A magazine for Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Trains has gone off the rails by promoting Oxford with a picture of its arch-rival Cambridge.

The on-board publication Hotline was bombarded with complaints.

A picture of a river scene - captioned Oxford, Dream City - showed people punting beneath a beautiful bridge.

Readers must have thought they were dreaming, however, after realising that Oxford's bridge, belonging to Hertford College, only spans a street.

The picture was in fact of the Bridge of Sighs at St John's College, Cambridge.

Spelling mistakes included Magdalen Collage and New Collage and Oxford author JRR Tolkien was wrongly printed as Tolkein.

The errors are particularly embarrassing as tycoon Sir Richard lives on Oxford's doorstep near the village of Kidlington.

Hotline editor Joe Gardiner said an apology could be published in the autumn edition, when the magazine would revisit Oxford.

Monday April 7 2003