British train operating company
Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership franchise.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had run the franchise since 1997. Originally, the franchise was initially scheduled to run until March 2030, and had also been set to operate the initial High Speed 2 services from 2026.[2] However, during December 2020, it was announced that First Trenitalia and the DfT had agreed to terminate the WCP franchise at the earlier date of 31 March 2026 as part of the abolition of the franchise system.[3]
Avanti West Coast provide 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. At the start of the franchise, the rolling stock used for these services consisted of 56 Class 390 Pendolino high speed electric multiple units and 18 Class 221 Super Voyager diesel-electric multiple units; in 2019, it was announced that the Super Voyagers would be replaced by newly built Class 805 bi-mode multiple units and Class 807 electric multiple units. Originally, Avanti West Coast was set to operate the pending high speed train fleet intended for use on High Speed 2, although the franchise is set to end prior to the completion of this new railway as of 2022.
History
In November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that the InterCity West Coast franchise would be superseded by the West Coast Partnership (WCP).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.[4] 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.[5][6]
During June 2017, the DfT announced that three consortia had been shortlisted to bid for the franchise:[7][8]
In December 2018, the Spanish state-owned company Renfe Operadora joined the MTR-led bid.[9] During April 2019, it was announced that the incumbent Stagecoach-led bid had been disqualified after it had proposed significant changes to the commercial terms, specially in regards to staff pensions.[10][11] Stagecoach disputed its disqualification and launched a legal challenge to have it overturned; however, on 17 June 2020, the High Court ruled against the company and that the decision had been lawful.[12][13]
In August 2019, the DfT awarded the franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium with Avanti West Coast to commence operations on 8 December 2019.[14][15] The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a merger inquiry into the award of the franchise following a referral from the European Commission.[16][17] During December 2019, it was announced that the CMA had 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.[18][19]
Services
Takeover and COVID-19
Avanti West Coast currently operates the same services as Virgin Trains did on the West Coast Main Line. However, over the course of the franchise, several timetable changes are expected to be made. It was anticipated that, from December 2022, an additional 263 train services would be run every week.[20][21]
Services were curtailed during 2020 in response to the significant decline of passenger travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.[22][23] To help tackle the threat, new hygiene practices were introduced onboard Avanti services.[24] Occasionally, services had to be cancelled at short notice due to a lack of affected staff.[25] During 2022, Avanti West Coast begun ramping up service levels again, and issued public promises to restore full service to areas such as North Wales and Chester.[26][27]
Unlike services operated by London Northwestern Railway and London Overground, the Oyster contactless payment card are not valid on Avanti West Coast services between London Euston and Watford Junction, as Avanti services are pick-up only northbound and set-down only southbound at Watford Junction.[citation needed] In February 2021, Avanti West Coast launched smartcard ticketing as a more convenient and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional paper tickets.[28]
Industrial Action
Avanti West Coast was amongst those operators impacted by the 2022 United Kingdom railway strike, which was 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, Avanti appealed for the general public to avoid the railways for non-essential travel on the affected dates, these being 21, 23 and 25 June, 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]
2022 Controversy
Between 14 August and 18 September 2022, Avanti West Coast significantly reduced its timetable, citing unofficial strike action from its employees.[35] This was, however, disputed by Aslef.[36] The union accused Avanti of lying and blamed their lack of recruitment, especially of train drivers, for the problems. Trains were running at one service per hour on the majority of routes, as opposed to the three which would typically occur on the London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly route.
Following these changes, Avanti West Coast came under heavy scrutiny by the media and this was met with criticism from the public. News stories emerged of high cancellation levels of trains, overcrowded services, long delays and expensive fares. Many commuters have faced difficulties reaching their business destinations on the reduced services and some travellers have been left to wait a mere 2 days before travel for tickets to be released and on sale. This has been compounded by the use of the 9-car Class 390 train sets on the now-hourly Manchester services.
Although weekday tickets are available, weekend tickets and those for journeys more than 5 weeks away are still not on sale, as opposed to the normal 12 weeks on Avanti West Coast's website. Many routes are still facing less frequent services and very busy trains.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, expressed his frustration at the operator and has explained his intention to ask the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to strip Avanti of their franchise.[37] The CEO of Avanti resigned[38] amidst the controversy, however the problems remain ongoing. Many believe the rail operator will be unable to fix its problems.[39]
Routes
As of May 2022, Avanti's intercity routes are shown below:
Future services
Future services include:
Named trains
Avanti West Coast operates a named passenger train:
Classes of service
Uniquely among domestic train companies within the UK, Avanti West Coast operates three classes of service.
- Standard class occupies six coaches of nine-coach Pendolinos, seven coaches of 11-coach Pendolinos, and four coaches of five-coach Super Voyager trains. It consists of 2x2 seating, predominantly airline-style with fold-down tray tables; there is a limited number of bays of 4 seats around tables. Food and drink are available for purchase from the shop in coach C, with at-seat delivery sometimes available.
- Standard Premium class occupies one-two coaches of nine-coach Pendolinos and two-three coaches of 11-coach Pendolinos (variable depending on demand). It consists of wider 2x1 seating, with every seat having a table. There is no standard premium service on Super Voyager trains. Food and drink are available for purchase from the shop in coach C, with at-seat delivery sometimes available. Passengers can purchase Standard Premium tickets in advance or upgrade on board for a variable fee depending on distance travelled.
- First Class occupies one-two coaches of Pendolinos and one coach of each five-coach Super Voyager, usually at the London end. It has the same 2x1 all-table seating as Standard Premium. Other than on very short journeys, passengers are served a hot meal included in the fare, with complimentary alcoholic, hot, and soft drinks available from about midday until end of service.
Rolling stock
Avanti West Coast commenced operations having inherited the existing Super Voyager and Pendolino fleets from Virgin Trains.
Current fleet
| Class
|
Image
|
Type
|
Top speed
|
Carriages
|
Number
|
Built
|
Notes
|
| mph
|
km/h
|
| 221 Super Voyager
|
|
DEMU
|
125
|
200
|
5
|
18
|
2001–2002
|
Set numbers 221101-118
Refurbished and overhauled. Scheduled to be replaced from 2023 by Class 805 and 807s.[42]
|
| 390/0 & 390/1 Pendolino
|
|
EMU
|
140
|
225
|
9
|
21
|
2001–2004
|
Pendolino (from the Italian word Pendolo) refers to tilting trains.
To be retained long-term and refurbished throughout.[43]
|
|
|
| 140
|
225
|
11
|
31
|
2001–2004
|
- Pendolino (from the Italian word Pendolo) refers to tilting trains.
- To be retained long-term and refurbished throughout.[43]
|
| 4
|
2010–2012
|
|
|
Future fleet
All 20 of the Class 221 Super Voyager units will be replaced by 23 new trains from the Hitachi A-train family with maintenance taking place at Alstom's Oxley TRSMD depot in Wolverhampton.[44][45] These trains are to be divided into thirteen Class 805 bi-mode multiple units and ten Class 807 electric multiple units.[46] Although the units will have the same top speed, they will not tilt like the Class 390 Pendolinos nor the Class 221 "Super Voyager" units they will replace. The Class 805 units are to be used for services to Shrewsbury, Chester, Gobowen and North Wales and the Class 807 units are to be used for services to Birmingham New Street, Blackpool North and Liverpool Lime Street (alongside the Pendolinos).[43][47]
Avanti West Coast had planned to operate at least 54 new high speed trains to conduct High Speed 2 services, these trains will be built by Hitachi Rail and Alstom in the UK and are expected to enter service between 2029 and 2033.[48]
Past fleet
In June 2022, two of Avanti’s Class 221 "Super Voyagers", unit nos. 221142 and 221143, went off lease.[50]
