Updated
10.55

Avanti
West
Coast’s
contract


to
provide
intercity
services
on
the
West
Coast
Main
Line
has
been
extended
to
October,
less
than
two
weeks
before
the
arrangement
had
been
due
to
expire.
A
new
managing
director
has
also
taken
over.

Avanti,
which
is
owned
by
FirstGroup
and
Trenitalia,
had
come
under
fire
because
of
its
high
number
of
train
cancellations
and
a
reduced
timetable
which
it introduced
last
summer
in
a
bid
to
work
within
its
resources.

Its
contract
was
due
to
end
on
31
March,
but
will
now
continue
until
15
October.

Transport
secretary
Mark
Harper
said:
‘The
routes
Avanti
West
Coast
run
are
absolutely
vital,
and
I
fully
understand
the
frustrations
passengers
felt
at
the completely
unacceptable
services
seen
last
autumn.
Following
our
intervention,
rail
minister
Huw
Merriman
and
I
have
worked
closely
with
local
leaders
to
put a
robust
plan
in
place,
which
I’m
glad
to
see
is
working.

‘However,
there
is
still
more
work
to
be
done
to
bring
services
up
to
the
standards
we
expect,
which
is
why
over
this
next
six
months
further
improvements
will need
to
be
made
by
Avanti
West
Coast.’

Figures
published
by
the
Office
of
Rail
and
Road
at
the
start
of
this
month
revealed
that
Avanti
had
cancelled
10.5
per
cent
of
its
services
in
the
three
months to
December
last
year,
which
was
the
worst
figure
for
any
operator,
although
CrossCountry
was
only
just
ahead
with
10.3
per
cent,
while
TransPennine Express
was
third
worst,
with
7.7
per
cent.

Announcing
Avanti’s
contract
extension
today,
the
Department
for
Transport
said
it
had
recorded
‘significant
improvements,
including
running
40
per
cent
more
services
and
cancellations
falling
to
4.2
per
cent’,
although
it
also
warned
that
‘further
improvements
will
be
needed
over
the
next
six
months’.

In
a
notice
to
the
London
Stock
Exchange
this
morning
confirming
the
extension,
FirstGroup
also
announced
that
Andy
Mellors
has
been
appointed
managing
director
of
Avanti,
and
that
he
will
taking
up
his
duties
immediately.

He
has
previously
had
senior
posts
at
Great
Western
Railway
and
South
Western
Railway,
and
most
recently
he
has
been
managing
director
of
Firstgroup’s
open
access
rail
businesses
division,
which
is
responsible
for
Hull
Trains
and
Lumo.
He
takes
over
at
Avanti
from
First
Rail
managing
director
Steve
Montgomery,
who
has
been
acting
md
of
Avanti
since
September
last
year.

FirstGroup’s
chief
executive
officer
Graham
Sutherland
said:
‘We
are
working
closely
with
government
and
our
partners
across
the
industry
to
deliver
a
successful
railway
for
our
customers
and
communities.
Performance
at
Avanti
is
steadily
improving
and
since
the
introduction
of
the
new
timetable
in
mid-December,
the
number
of
services
has
increased
by
more
than
40
per
cent
compared
to
last
summer,
with
more
seats
and
better
frequencies.
Today’s
agreement
allows
our
team
to
continue
their
focus
on
delivering
their
robust
plans
to
continue
enhancing
services
for
our
customers,
including
further
progress
on
our
train
upgrade
and
refurbishment
programme.’

Labour’s
shadow
transport
secretary
Louise
Haigh
was
critical
of
the
extension.
She
said:
‘Avanti
has
literally
broken
records
over
the
last
six
months
for
delays
and
cancellations,
and
the
Conservatives’
answer
is
to
reward
failure
with
millions
more
in
taxpayer
cash.

‘If
this
is
what
success
looks
like
to
ministers,
it
shows
that
under
the
Conservatives
our
broken
railways
are
here
to
stay.

‘The
next
Labour
government
will
put
passengers
back
at
the
heart
of
our
railways,
and
build
the
infrastructure
fit
for
the
century
ahead,
unlocking
jobs
and
growth.‘

The
RMT
has
also
condemned
the
DfT’s
decision,
pointing
out
that


‘Avanti
also
plans
to
scrap
at
seat
service
catering
from
May
which
will
mean
standard
class
passengers
will
not
have
the
option
of
an
at
seat
service,
serving
sandwiches,
snacks
and
drinks.’

RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
said
‘this
was
a
case
of
reward
for
failure
which
will
mean
that
Avanti
owners
FirstGroup
can
continue
to
make
profits
on
what
even
Ministers
have
today
admitted
is
still
a
substandard
service’. 

He
continued:
‘The
government
is
keeping
privatisation
afloat
regardless
of
the
cost
to
the
rail
passengers,
rail
workers
and
the
taxpayer
and
the
service
itself.
It
is
quite
clear
that
the
West
Coast
contract
should
be
bought
back
into
public
ownership
along
with
the
rest
of
the
railway.’

Meanwhile
attention
is
turning
to
TransPennine
Express,
which
is
also
owned
by
FirstGroup
and
has
also
recorded
high
numbers
of
cancellations.
Its
two-year
National
Rail
Contract
ends
on
28
May,
and
the
DfT
said
its
future
‘will
be
considered
separately
with
a
further
announcement
in
due
course’.