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 | |||
| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise | West Coast Partnership | ||
| Main regions | |||
| Other regions | |||
| Fleet | |||
| Stations called at | 46 | ||
| Stations operated | 16 | ||
| Parent company |
| ||
| Headquarters | London | ||
| Reporting mark | VT[a] | ||
| Dates of operation | 8 December 2019 (2019-12-08)–18 October 2026 (2026-10-18)[1][2] | ||
| Predecessor | Virgin Trains | ||
| Other | |||
| Website | www | ||
| |||
First Trenitalia West Coast Rail,trading asAvanti West Coast, is a Britishtrain operating company and franchise that operates theWest Coast Partnership. The company is owned byFirstGroup (70%) andTrenitalia (30%) but is in the process of being nationalised as part of the abolition ofpassenger rail franchising in Great Britain; Avanti West Coast routes will be taken over byGreat British Railways by October 2027.[3]
Avanti West Coast provides the principal long-distance passenger services on theWest Coast Main Line between London, theWest Midlands,North West England,North Wales andScotland. Its services connect six of the largest cities in the UK –London,Birmingham,Liverpool,Manchester,Glasgow, andEdinburgh – which have a combined metropolitan population of over 18 million.
Avanti West Coast began services in December 2019, at which time it inherited 56Class 390Pendolino high speedelectric multiple units and 20Class 221Super Voyagerdiesel-electric multiple units fromVirgin Trains. The 390s underwent major refurbishment between 2021 and 2024, and in 2024 the 221s were replaced with newClass 805bi-mode multiple units andClass 807 electric multiple units.
In November 2016, theDepartment for Transport (DfT) announced that theInterCity West Coast franchise, which was held byVirgin Trains from 1997 to 2019, would be superseded by theWest Coast Partnership (WCP). The principal change of the WCP was the inclusion of theHigh 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]
In 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 companyRenfe Operadora joined the MTR-led bid.[9] In April 2019, the incumbent Stagecoach-led bid was disqualified after it had proposed significant changes to the commercial terms, specially in regards to staffpensions.[10][11] Stagecoach disputed its disqualification and launched a legal challenge to have it overturned. On 17 June 2020, theHigh Court ruled against the company, deciding 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] TheCompetition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched amerger inquiry into the award of the franchise following a referral from theEuropean Commission.[16][17] 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 ofprice caps to be present in some regions.[18][19]
Services were curtailed in 2020 due to a decline of passenger travel and staffing shortages during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[20][21][22][23][24][25]
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.[26]
Avanti West Coast was impacted by the2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes, the first national rail strike in the UK for three decades.[27] Its workers were amongst those who voted to takeindustrial action due a dispute over pay and working conditions.[28][29] 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.[30] On 29 June 2022, Avanti West Coast's staff voted in favour of further strikes.[31][32]
Between 14 August and 18 September 2022, Avanti West Coast reduced its timetable, citing unofficialstrike action from its employees. However, this allegation was disputed byAslef.[33]
In August 2022, theMayor of Greater Manchester,Andy Burnham, expressed his frustration at Avanti West Coast and explained his intention to ask the thenPrime Minister,Boris Johnson, to rescind the Avanti West Coast franchise.[34] In September 2022, the CEO of Avanti West Coast resigned amid the timetable controversy.[35]
In October 2022, the UK Government extended Avanti's contract for six months but stated "drastic improvements" were necessary.[36]
According to figures released by theOffice 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%.[37]
In March 2023, the Avanti West Coast contract was extended by six months to expire on 15 October 2023.[38]
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). A that time, DfT noted 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 ofpassenger rail franchising in Great Britain. Avanti West Coast routes will be taken over byGreat British Railways by October 2027.[3]
Avanti West Coast will be one of the last two train operators to be nationalised after its contract expires.[39]
Avanti West Coast currently operates the same services asVirgin Trains did on theWest 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.[40]
In February 2021, Avanti West Coast launched smartcard ticketing as a more convenient and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional paper tickets.[41]
As of December 2025, Avanti West Coast weekday regular intercity routes are as follows:[42]
| Route A –London -North West andScotland viaBirmingham | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | tpd | Calling at |
| London Euston to Glasgow Central via Birmingham New Street | 6 |
|
| London Euston to Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham New Street | 6 |
|
| Route B –London -West Midlands | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| London Euston to Birmingham New Street[b] | 1 |
|
| 1 |
| |
| Route C –London -Chester andNorth Wales | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| London Euston toChester | 1 |
|
| Route D –London -Liverpool | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| London Euston toLiverpool Lime Street[43] | 1 |
|
| 1 | Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Runcorn | |
| Route E –London -Manchester | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| London Euston toManchester Piccadilly viaStoke-on-Trent | 1 |
|
| 1 |
| |
| London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe | 1 |
|
| Route F –London -North West andScotland via Trent Valley | ||
| Route | tph | Calling at |
| London Euston to Blackpool North | 1tpd |
|
| London Euston to Glasgow Central | 1 |
|
Avanti West Coast commenced operations having inherited theSuper Voyager[44] andPendolino[45] fleets fromVirgin Trains. The 56Pendolinos underwent major refurbishment, as announced at the start of the franchise contract, between 2021 and 2024.[46][47]
In 2024, all theClass 221 Super Voyagers were replaced by 23 new trains from theHitachi A-train family, with maintenance taking place atAlstom'sOxley TRSMD depot inWolverhampton.[48][49] These trains are divided into thirteenClass 805bi-mode multiple units and tenClass 807electric multiple units.[50] Although the units have the same top speed, they do not tilt like theClass 390 Pendolinos nor the Class 221Super Voyagers they replaced. The Class 805s are used on services toChester,Wrexham General and North Wales, and the Class 807s are used on services toBirmingham New Street,Blackpool North andLiverpool Lime Street (alongside thePendolinos).[46][51]
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Routes | Built | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| 390 Pendolino |  | EMU | 125 | 200 | 21 | 9 | London Euston – Glasgow Central / Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham London Euston – Birmingham New StreetLondon Euston – Liverpool Lime Street via Trent ValleyLondon Euston – Manchester Piccadilly via Trent Valley | 2001–2004 | |
 | |||||||||
| 31 | 11 | London Euston – Glasgow Central / Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham London Euston – Birmingham New StreetLondon Euston – Liverpool Lime Street via Trent ValleyLondon Euston – Manchester Piccadilly via Trent Valley | 2001–2004 | Retained and refurbished.[46] | |||||
| 4 | 2010–2012 | ||||||||
 | |||||||||
| 805 Evero[52] | .jpg) | BMU | 13 | 5 | London Euston – Birmingham New Street London Euston – Chester / Holyhead / Wrexham General via Trent ValleyLondon Euston – Blackpool North via Trent Valley | 2021–2024 | Entered service in June 2024[53] | ||
 | |||||||||
| 807 Evero[52] |  | EMU | 10 | 7 | London Euston – Birmingham New Street London Euston – Liverpool Lime Street via Trent ValleyLondon Euston – Glasgow Central via Trent Valley | 2021–2025 | Entered service in October 2024[54] | ||
 | |||||||||
Prior to the announcement by theStarmer government that all train operating companies were to be nationalised by October 2027,[39] Avanti West Coast had planned to operate at least 54 new high speed trains forHigh Speed 2 services. These are to be built byHitachi Rail andAlstom in the UK and were expected to enter service between 2029 and 2033,[55]although in 2025, the opening of HS2 was postponed with no new date given.[56][57]
| Family | Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Entering service | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| Alstom/Hitachi | 895 |  | TBA | 225 | 360 | 54[58] | 8 | HS2 routes | TBA |
In June 2022, two Avanti West Coast Class 221 "Super Voyagers", units 221142 and 221143, went off lease,[59] and later transferred toGrand Central.[60] 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 toCrossCountry.[61] The remaining units worked limited services to Birmingham, Chester and North Wales before being withdrawn in December 2024.[62]
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| 221 Super Voyager |  | DEMU | 125 | 200 | 20[61] | 5 | 2001–2002 |
| Preceded by | Operator ofWest Coast Partnership franchise 2019–2026 | Incumbent |
