DESPITE being handed a short-term contract extension, stripping train operator Avanti West Coast of the franchise remains a "realistic option", according to an MP.
The operator, which has struggled with reliability and punctuality during parts of the past year, was granted the extension by the Department for Transport (DfT). Its contract was due to expire at the end of March but has been extended until October 15.
The FirstGroup-owned company runs trains on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow Central, with branches to Birmingham, North Wales, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Robin Millar, MP for Aberconwy, said he speaks "regularly" with rail users about their experiences of travelling with Avanti West Coast.
“An improvement in services has been reported since December," he said.
"I travel standard class between Llandudno and London every week to represent Aberconwy in Parliament and I recognise that there is still a very long way to go, but there has been a slight improvement. However, these improvements come from an extremely poor base and the service is still a long way short of the standard passengers reasonably expect.
"There are still too many cancellations – with insufficient train staff being the most commonly sited reason for cancellations. This, quite simply, is unacceptable.
“It is important to note also that our situation here in Aberconwy and across North Wales is compounded by the poor service provided by Transport for Wales with passengers often experiencing dreadful overcrowding between Chester and Llandudno Junction due to insufficient capacity.
“The Hendy UK Connectivity Review rightly highlighted the North Wales corridor as being of vital strategic importance to the UK. But poor rail connectivity is continuing to prevent us from unlocking the potential of Aberconwy and North Wales for residents and for our visitors. The government is right to demand continued marked improvements in the next six months.
"Stripping Avanti of the franchise remains a realistic option but would inevitably lead to disruption. Our tourism and hospitality sectors are crucial to Aberconwy’s local economy and, as we enter the key summer season, I am reluctant to make demands that risk disruption when we are trying to attract as many visitors as possible to our world class attractions.
“I am meeting the Rail Minister today and I will emphasise to him that if local businesses suffer and passengers are inconvenienced over the next six months then Avanti will have reached the end of the track and must be stripped of its franchise.
"I will continue working with passengers to ascertain performance levels and I will continue to campaign for the franchise to be renamed the North Wales and West Coast Main Line to reflect its vital importance to us and the rest of the UK."
Mark Harper, Transport Secretary, said an improvement plan produced by Avanti West Coast after the DfT previously handed the operator a six-month contract renewal in October 2022 “is working”.
He 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.”
Avanti West Coast slashed its timetable in August 2022 in a bid to improve reliability.
This came after passengers suffered weeks of short-notice cancellations, partly due to a sharp decline in the number of drivers voluntarily working on rest days for extra pay.
A new timetable introduced in December 2022 with a “significantly reduced reliance on overtime working” has seen the number of weekday services increase from 180 to 264, the DfT said.
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The proportion of services cancelled has fallen from nearly 25 per cent in August 2022 to 4.2 per cent in early March, and 90 per cent of trains are arriving within 15 minutes of the schedule, the department added.
Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup chief executive, 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.
“This 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.”
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