In line with ORR’s decisions, Avanti West Coast’s long-popular 07:00 AM Manchester Piccadilly-London Euston service will be removed from public passenger timetables from mid-December. The train is not physically removed from service; It will continue with the same route and crew, but no passengers will be picked up. This practice leads to disappointment and various criticisms in the industry.
Tariff reliabilityAnd loss of incomeThe decision, shaped by concerns, is considered as part of a comprehensive tariff change that started on December 15 and aims to make operations more reliable. The designation of the 7am departure as a non-scheduled item is intended to make flow at Euston more regular. This express, with a journey time of 1 hour and 59 minutes, is in a critical location for business passengers coming from the north, and one-way fares can go up to £193. This configuration, which is not open to passengers, also changed some sharing and planning.
transaction processThe crews remained the same throughout and the trains were scheduled to reach the capital on time; The only difference is that although they are on the fleet, they will not accept passengers. Since it operates empty, the costs will be covered by public resources.
More Comprehensive Tariff Changes and Competitive Dynamics
Two main factors stand out in ORR’s decision: Tariff stability, efforts to prevent past tariff failures to balance services on the West Coast Line, and New Open Access Services, the impact on the network of new open-access train operations that FirstGroup has launched under its Lumo brand on lines such as Stirling in Scotland. While Lumo’s revenues belong to the operator, Avanti’s revenues are transferred to the Ministry of Transport. In order for the network to accept new trains and maintain reliability, ORR decided to remove this profitable service from the passenger schedule. This situation is expected to last until the schedule change in May and the train is likely to make more than 100 trips without passengers. While leading names in the industry point out that passengers are willing to pay high fees for fast travel, they state that the fact that the train runs empty shows the need for a clear management guide in the railway.
