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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Christy Cooney

Avanti West Coast rewarded with over £4m in taxpayer-funded bonuses

Passengers wait to board an Avanti West Coast mainline train at Crewe station last December
According to figures from the ORR, between April and June last year just 60.1% of stops by Avanti West coast trains were within a minute of the scheduled time – the worst figure for all operators. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Avanti West Coast was handed millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded bonuses for a period in which it was Britain’s worst train operator for delays, according to Labour party analysis.

The analysis, which used Department for Transport (DfT) figures published on Thursday, found the company was awarded the highest possible rating for “operational performance” and “customer satisfaction” between 1 April and 18 September last year. Those ratings contributed to a bonus payout of £4.1m.

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