just don't climb aboard the major operators.
http://www.wrexhamandshropshire.co.uk/
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