Avanti West Coast train services will be nationalised from March next year, the government has announced.
“For years, we’ve heard stories of Avanti underperforming, with passengers left paying the price. Enough is enough,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.
The move is part of a government plan to improve rail infrastructure, cut train delays and improve experiences for passengers which has already seen a number of private operators, including Northern favourite TransPennine Express, taken under government control.
Avanti West Coast’s managing director Andy Mellors said he was “proud of what we’ve achieved over the last six years.” The company’s contract was already due to come to an end on 7 March.
In a post on social media, PM Andy Burnham backed his transport minister’s opinion: “For years, people have been expected to put up with Avanti’s cancellations, delays, overcrowding, and a service that has failed them time and time again,” he said.
Avanti West Coast runs key routes through Northern England and into Scotland, including services between Glasgow and Edinburgh and London Euston and the key Manchester-London route, which is coincidentally now frequently used by the PM to shuttle between Westminster and the new Number 10 North. Burnham has previously frequently spoken out about the service’s unreliability during his time as Greater Manchester Mayor, while the horrors of the service have even been the subject of a Radio 4 documentary.
It also runs a service between London and Wales, to Holyhead, which we’re sure Welsh readers have their own colourful opinions on.
Mellors noted that the company has refurbished its Pendolino fleet and introduced new Evero trains, to run “more services than ever before”.
He added: “Over the coming months, we’ll work closely with the government to ensure a seamless transition into public ownership while remaining focused on delivering for our customers and communities.”
In May, Avanti West Coast said one-in-seven rail services will be cut on its busiest routes following a government request to reduce spending.
The company – a joint venture between FirstGroup (70%) and Italian state operator Trenitalia (30%) – predicted the move would cause minimum disruption to passengers and not reduce revenues.
Companies such as Avanti West Coast have their finances heavily influenced by the Department for Transport (DfT) due to contracts introduced in March 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
All train services operated under DfT contracts are now being transferred to public ownership.
Great Western Railway – which is owned by FirstGroup – is next in line, with public ownership due in December.
