Increasing train services between Manchester and London is an' absolute priority', a minister has said - despite failing to indicate when that could happen. Transport minister Trudy Harrison faced shouts of 'when?' from Labour MPs after she made the comments in response to an urgent Commons question about Avanti West Coast.
The operator has run fewer than half of its normal services since August 14 and blamed the reduction on 'unofficial strike action' by drivers. The firm says it normally runs around 400 trains per week with drivers voluntarily working on their rest days – for extra pay – but that 'dropped suddenly to fewer than 50'.
Avanti announced earlier this month that it was cutting the number of trains between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly from one every 20 minutes to one an hour 'until further notice'. The operator said it had cut trains in the wake of industrial action 'to ensure a reliable service is delivered so customers can travel with greater certainty'.
