Avanti paid shareholders £11.5m despite ‘abysmal’ service for rail users

Passengers at a packed Euston station in London, where Avanti trains to Manchester have been cut to one an hour. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

The worst-performing rail operator in Britain, which has severely cut back its services, is revealed to have paid out more than £11m in shareholder dividends last year.

Avanti West Coast, the operator of the west coast mainline, provoked passenger outrage last week by cutting services. The number of trains running from London Euston to Manchester has fallen from three an hour to just one.