My point regarding it being a coincidence was that I heard about this loss of money after the units had been ordered.
This may well have simply been me not hearing anything other stories about it previously mind.
Short-formed sets are a fact of the railway, it's nothing to do with how well off a company is. You're talking about HSTs and Mk4 sets which have been in service several decades now - they're bound to develop issues with the likes of maintenance! I'd rather cut a coach out than cancel a full set!
IMO, if ECML had remained under government ownership there would have been a lot less growth and improvements to service than present - ie huge refurb of rolling stock, free Wifi for advance ticket holders, advertising campaigns etc etc. - the sort of stuff Virgin excel at.
RE: East Coast / Virgin Trains East Coast
![[Image: 0a85ed5b4e97324e338555472f222830.png]](https://public.railmiles.me/signatures/0a85ed5b4e97324e338555472f222830.png)