Sardines sent to Richard Branson

A Virgin spokesman said people were consulted on the changes

Sir Richard Branson has been sent a tin of sardines by a rail passenger group upset by a 50% cut to some Virgin Trains services.

TrainSardine.org has said cutting some direct West Coast Main Line rush-hour trains to London from Warrington, Cheshire, will mean more overcrowding.

The change follows the introduction of a new timetable after the completion of the £9bn West Coast upgrade.

A Virgin spokesman said people had had the chance to respond to the changes.

He said: "This was a timetable that was put out for consultation by the Department for Transport and people had a chance to comment on it.

"The department's philosophy is that that local and regional train operators should look after the needs of local and regional passengers while inter-city operators look after inter-city passengers."

A spokesman for TrainSardine.org said: "The new Virgin West Coast timetable was sold to the public as being a faster, cheaper service.

"It turns out there are fewer direct trains, which will lead to more expensive seats, and for thousands it will mean longer journey times with at least 30 minutes standing around waiting for connections.

"Billions spent for a reduced service - great."

The group said as well as the London from Warrington cuts, direct services from Warrington to Stafford and Rugby had gone.