Andy Burnham says cancelling Avanti's contract could cause more disruption – but he still believes this is the best way of improving train services to London. The Greater Manchester mayor has written to the transport secretary urging her to remove the company's contract if services do not improve immediately.
Labour politicians from across the North West have also joined calls for the train operator's contract to not be renewed by the government next week. Avanti West Coast announced a plan last month to restore three trains per hour between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston from December 11.
However, Mr Burnham says he will accept no less than two trains per hour between the two cities by the end of this month, arguing that renewing the contract without these strict conditions would 'sell this city region short'. The operator's current contract expires on October 16 and the government has said it will 'consider all options' when it comes to a decision on its future.
