John Long

Basingstoke

Telecom Regulatory Consultant

This is prize!

I wonder if Virgin has any intention of remedying a far more serious problem for many of us that use (or used to use) Virgin Cross Country, especially on business.

Our mobile phones no longer work properly since the swish Voyager trains were introduced. These trains attenuate mobile phone signals drastically making it impossible to make or receive calls, or to hook up on GPRS, unless the train is in an area of very high signal strength. We've measured it.

This, added to the almost universal overcrowding on these shorter trains (not to mention the timekeeping) has stopped us travelling Virgin XC on business from our base in Basingstoke.

The problem is easily solved from a technical point of view. It's purely a question of money versus quality of service for the customer - which is zilch at present.

It seems that so long people are crammed in and standing all the way from Birmingham to Reading, Mr Branson doesn't give a fig.