Avanti West Coast could be stripped of franchise is services don’t improve

Emily Price

The UK Government’s transport secretary has said that North Wales Main Line rail operator Avanti West Coast could be stripped of its franchise sooner than expected if services don’t improve.

The operator holds a contract with the government and has been responsible for services between Holyhead and London since 2019.

As well as connecting the port of Holyhead with the rest of the UK rail network, it also serves Bangor University, conveying students from across the country to study in northwest Wales.

Last year, Avanti was ordered to develop a recovery plan to address poor performance issues on vital routes along the north Wales coast.

Recent figures revealed that the north Wales to London service tops the table when it comes to service cancelations.

On-the-day cancelations for north Wales were recorded at 20% earlier this year – the highest across the network.

Avanti says it is “fully committed to serving north Wales” and has pledged to address its “fundamental performance issues”.

Reliable

During a transport debate in the House of Commons on Monday (November 11) Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts quizzed the Secretary of State for Transport on what the government is doing to ensure a reliable mainline service for the people of north Wales.

In response, Louise Haigh said that if Avanti West Coast defaults on its improvement plan – it will be immediately brought into public ownership.

The current franchise is contracted to run until 2026.

Ms Haigh said: “My views on Avanti’s performance are well known, I think. The right hon. Lady is right that it has not been acceptable.

“Shockingly, the way that national rail contracts were written under the previous Government means that Avanti has not defaulted.

“It is on a remedial plan to drive improvements, and we have seen a small increase in punctuality, but it still has a long way to go.

“We are watching over Avanti like a hawk to make sure that if it does default, it can be immediately brought into public ownership.”

‘Disgrace’

Speaking after the debate, Ms Saville Roberts said: “Rail-users in north Wales remain greatly inconvenienced by the continued cancellation of rail services between north Wales and London, with perennial delays to journeys compounding the situation.

“It is a disgrace that this route is being run to the ground by an inept operator. People deserve certainty and confidence that their train will run on time or at the very least turn up.

“Without a reliable timetable and the ability to book tickets with confidence – it is very difficult for people to plan.

“Whilst I recognise the recent and long overdue investment in a fleet of new and improved trains on the Holyhead to London route, commuters across north Wales continue to suffer increased journey times, poor communication and overcrowding.

“This ongoing disruption is both bad for business and bad for the north Wales visitor economy.’

“This begs the question why north Wales services are so bad and whether Welsh Government is doing a decent job in holding Avanti to account on behalf of residents and businesses, and why Transport for Wales cannot provide more efficient links with Crewe and Chester.”