Rail passengers are hitting out at the government's move to extend the contract of troubled train operator Avanti - despite the Secretary of State admitting there is 'still more work to be done to bring [Avanti] services up to the standards we expect'.
They have been joined by MPs and Greater Manchester leaders who are also criticising the Department for Transport's decision to grant Avanti a contract extension despite months of 'poor performance'. Mayor Andy Burnham has launched an ultimatum, saying 'the time for excuses has passed - they either improve or hand back the franchise'.
The operator has struggled with reliability and with passengers being unable to book tickets in advance, and was slammed in August last year for cutting services between Manchester and London. The contract was due to expire at the end of March but has been extended until October 15 - the Department for Transport has said the extension comes as 'performance at Avanti is steadily improving'.
READ MORE: Train operator Avanti has its contract extended despite 'poor performance'
The Department for Transport (DfT) has today (20 March 2023) extended Avanti West Coast’s contract for a further six months after 'significant improvements' have been made since October, the government announced. The 'improvements' have included the return to three trains per hour between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston after customers balked at the slashed timetable over the summer.
But the contract extension has prompted fallout. The RMT union called for Avanti to be stripped of the franchise in light of the news, while one Manchester Evening News reader said: "I travel to London every week and it’s a complete lottery if the train runs or not! I have lost count of how many cancellations I have had!
"This means two trains trying to get into one and it’s a dreadful service! Joke of a franchise."
Another took to Twitter to say the extension was 'god-tier trolling', while a fellow social media user said Avanti is 'one of the worst train companies I have ever used, totally unreliable'.
Political leaders outside of the government appear to have taken a similar position, with the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport has commenting that 'our broken railways are here to stay' in the wake of the government announcement this morning. The Labour MP Louise Haigh said: "During its ‘improvement plan’ Avanti had the highest proportion of trains more than 15 minutes late.
"The second highest of any operator, at any time, on record. If this is what success looks like under the Conservatives, it shows our broken railways are here to stay."
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, hit back at the government, saying: “This rail service is of critical importance to the economy of Greater Manchester, but the performance from Avanti is still not good enough. That’s why this decision to extend the contract will be met with disappointment here and across the North West.
"Some improvements have been made but there are still persistent issues, such as the difficulty in booking tickets in advance. Even today passengers still cannot book tickets for the end of next month or indeed for the bank holidays in early May.
“The fact that the Government has only permitted a six-month extension to Avanti’s contract highlights that ministers clearly recognise that further improvements are required. Most people in the North West would have wanted this contract to be removed today. The time for excuses has passed - they either improve or hand back the franchise.”
Wythenshawe MP Mike Kane told the Manchester Evening News: "The service has been truly shocking, causing untold economic damage to Manchester. With the betrayal of Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2, it all adds up to a shocking indictment of the government's incompetence and commitment to the north."
Despite the government's backing of Avanti, even Conservative MPs have come out against the extension. Ynys Môn MP Virginia Crosbie said she was "gobsmacked" the government had granted the extension, the BBC has reported today.
The Tory MP said passengers and businesses were 'at their wits' end over this terrible, unreliable service'. "I will be seeking an urgent meeting with the rail minister to better understand this decision," she added.
Avanti has been mired in months of backlash. In October of last year, Denton and Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne railed against Avanti in the House of Commons. In an urgent question in Parliament, he said the government is 'defending the indefensible', as West Coast line tickets from Greater Manchester to Euston come at a higher cost to customers in comparison to equivalent trips on the East Coast line from Kings Cross to Wakefield.
"Avanti have failed virtually since day one when they took over the contract from Virgin," he added.
The six-month contract was initially introduced after major operational issues, a cause of which was a shortage of available drivers and a ban on rest day and overtime working. Last July, drivers for Avanti West Coast, the majority of whom belong to the ASLEF union, stopped volunteering to work overtime.
Passengers suffered weeks of short-notice cancellations and this led to Avanti slashing its timetable in August. But a new timetable introduced in December 2022 with a “significantly reduced reliance on overtime working” has seen the number of weekday services increase from 180 to 264, argues the DfT.
FirstGroup, which runs Avanti West Coast, claims the new timetable in December - which reintroduced services which were taken away during August - provides a '40 per cent' increase in the number of services operated. Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer said: "We are working closely with government and our partners across the industry to deliver a successful railway for our customers and communities.
“Performance at Avanti is steadily improving and since the introduction of the new timetable in mid-December, the number of services operated has increased by more than 40 per cent compared to last summer, with more seats and better frequencies. Today’s agreement allows our team to continue their focus on delivering their robust plans to continue enhancing services for our customers, including further progress on our train upgrade and refurbishment programme.”
Speaking about the decision to extend the contract, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "The routes Avanti West Coast run are absolutely vital, and I fully understand the frustrations passengers felt at the completely unacceptable services seen last autumn. Following our intervention, Rail Minister Huw Merriman and I have worked closely with local leaders to put a robust plan in place, which I’m glad to see is working.
"However, there is still more work to be done to bring services up to the standards we expect, which is why over this next six months further improvements will need to be made by Avanti West Coast."
Further work intended to 'restore reliability and punctuality' is promised by the government include 'delivering more reliable weekend services, continued reductions in cancellations and improvements in passenger information during planned and unplanned disruption', according to the government. The Transpennine Express contract expires on 28 May and will be considered separately with a further announcement in due course.
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