The good news for rail travel between Manchester and London is that a morning train will continue to link England’s biggest cities in under two hours. The bad news: passengers will no longer be able to get onboard.
The rail regulator has axed one of Britain’s fastest and most lucrative intercity services, the 7am Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, as part of a timetable shake-up that will take effect in mid-December.
What will heap on frustration for passengers, as well as the operator, is that the exact same train service will continue to run between the stations from 7am each weekday: crewed, fast and empty.
The train and staff still need to travel from Manchester as they are rostered to operate subsequent services out of Euston on the new December timetable, under rail’s complex planning.
The bizarre situation is expected to continue for five months or more until the next timetable change in May, meaning the service could run empty more than 100 times. The move has left rail insiders fuming at the decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
Business travellers from the north may mourn the end of the express train, non-stop after Stockport in Greater Manchester and timed conveniently to arrive in the capital just before 9am. Revenue collectors even more so: current single fares on the peak-time service are priced at £193, rising to £290 for first class.
The industry expert and rail writer Tony Miles said: “It will be on the platform – people will be able to see it, touch it, watch it leave. But they won’t be able to get on. The taxpayer will be paying five days a week for empty trains.”
Passengers board an Avanti West Coast service at Manchester Piccadilly railway station. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
The service began in 2008 when Virgin Trains ran intercity trains on the west coast mainline but was suspended during the coronavirus pandemic and Avanti’s subsequent troubles, and reinstated when Avanti returned to a full timetable in 2024.
As the only service completing the journey so quickly, at one hour 59 minutes, it has long been a major marketing asset, allowing operators to advertise trains running between England’s capital and the northern city in less than two hours.
Network Rail, as well as Avanti, supported the continuation of the service with passengers, arguing the train would be “using capacity regardless” on the network.
A senior industry source said: “People paid a lot of money to get on that train. If we ever need justification for a guiding mind in the railway, this is the example.”
The train has been removed as the regulator tries to ensure the overall reliability of the railway in the new timetable on 15 December. The new schedule will mainly affect the UK’s other major rail artery, the east coast mainline, but the industry is wary of any potential disruption after the widespread cancellations and delays sparked by the last comparable overhaul, the May 2018 timetable fiasco.
The ORR said the service was no longer feasible in the new timetable as new open access train services, run by First Group’s Lumo to Stirling in Scotland, were due to start. Fare revenue will go to the private operator rather than the Department for Transport, as is the case under the Avanti contract.
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Avanti will be running more services to the north-west overall under the new timetable, the ORR said. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
An Avanti spokesperson confirmed that its fastest service would still run with crew, but no passengers. They said: “We are disappointed with the Office of Rail and Road’s decision not to grant access rights from December for four weekday services that we currently operate, including the 07.00 from Manchester to London fast service, as well as requiring a Sunday service which currently runs from Holyhead to London to terminate at Crewe. This will clearly impact those customers who already use these services.”
The ORR said: “Our decision on the Manchester-London service was based on robust evidence provided by Network Rail that adding services within firebreak paths on the west coast mainline would have a detrimental impact on performance. We identified that this service would run in one of those paths.
“If Avanti operates the service as empty coaching stock, [it] can be run more flexibly – delayed or rerouted – than a booked passenger service. This can assist with performance management and service recovery during disruption.”
Firebreak paths are planned gaps or unused time in the timetable to allow for disruption to services.
Avanti will be running more services to the north-west overall under the new timetable, and other applications from open access companies on the line had been declined, the ORR said.
The fastest trains linking Manchester and London will now take about 2 hours 15 minutes, with those wishing to arrive in the capital by 9am having to catch a 6.29am train.
Northern business leaders hit out at the decision. Henri Murison, the chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the ORR in backing open access was “denying business people in Manchester access to London on a vital fast peak service” and sacrificing revenue, adding: “Great British Railways’ future finances are being undermined by a regulator disregarding the interests of taxpayers, who will pick up the bill for this poor decision in the name of competition.”