TSSA Leadership 'Needs to Tell the Truth'

LONDON, January 11 - Tony Collins, Virgin Trains' chief executive, today demanded
that the TSSA union leadership 'get honest' about the reasons behind its
strike call.

Following a 24-hour strike call supported by only a small
minority of members, the TSSA rail union has today called three short strikes
at Virgin Trains ticket offices in its dispute over payments for using
improved ticket office machines.

The first strike on Monday January 4 had no impact on Virgin
Trains customers, as only 70 people out of 3,000 Virgin Trains employees
joined the strike.

Mr Collins said today: "We will maintain a full service, as we
did last Monday, and ensure that customers are able to buy tickets and do not
have their journeys disrupted by this action."

And he added: "The TSSA leadership has consistently tried to
mislead and confuse its members and public about the reason for the strike."

"The key reason for a strike is that the TSSA wants increased
pay for use of machines that offer a better quality of service to customers."

Mr Collins added: "The TSSA leadership continues to peddle
misinformation in its desperate attempt to justify its actions, which are not
in the interests of either its members or the travelling public. It is time
for the TSSA to get honest about the true reasons for its action, which is
about extra payments."

The TSSA has tried to disguise this by making a string of
false or misleading claims to try to win public support, including
suggesting:

    1. Virgin Trains is cutting ticket office jobs by 10 per cent.

    There are no plans to reduce the number of ticket office jobs,
    and in fact Virgin Trains is recruiting to fill vacancies to help serve
    the increasing number of customers.

    2. Virgin Trains is planning to close ticket offices.

    Virgin Trains is certainly not closing any ticket offices. We
    are using the same number of staff and will continue to use all ticket
    offices.

    3. Virgin Trains ticket office staff are experiencing
    increasing levels of assault.

    There are no indications of increasing levels of assault and
    Virgin Trains would take immediate action if there were any evidence of
    an increase.

The dates on which the TSSA has called short strikes among some ticket
office staff are:

    Friday 15th January 1600-1900

    Monday 25th January 0500-0830

    Friday 5th February 1600-1900

Virgin Trains has contingency plans to ensure customers are able to buy
tickets throughout these periods.

Notes to Editors

Total growth in passenger numbers is 15 percent; growth at weekends is 36
percent. Growth based on figures for Virgin Trains periods 1001-1009 compared
to 0901-0909 (i.e. 1 March 2009 to 14 November 2009 compared to 2 March 2008
to 8 November 2008).

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Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated
the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise
runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by
Stagecoach.

Virgin Trains has been recognised in numerous industry awards. In 2009
the company was awarded the Globe Travel Awards 2009 'Best Rail Operator'
Category as voted by Evening Standard readers; voted Best UK Domestic Train
Service by Business Traveller magazine for the second year running; and named
Best Rail Operator in the 2009 Group Leisure Awards, run by Group Leisure,
the magazine for group travel organisers.

For further information contact the Virgin Trains Press Desk on +44(0)845-000-3333 or visit www.virgintrains.co.uk/about/media-room/