I travelled with Virgin trains for the first time on Friday 26th October with 5 other female friends for a weekend away.We bought our return tickets for £46 from Milton Keynes Central to Blackpool changing at Preston.We got on the after 1pm train. The train was crammed full and we had to stand with heavy luggage by the doors for the entire journey to Preston.Very uncomfortable as well as unsafe, and certainly don't expect that kind of service for that price.

The return journey was just as bad but for differing reasons.We were got on the 12:25pm train at Preston on Sunday 28th October to get back to Milton Keynes.The train was still on the platform after pm.There was no heating on the train during that time and very cold,the tannoy announcer kept saying another 5 to 10 minutes,every 5 to 10 minutes not even letting passengers know how much tome they really has to get off and get a hot drink or use the toilet.The delay when eventually information started to come was that work that should have been done to a locomotive last night hadn't been done and that was the reason for the delay.Unacceptable!!!!.

There is very little visible information in train stations regarding the complaints procedure, the only thing I noticed was their non smoking policy.There does not appear to be the facillity to e mail a compaint to them in this modern day. I hear they have forms now, but in that situation stuck on a train being told we would leave in a few minutes and not actually doing so, one doesn't want to loose your seat to go onto the platform to get one.

A huge cheer went up from those when the train finally did start moving. The train took longer than the outward journey because of a different route on Sundays which I assume is for track repairs,but at least they could make sure the trains leave when they should.
B S Fripp