Rail travellers have been struggling to plan their trips to and from Manchester this weekend after Avanti West Coast delayed releasing tickets or a full timetable. While Manchester Pride celebrations get underway in the city and England's cricket team take on South Africa at Old Trafford, passengers have been left frustrated as they are unable to plan their travel for the bank holiday weekend.
Just one third of its usual services are running along the London to Manchester route - while tickets for this Sunday and Monday are only being made available this evening (August 26). In 2019, an estimated 170,000 visitors flocked to Manchester city centre for Pride celebrations, which take place throughout the bank holiday weekend.
Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, has raised concerns about the situation following a meeting with the company yesterday. In a statement issued this afternoon, he said: "Passengers are contacting me to complain that the Avanti website is slow to release tickets for sale and pushes people towards more expensive options like open returns or buying two singles.
