niknak claims that the west coast rail upgrade is almost complete. Hmmm - the train service from Carlisle to London will be interrupted by engineering works every weekend between now and May 2005. I don’t call that complete. The new Virgin Pendolino train may look fab, but is actually less comfortable to ride in over a long journey than the Mark 3 carriage that it replaces. Sadly - trying to buy a Virgin train ticket over the internet is an exercise in frustration - has anyone at Virgin trains ever logged on to the ryanair or easyjet sites?
My family live on the west side of Cumbria. With a late night journey, no traffic, and a very aggressive driver, the airports of Newcastle or Blackpool are two hours away, PIK or MAN are three hours away. Driving to London is six hours at best, usually eight. I’m not interested whether Carlisle has a fancy terminal. I’m not interested in whether it’s on a 146 or a 747. I just want an easier and faster way to get between Cumbria and London.
I do tend to agree with those who say it needs an established name like ryanair to launch this properly if it is to succeed.