Avanti services to be nationalised

Avanti West Coast train services will be nationalised from next March, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham declaring 'enough is enough'.

The company’s intercity trains on the West Coast Main Line connect Lancashire to Scotland, the west midlands and London.

Mr Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, has repeatedly criticised the operator over cancellations and ticket prices.

And in a post on social media, following the announcement by transport secretary Heidi Alexander, the PM said: “Enough is enough. 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.

“So, my Labour government is bringing Avanti West Coast into public ownership at the earliest opportunity in March next year.

“That means passengers, not shareholders, will come first. More investment, fewer delays, and a renewed focus on getting the basics right.

“We’re putting essential services back in public hands and building a railway that actually works for the people who use it.”

Responding to the announcement, Andy Mellors, managing director at Avanti West Coast, said: “We are proud of what we have achieved over the past six years - from refurbishing our Pendolino fleet and introducing our new Evero trains to running more services than ever before.

“Together, these improvements have given customers greater choice, more capacity and better connectivity, while we’ve continued to innovate to shape the future of the West Coast and wider rail industry.  

“Over the coming months, we will work closely with the government to ensure a seamless transition into public ownership while remaining focused on delivering for our customers and communities.”

Avanti West Coast is a joint venture between FirstGroup and Italian state operator Trenitalia.

In May it announced one-in-seven rail services on its busiest routes would be cut following a government request to reduce expenditure. The operator said it believed the move would cause minimum disruption to passengers and not reduce revenues.

Last month the company released a report which said it had generated more than £5bn in value to the UK economy last year, with £1.2bn of that in the north west of England.

Several rail firms around the country are already publicly owned, including Northern, which operates services across Lancashire and the north of England. Arriva Rail North had its franchise terminated at the end of February 2020.

TransPennine Express (TPE), which also runs services in Lancashire, was transferred into public ownership in May 2023.