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Council plea to train company not to leave FA cup fans stranded

The Leader of Wigan Council has written to Sir Richard Branson to ask Virgin Trains to reconsider rail schedules which could leave hundreds of Latics’ supporters stranded in London after the FA Cup Final.

Lord Peter Smith has asked if Virgin could provide a later train service to allow Wigan Athletic fans to enjoy the match through to the final whistle, without fear of missing the last train.

The council has been a supporter of Virgin Trains and we’re thankful for the excellent two hour service they provide from Wigan to London, which makes us one of the best connected towns in the North West._

“Although we know the kick off time is out of Virgin’s hands, given their reputation as a caring company we hope they pull out all the stops to make sure fans have access to a train service at a reasonable time so they can get home safely._

– Lord Smith

Wigan Athletic Football Club has already expressed its concerns about the scheduling of trains back from Wembley.

“We’d like to thank Wigan Council for raising this with Virgin Trains and look forward to hearing their response. We want all of our fans to have a great day out and we wouldn’t want their enjoyment to be cut short if it can be avoided.”

– Chief Executive Jonathan Jackson