UNITED KINGDOM: Avanti West Coast train services will be run by the government from next March, ministers have announced.
“For years, passengers have had to deal with poor service from Avanti. Enough is enough,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.
The move is part of a government plan to improve railways, reduce delays and make journeys better for passengers.
Avanti West Coast’s managing director said he was “proud of what we’ve achieved over the last six years”. The company’s contract was due to end on 7 March.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham shared Alexander’s view in a social media post.
“For years, people have had to put up with Avanti’s cancelled and late trains, crowded services and a service that has let them down again and again,” he said.
Avanti West Coast runs important routes through northern England and into Scotland, including services between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and London Euston. It also runs trains between London and Holyhead in Wales.
Andy Mellors, Avanti West Coast’s managing director, said the company had improved its Pendolino trains 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 make sure the move to public ownership goes smoothly, while continuing to serve our passengers and communities.”
In May, Avanti West Coast said it would cut one in seven train services on its busiest routes after the government asked it to reduce spending.
The company, which is 70% owned by FirstGroup and 30% by Italian state rail operator Trenitalia, said the cuts would cause little disruption and would not reduce its income.
The Department for Transport has a strong influence over companies such as Avanti because of contracts introduced in March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
All train services run under these government contracts are being moved into public ownership.
Great Western Railway, which is owned by FirstGroup, will be brought into public ownership in December.
Several other rail companies are already publicly owned, including Greater Anglia and South Western Railway. Wales brought its train services into public ownership in 2021, and Scotland did the same the following year.
Reported By :Our Correspondent I United Kingdom
