Avanti West Coast to reduce summer timetable in cost-cutting move

Avanti West Coast is set to temporarily reduce its timetable this summer after the Department for Transport requested measures aimed at lowering operational costs during quieter travel periods.

The rail operator plans to remove almost 12% of its weekday services between 20 July and 28 August as part of what it describes as a “demand-led timetable” trial.

Under the temporary changes, 38 daily services will be withdrawn from routes linking London with Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. These routes currently account for the majority of Avanti’s weekday operations, with around 248 trains running each day.

The reductions will mainly affect off-peak services during periods when passenger demand is traditionally lower over the summer months.

Avanti said the revised timetable had been designed to minimise disruption by only removing trains on routes where more than one service per hour continues to operate, allowing passengers to retain alternative travel options.

The operator also insisted the changes are not expected to significantly impact ticket revenue and said the move reflects changing passenger travel patterns since the COVID-19 pandemic.

A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said the temporary timetable had been carefully planned to reduce the impact on customers while encouraging passengers to check journey information in advance before travelling.

The Department for Transport supported the decision, stating that lower passenger numbers during the summer period meant many trains were operating with substantial unused capacity.

According to the DfT, the temporary reductions are intended to deliver savings for taxpayers while continuing to meet passenger demand.

The affected services are typically operated using nine-car Class 390 Pendolino trains or the newer seven-car Class 805 and 807 Evero fleets.

Industry observers have also suggested the reduced timetable could help improve reliability during the summer period, following previous challenges around traincrew availability and operational performance on the Avanti network.

However, the decision has faced criticism from regional transport leaders. Danny Vaughan, chief network officer at Transport for Greater Manchester, said the reduction in services between Manchester and London would inconvenience passengers and potentially impact economic activity across the region.

He added that alternative options should have been explored before cutting services at a time when rail demand in Greater Manchester continues to recover and grow.