{"id":13961,"date":"2024-02-22T10:36:36","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T00:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=13961"},"modified":"2024-02-22T10:36:36","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T00:36:36","slug":"comment-virgin-trains-ticketings-mark-plowright-reacts-to-bradshaw-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=13961","title":{"rendered":"COMMENT: Virgin Trains Ticketing\u2019s Mark Plowright reacts to Bradshaw Address"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark Plowright, Director at Virgin Trains Ticketing<\/a>, commented on the Bradshaw Address:<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter which side of the tracks you fall, it\u2019s clear both the Conservatives and Labour want to expedite reform by showing their commitment to improving the railways by putting passengers first. Whilst this is a welcome green signal, I remain disappointed that neither minister in this year\u2019s Bradshaw Address specifically spoke about rail retail, beyond fare reform. Buying a train ticket is the first interaction any passenger has with the network and getting the rail \u2018shop window\u2019 right is crucial if we are going to boost rail ridership in the UK.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat means fare reform \u2013 simpler and cheaper fares \u2013 but it also means addressing the regulatory divide between train operators and rail retailers, which is outdated, confuses passengers and stifles competition and consumer choice. Independent rail retailers play a vital role in helping drive modal shift and attract new passengers to the railways. From a passenger point of view, making proposition and fulfilment methods available across all retail platforms is the only way to make buying a train ticket easy and accessible for all.<\/span> I\u2019d like to see rail retail move up the agenda before the election and not something that\u2019s left in the sidings.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

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Mark Plowright, Director at Virgin Trains Ticketing, commented on the Bradshaw Address: \u201cNo matter which side of the tracks you fall, it\u2019s clear both the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":13962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,47,488],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-opinion","category-rail-news","category-railway-stations"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t