Just 2% or fewer of trains on some of the busiest Avanti West Coast services between London and Manchester are leaving and arriving on time, analysis of National Rail figures reveals.
The operator of West Coast Main Line services remains the worst rail company in the UK for delays despite its pledge of a “laser focus” on improving performance.
Among some of its worst performing services are the 8.53am weekday service from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly and the 10.15am weekday service from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston.
Of the 8.53am trains, 2% ran on time in the 12 weeks to 20 December, while 5% of trains on the 10.15am service ran on time, according to National Rail data analysed by the website On Time Trains. Points failures, landslips, delayed train crews and slow-running services on the track all contributed to delays.
This weekend, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham called for the government to appoint a “troubleshooter” to “get a grip” on the railway network. He wants Avanti West Coast to be stripped of the franchise.
He said: “Train services between the country’s most important cities are a national embarrassment.”
Avanti West Coast was awarded a new rail contract by the Tories last year with a maximum possible term of nine years. The firm was warned by the new government in the summer that it needed to take “immediate action” to improve performance.
The scale of delays is revealed as passengers face widespread disruption over Christmas. The RMT trade union has announced strike action by Avanti West Coast train managers on New Year’s Eve, 2 January, then every Sunday until 25 May. Passengers also face widespread shutdowns because of engineering works.
The most recent quarterly passenger rail performance figures for the network in Britain reported that only 41.1% of Avanti West Coast trains arrived on time from July to September 2024. This was the worst performance of any operator and a decline in punctuality compared with the same quarter last year.
An analysis by On Time Trains of National Rail’s information engine Darwin, which provides the data for train station departure board screens and mobile apps, exposes the poor performance of some of Avanti West Coast’s busiest services.
Just 3% of the 8.33am Avanti West Coast weekday service from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly have departed and arrived on time in the last 12 weeks. On Monday, it was 33 minutes late due to a fault on the train. The previous Monday it was 31 minutes late due to a landslip. On Monday 2 December it arrived 26 minutes late due to a delayed trained crew. None of the trains on the 10.53am weekday service from London to Manchester have run on time over the same period, though most delays were under 15 minutes.
Among the more reliable weekday services was the 12.55 from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, with 32% on time and 69% of services departing and arriving within five minutes of the scheduled time.
Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP for the Cumbrian seat Westmorland and Lonsdale, wrote to Avanti West Coast boss Andy Mellors this month, saying that West Coast Main Line delays were “frequently and frustratingly” leading to passengers missing their connections to the Lake District.
“It is appalling,” said Farron. “Avanti is deluded if they think this is an acceptable service.”
New legislation to renationalise the railways is progressing through parliament. Under the government’s plans, rail franchises will come under public ownership once existing private sector contracts expire.
An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “While we are not in the position we want to be in, in terms of performance, there has been a significant improvement in the latter part of 2024.
“We were responsible for 25% of delays while the remaining three-quarters of these were a result of infrastructure issues, external factors such as weather or trespass, or due to other operators. We recognise our customers deserve a reliable service and we’re working closely with industry partners, including Network Rail, to ensure our operation runs better.”
“As a result of the progress we have made since this latest quarter, our overall cancellations reduced to 4.3% in the four-week period ending 9 November, the lowest for over a year. With our new Evero fleet, refurbished Pendolino trains as well as our new timetable with more services, we hope to build on the good work.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We are committed to delivering the biggest overhaul of the railways in a generation, and bringing services back into public ownership will put passengers at the heart of everything we do.”
“We have been clear we will not tolerate poor performance, and ministers continue to meet with leaders of the worst performing operators to address unacceptable services and demand immediate action.”
