Northern leaders vote to have Avanti West Coast’s contract terminated and taken back into public control

Transport for the North (TfN) Board, held in Leeds, officially passed a motion to write to the Secretary of State asking for Avanti West Coast  to be taken off the key West Coast Main Line route “at the earliest possible opportunity.”

It comes after a report to the Board that stated, “a continuation of the current situation is unacceptable to the North.” 

Two options were considered by the Board – to set a target for improvement by June or face ‘further measures’ or to terminate the contract straight away. After hearing from Avanti’s MD Steve Montgomery about the poor performance over many months the board opted to take immediate action. 

Transport for the North will now write to the Secretary of State for Transport that Avanti West Coast’s contract should be terminated at the earliest possible opportunity, with the Operator of Last Resort taking on responsibility in the short term for the delivery of long-distance services on the West Coast Main Line. 

In December, TfN wrote to the Transport Secretary asking him to instruct officials to conduct a critical review into Avanti West Coast’s operation given the deteriorating service, after the operator announced a number of cuts to services over the busy Christmas period, and the Board highlighted the economic impact this was having on the region.

Responding to today’s decision, Lord McLoughlin Transport for the North Chair said: 

“Today’s board was very clear. The performance on the West Coast Main Line by Avanti has been so poor, for so long that action now must be taken.   

“We will be writing statutory advice today to the Secretary of State calling for Avanti to be relieved of its contract. The travelling public deserve a service they can rely on. But Avanti has fallen far too short of expectations for far too long now.”