Avanti West Coast Services to Return to Public Hands in March

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, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said. Enough is enough.

The move forms part of a government plan to improve rail infrastructure, cut train delays and improve the experience for passengers. Avanti West Coast's managing director said he was proud of what the company had achieved over the last six years. Its contract was due to come to an end on 7 March.

In a post on social media, Prime Minister Andy Burnham echoed Alexander's comments. For years, he said, people have been expected to put up with Avanti's cancellations, delays, overcrowding and a service that has failed them time and time again.

Avanti West Coast runs key routes through northern England and into Scotland, including services between Glasgow and Edinburgh and London Euston. It also operates a service between London and Wales, to Holyhead.

Andy Mellors, managing director at Avanti West Coast, said the company has refurbished its Pendolino fleet and introduced new Evero trains to run more services than ever before. Over the coming months, he added, the company will work closely with the government to ensure a seamless transition into public ownership while remaining focused on delivering for customers and communities.

In May, Avanti West Coast said one in seven rail services would be cut on its busiest routes following a government request to reduce spending. The company, a joint venture between FirstGroup and the Italian state operator Trenitalia, predicted the move would cause minimum disruption to passengers and would not reduce revenues. FirstGroup holds a 70% stake, with Trenitalia holding the remaining 30%.

Companies such as Avanti West Coast have their finances heavily influenced by the Department for Transport because of contracts introduced in March 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. All train services operated under DfT contracts are being transferred to public ownership. Great Western Railway, which is owned by FirstGroup, is to be brought under public ownership in December.

Several rail firms around the country are already publicly owned, including Greater Anglia and South Western Railway. Welsh services were nationalised in 2021, and Scotland took its trains into public ownership the following year.