Avanti West Coast to Cut 1 in 7 Trains on Busiest Routes This Summer

Avanti West Coast plans to remove approximately one in seven trains from its busiest intercity routes this summer in a cost-cutting move.

The train operator said it was reducing its timetable between London Euston and Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester in response to a government request to lower spending.

It normally operates 248 daily services on the affected routes and will eliminate 38 weekday trains from the schedule during the summer months, when demand is lower.

The Department for Transport (DfT), led by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, has approved the revised timetable, which takes effect July 20.

The affected trains will be removed from schedules before advance ticket purchases become available online.

The threatened 7:00 a.m. Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston fast service, reinstated in December after public uproar, will continue to operate.

The government has sought to reduce overall rail spending, with annual net funding remaining at about £12 billion in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Avanti said the “demand-led timetabling” would affect only routes with alternative trains to minimize disruption and should not reduce revenue.

The operator, which runs fast intercity trains between London and Glasgow on the West Coast Mainline, has the worst punctuality record in national rail by a significant margin, according to the latest Office of Rail and Road statistics.

However, surveys indicate customer satisfaction has improved, and Avanti has greatly increased the number of services since its COVID-era troubles, when drivers refused overtime and it was forced to slash its timetable.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “From 20 July to 28 August, we will be operating an amended timetable between London and Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester on weekdays.”

“To ensure minimal impact to those travelling between the affected dates, these changes will only affect routes on which we operate more than one train per hour, during typically less busy periods of the day – maximising alternative journey options.”

“We’d like to encourage customers planning to make journeys during this time to plan ahead, and thank them for their understanding.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “The secretary of state has accepted Avanti’s short-term proposals to amend its weekday summer timetable, when passenger numbers are considerably lower and many trains run with large numbers of empty seats.”

“This will save taxpayers’ money while still meeting passenger demand for seats.”

Train services operated by Avanti are expected to be nationalized in early 2027 as the government returns operations to public ownership under Great British Railways.

The operator said the latest service reduction is not due to a lack of resources.

Like all remaining franchised train operators, Avanti is tightly contracted to the DfT and has had a chequered history with state funding, described in slides leaked from a 2024 internal management meeting as “free money.”