Carnage Remind me; who ran Virgin Trains before Branson 'took over'? You mean British Rail West Coast, or British Rail Cross Country? You think that the franchising process would have resulted in a better service for those two areas had someone other than Virgin taken them on? I think you're dreaming!
Virgin Trains have suffered primarily from the incompetence of Railtrack and, latterly, Network Rail. They have invested more heavily in their product than any other company, while being saddled with the worst infrastructure problems (relative to the franchise's aims) that any rail franchise has to endure - and now, after introducing the most modern trains on the network, the system (i.e. Tom Winsor) has pulled the rug from underneath them by refusing to complete the West Coast Upgrade for yet another two years. I'm amazed that Virgin Trains haven't just walked away - they have every right to!
As for RB's schemes - yes, many of them are designed to raise the public profile of his companies. These, in turn, are intended to make a profit. It's a dirty word in UK, I know, but - believe it or not - profit benefits the workers in those companies as well as the owners! Or perhaps you can show me when a non-nationalised company benefitted its workers by making a loss? Equally, RB is well aware that you can't make a profit by pissing off the fare-payers. You think any train company tries to alienate those who pay for their existence?
The UK rail system is a mess. RB picked up the most challenging part of it, and, despite the odds, is making it work. God (and the passengers) knows it ain't perfect, but I would challenge anyone to do better under the circumstances.