Avanti West Coast
FranchiseWest Coast Partnership
Start year8 December 2019
End year18 October 2026[1][2]
AbbrVT[a]
PredecessorVirgin Trains
Regions
Secregions
Stationsop16[3]
HeadquartersLondon
Routekm1,310 km (810 miles)[3]
Parent company

First Trenitalia West Coast Rail, trading as Avanti West Coast, is a British train operating company and franchise that operates the West Coast Partnership. The company is owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) but is in the process of being nationalised as part of the abolition of passenger rail franchising in Great Britain; Avanti West Coast routes will be taken over by Great British Railways by October 2027.[4]

Avanti West Coast provides the principal long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland. Its services connect six of the largest cities in the UK – London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh – which have a combined metropolitan population of over 18 million.

Avanti West Coast began services in December 2019, at which time it inherited 56 high speed electric multiple units and 20 diesel-electric multiple units from Virgin Trains. The 390s underwent major refurbishment between 2021 and 2024, and in 2024 the 221s were replaced with new bi-mode multiple units and electric multiple units.

History

Background

In November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that the InterCity West Coast franchise, which was held by Virgin Trains from 1997 to 2019, would be superseded by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). The principal change of the WCP was the inclusion of the High Speed 2 (HS2) services, then envisioned to start around 2026.[5] Accordingly, the DfT required that bidders have experience in operating high-speed trains and the associated infrastructure, which led to all tendering parties either being, or partnering with, an existing high-speed operator.[6][7]

In June 2017, the DfT announced that three consortia had been shortlisted to bid for the franchise:[8][9]

In December 2018, the Spanish state-owned company Renfe Operadora joined the MTR-led bid.[10] In April 2019, the incumbent Stagecoach-led bid was disqualified after it had proposed significant changes to the commercial terms, specially in regards to staff pensions.[11][12] Stagecoach disputed its disqualification and launched a legal challenge to have it overturned. On 17 June 2020, the High Court ruled against the company, deciding that the decision had been lawful.[13][14]

In August 2019, the DfT awarded the franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium with Avanti West Coast to commence operations on 8 December 2019.[15][16] The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a merger inquiry into the award of the franchise following a referral from the European Commission.[17][18] In December 2019, the CMA approved the franchise's award; concerns that limited competition on some routes could lead to higher fares and less availability of cheaper tickets were offset by the agreement of price caps to be present in some regions.[19][20]

Avanti West Coast promised retiring diesel Voyager trains by 2022, Wi-Fi improvements, and adding 263 weekly train services. Avanti unveiled their orange triangle logo, representing the three geographic points of the West Coast Main Line. Virgin Trains tickets were accepted as valid fare for another 24 weeks after Saturday, 7 December 2019.[21]

Strikes and train cancellations (2022–2024); contract extensions and nationalisation

Services were curtailed in 2020 due to a decline of passenger travel and staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.[22][23][24][25][26][27]

The DfT produced an Emergency Measures Agreement (EMA) and then in September 2020, an Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (ERMA), which extended Avanti West Coast's contract until 1 April 2031.[28]

Avanti West Coast was impacted by the 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes, the first national rail strike in the UK for three decades.[29] Its workers were amongst those who voted to take industrial action due a dispute over pay and working conditions.[30][31] In response, the company appealed for the general public to avoid the railways for non-essential travel on the affected dates of 21, 23, and 25 June 2022, as only a minimal service could be run due to the number of staff choosing not to work.[32] On 29 June 2022, Avanti West Coast's staff voted in favour of further strikes.[33][34]

Between 14 August and 18 September 2022, Avanti West Coast reduced its timetable, citing unofficial strike action from its employees. However, this allegation was disputed by Aslef.[35] In August 2022, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, expressed his frustration at Avanti West Coast and explained his intention to ask the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to rescind the Avanti West Coast franchise.[36] In September 2022, the CEO of Avanti West Coast resigned amid the timetable controversy.[37]

In October 2022, the UK Government extended Avanti's contract for six months but stated "drastic improvements" were necessary.[38]

According to figures released by the Office of Rail and Road on 12 November 2022, Avanti West Coast had the worst record of train cancellations in the year prior to this date. The average cancellation rate in Great Britain was 3.8%, while Avanti West Coast's rate was 8%.[39]

In March 2023, the Avanti West Coast contract was extended by six months to expire on 15 October 2023.[40] On 19 September 2023, DfT extended the contract, starting on 15 October 2023, with a core term of three years (to 18 October 2026) and a maximum term of nine years (to 17 October 2032). At that time, the DfT said that Avanti-caused cancellations were consistently below 3% since March 2023.[1]

In December 2024, it was announced that Avanti West Coast would be nationalised as part of the abolition of passenger rail franchising in Great Britain. Avanti West Coast routes will be taken over by Great British Railways by October 2027.[4] Avanti West Coast will be one of the last two train operators to be nationalised after its contract expires.[41]

Services

Avanti West Coast currently operates the same services as Virgin Trains did on the West Coast Main Line before 2019.

In November 2019, before services commenced, it was anticipated that, from December 2022, an additional 263 train services would be run every week.[42]

In February 2021, Avanti West Coast launched smartcard ticketing as a more convenient and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional paper tickets.[43]

Routes

As of December 2025, Avanti West Coast weekday regular intercity routes in trains per hour (tph) / day (tpd) are as follows:[44]

Route A – London - North West and Scotland via Birmingham
RoutetpdCalling at
London Euston to Glasgow Central via Birmingham New Street6

Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Sandwell & Dudley, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, , (3 tpd), (3 tpd), , (2 tpd)

  • Trains call at either Oxenholme Lake District or Penrith North Lakes
  • Alternates with services to Edinburgh Waverley
London Euston to Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham New Street6

Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Sandwell & Dudley, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District (5 tpd), Penrith North Lakes (3 tpd), Carlisle,

  • Trains call at either Oxenholme Lake District or Penrith North Lakes
  • Alternates with services to Glasgow Central
Route B – London - West Midlands
RoutetphCalling at
London Euston to Birmingham New Street[b]1, , , Coventry, Birmingham International
1Coventry, Birmingham International
Route C – London - Chester and North Wales
RoutetphCalling at
London Euston to1

Stafford, Crewe

  • Six trains per day continue to , calling at , , , , and .
  • One train per day has a dividing portion to .
  • Three trains per day Holyhead-bound and one train London-bound also call at and .
  • One train per day London-bound also call at Milton Keynes Central.
  • One train per day run to Birmingham New Street, calling at Wolverhampton.
Route D – London - Liverpool
RoutetphCalling at
London Euston to [45]1

Milton Keynes Central, Crewe, ,

  • One train per day additionally calls at Hartford in each direction.
1Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Runcorn
Route E – London - Manchester
RoutetphCalling at
London Euston to via1Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Stoke-on-Trent, ,
1, Stoke-on-Trent, Stockport
London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe1Stafford, Crewe, , Stockport
Route F – London - North West and Scotland via Trent Valley
RoutetphCalling at
London Euston to Blackpool North1 tpd

Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston

  • Monday–Friday only.
London Euston to Glasgow Central1

Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District (1 tp2h), Penrith North Lakes (1 tp2h), Carlisle, Motherwell (1 tp2h)

  • Trains call at either Oxenholme Lake District or Penrith North Lakes

Rolling stock

Avanti West Coast commenced operations having inherited the Super Voyager[46] and Pendolino[47] fleets from Virgin Trains. The 56 Pendolinos underwent major refurbishment, as announced at the start of the franchise contract, between 2021 and 2024.[48][49]

Current fleet

In 2024, all the were replaced by 23 new trains from the Hitachi A-train family, with maintenance taking place at Alstom's Oxley TRSMD depot in Wolverhampton.[50][51] These trains are divided into thirteen bi-mode multiple units and ten electric multiple units.[52] Although the units have the same top speed, they do not tilt like the nor the Class 221 Super Voyagers they replaced. The Class 805s are used on services to , and North Wales, and the Class 807s are used on services to , and (alongside the Pendolinos).[48][53]

 Class Image Type  Top speed NumberCarriagesRoutes Built  Notes 
 mph  km/h 
EMU125200219London Euston – Glasgow Central / Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham London Euston – Birmingham New Street
London Euston – Liverpool Lime Street via Trent Valley
London Euston – Manchester Piccadilly via Trent Valley		2001–2004
  • Pendolino (from the Italian word Pendolo) refers to tilting trains.
  • Retained and refurbished.[48]
3111London Euston – Glasgow Central / Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham London Euston – Birmingham New Street
London Euston – Liverpool Lime Street via Trent Valley
London Euston – Manchester Piccadilly via Trent Valley		2001–2004Retained and refurbished.[48]
42010–2012
[54]BMU135London Euston – Birmingham New Street London Euston – Chester / Holyhead / Wrexham General via Trent Valley
London Euston – Blackpool North via Trent Valley		2021–2024Entered service in June 2024[55]
[54]EMU107London Euston – Birmingham New Street London Euston – Liverpool Lime Street via Trent Valley
London Euston – Glasgow Central via Trent Valley		2021–2025Entered service in October 2024[56]

Future fleet

Prior to the announcement by the Starmer government that all train operating companies were to be nationalised by October 2027,[41] Avanti West Coast had planned to operate at least 54 new high speed trains for High Speed 2 services. These are to be built by Hitachi Rail and Alstom in the UK and were expected to enter service between 2029 and 2033,[57] although in 2025, the opening of HS2 was postponed with no new date given.[58][59]

FamilyClassImageTypeTop speedNumberCarriagesRoutes operatedEntering service
mphkm/h
Alstom/HitachiTBA22536054[60]8HS2 routesTBA

Past fleet

In June 2022, two Avanti West Coast Class 221 "Super Voyagers", units 221142 and 221143, went off lease,[61] and later transferred to Grand Central.[62] In July 2024, a further 10 "Super Voyagers" went off lease, and units 221107, 221110-13 and 221117-18 were stored, with units 221114-16 transferring to CrossCountry.[63] The remaining units worked limited services to Birmingham, Chester and North Wales before being withdrawn in December 2024.[64]

 Class Image Type  Top speed Number Carriages Built 
 mph  km/h 
DEMU12520020[63]52001–2002

References

Notes

  1. ^ Reporting mark inherited from Virgin Trains, the operator of the franchise prior to Avanti.
  2. ^ Euston - Birmingham trains are supplemented by Euston - Birmingham - Blackpool/Scotland trains, providing three trains an hour

Citations

  1. ^ "West Coast Partnership and Cross Country rail operator direct awards". London: Department for Transport. 19 September 2023. Archived 19 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ "West Coast partnership 2023: national rail contract". Department for Transport. gov.uk. 21 March 2024. p. 76 | Specified Additional Rolling Stock. Archived 21 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Avanti West Coast Train Operating Company key statistics April 2024 to March 2025". Office of Rail and Road. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  4. ^ Clark, Alex (13 October 2025). "Most of Great Britain's major rail operators are back in public hands – is it working?". The Guardian
  5. ^ "New West Coast rail franchise to run HS2 services". BBC News. Archived 7 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  6. ^ Lea, Robert. "Wanted: Superfast mover to partner Virgin and Stagecoach for HS2". The Times. Archived 5 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  7. ^ "RENFE poised to join Virgin's HS2 franchise bid". Railway Gazette International. DVV Media Group. 11 April 2017. Archived 13 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
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  10. ^ "RENFE joins MTR's West Coast Partnership bid team". Railway Gazette International. 20 December 2018. Archived 11 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine.
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  13. ^ "Decision to disqualify bidders from rail franchise procurements was lawful: High Court". Local Government Lawyer. 17 June 2020. Archived 3 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  14. ^ Powley, Tanya & Croft, Jane (17 June 2020). "Stagecoach loses challenge against rail bid ban". Financial Times
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  18. ^ Topham, Gwyn (27 November 2019). "West coast train services to be rebranded with Avanti logo". The Guardian. Archived 17 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
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  20. ^ Saker-Clark, Henry (6 December 2019). "Preston-to-Scotland fares to be capped after CMA probe into Avanti franchise". Belfast Telegraph. Archived 3 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
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  28. ^ "Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement ("ERMA")". Department for Transport. 19 September 2020. Archived 17 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
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  30. ^ Finnis, Alex (20 June 2022). "The dates of the train, Tube and bus strikes this week, and how services will be affected". i. London: Daily Mail and General Trust. Archived 24 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
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  32. ^ Mawson, Brandon (23 June 2022). "Avanti West Coast urges only essential travel this Saturday". News & Star. Archived 11 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  33. ^ Hill, Joel (29 June 2022). "Avanti West Coast railway staff vote for further strikes". ITV News. Archived 3 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  34. ^ Robinson, Jon (9 June 2022). "Avanti West Coast staff could strike causing chaos for Liverpool passengers". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool: Reach plc. Archived 3 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
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  38. ^ Sweney, Mark (7 October 2022). "Avanti West Coast must 'drastically improve' after securing six-month extension". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
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  41. ^ Benson, Michael (8 January 2025). "When will my local train operator be nationalised?". – via House of Commons Library
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  47. ^ "Our Pendolino Trains". Avanti West Coast. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  48. ^ "First Trenitalia awarded West Coast Partnership". Railway Gazette International. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019.
  49. ^ Clinnick, Richard (22 July 2021). "Alstom begins Avanti West Coast Pendolino refurbishment". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
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  55. ^ "Welcome to Evero! @AvantiWestCoast has branded its new Hitachi Class 805/807 units "Evero". Six Class 805s are in service today on the Euston-Chester/Holyhead/Wrexham routes - 805001/004/008/009/011/012". No. 1797237459891216541. Today's Railways UK. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  56. ^ "Avanti West Coast's Class 807 makes 'soft' passenger debut between London Euston and Birmingham". Rail. Peterborough: Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
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  63. ^ Bendall, Simon & Coward, Andy (August 2024). "Avanti takes Voyagers off-lease.". Railways Illustrated. No. 258. p. 20.
  64. ^ "Our Super Voyager Trains". www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.