A rail regulator says it has 'secured key improvements' to how passengers travelling with train operator Avanti West Coast plan and book their journeys.
But, added the Office of Rail and Road, Avanti's 'more resilient recovery plan' would only see timetabling 'in line with current industry norms by mid-May'. It follows a call by the ORR for Avanti to improve its timetable release and booking systems after what was described as a recent 'deterioration'.
As reported in the Manchester Evening News, the ORR said for several weekends in January, passengers were only been able to book tickets at a few days' notice. It added Avanti's plans for February painted a better picture for weekday travel, but 'still fall short of industry norms and your customers' needs for weekend journeys'.
Passengers attempting to access timetable information and book tickets 'faced frustrating and enduring problems in recent months', the regulator went on, saying the position in terms of Avanti 'has deteriorated in 2023'.
As a result, the ORR wrote to Avanti calling for significant improvements to its recovery plan for releasing timetables to passengers ahead of travel.
In a statement today - Friday - the regulator said the situation meant weekend timetables were only being finalised a few days in advance, making it difficult for passengers to plan and book with confidence.
Now, however, it has welcomed a 'more resilient recovery plan' revealed by Avanti. And it said that crucially, Avanti has also published on its website the dates for when tickets are to be released for sale.
In the statement, the ORR said: "Avanti's more resilient recovery plan shows a pathway to full and sustained recovery to producing and finalising timetables in line with current industry norms by mid-May.
"The regulator recognises that significant engineering work on the West Coast Mainline in March and April adds complexity and risk to the plan, and has impacted on recovery timescales.
"Avanti has also published on its website the dates for when tickets are to be released for sale, in an important step to improving information for passengers."
Stephanie Tobyn, director of strategy, policy and reform at ORR said: "Now that Avanti has established an improved recovery plan, the onus is on them to deliver. It is positive to see some early improvements to passenger information, in particular the publication of dates when tickets are to be released to passengers. This early momentum needs to be sustained and we will closely monitor delivery on a weekly basis."
Avanti, which runs trains between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston, came under fire last August after cutting services. Trains, however, are now back to three per hour between the stations.
The train operating company has been given until April 1 to improve its services following the reduction of its trains in the summer, partly due to sharp decline in the number of drivers voluntarily working on rest days for extra pay.
Late last month, the operator reported what it called a 'huge increase in capacity', with 93 trains per day said to be leaving north and south from Manchester. Avanti said it had now used the national timetable changes to relaunch a 'stable and deliverable' three trains an hour service that wasn't reliant on rest day working or overtime, claiming it now had more drivers 'in the business than ever before'.
An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “We’ve worked with the ORR and Network Rail to deliver a plan that puts tickets on sale much earlier, so our customers can plan and book their journeys with confidence.”
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