Avanti West Coast Could Have Stayed Private Until 2032: Burnham Declares 'Enough Is Enough' Before March Takeover

Avanti West Coast will transfer to public ownership on 7 March 2027, ending a contract that could have continued until 2032 (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/G-13114/CC BY-SA 4.0)

Avanti West Coast could have remained in private hands until 2032, but Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government will end its contract years early and bring the operator into public ownership on 7 March 2027.

Burnham declared 'Enough is enough' in an X post, saying passengers had endured years of cancellations, delays and overcrowding. The takeover will end First Trenitalia West Coast Rail's operation of services on the West Coast Main Line.