Official launch of Avanti West Coast Train Services in North West

Avanti West Coast officially takes over the operation of long-distance train services on the West Coast Main Line today, heralding a new era of intercity and future high-speed rail services in the UK.

A fully liveried train bearing the franchise’s new branding with its distinctive logo will leave from London’s Euston Station, with the logo symbolising the three geographic points of the 400-mile long West Coast Main Line, connecting towns and cities like Manchester, Liverpool, Crewe and Carlisle to destinations across England, North Wales and Scotland. Under the new partnership, Manchester Piccadilly station and Liverpool Lime Street station will benefit from a refreshed First Class lounge and new ticket machines to make it easier and quicker for passengers to buy tickets. Passengers across the network can look forward to 56 Pendolino trains being completely refurbished to as new condition, with 25,000 new seats, more reliable Wi-Fi and power sockets for all passengers.

By 2022, there will be 263 extra train services every week to more places and a fleet of new, state of the art intercity trains will replace the current Voyager trains. There’ll also be simplified fares, improved on-board catering and compensation if trains are delayed by 15 minutes.

Steve Montgomery, Managing Director of First Rail said:
“We’re delighted to start serving the customers who take 40 million journeys every year on the west coast. We’ll bring families, friends, businesses and communities in Liverpool, Manchester and the North West closer together with new trains and new destinations. We’re excited to get our plans underway and take services to the next level.”

Orazio Iacono, Managing Director of Trenitalia said:
“We’re honoured to begin operating intercity services on the West Coast Main Line, one of the busiest railways in Europe, that will bring a host of improvements for the millions of people who use it every year. Trenitalia will also be using its skills to help design and manage high speed rail services from North to South in the UK over the next few years. The name Avanti was chosen to represent our values and recognises our ten-year experience in the high speed in Italy with 350 million passengers. Quality, dynamism, innovation and future: this is what we want to guarantee for the West Coast main line service”.