Soon-to-be-axed 7am Manchester-London train will still run – but without passengers | Rail industry

The good news for train travel between Manchester and London is that the morning train will continue to connect Britain’s biggest cities in under two hours. Bad news: Passengers will no longer be able to board the plane.

The rail regulator has canceled the 7am Avanti West Coast service from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, one of Britain’s fastest and most profitable intercity services, as part of a timetable change that will come into force in mid-December.

What’s disappointing for both passengers and the operator is that the same train service continues to run between stations every weekday from 7am: crewed, fast and empty.

Under the railway’s complex planning, trains and staff are still required to travel from Manchester as they are deployed to run subsequent services out of Euston on the new December timetable.

The strange situation is expected to continue for five months or more until the next tariff change in May, meaning the service could run idle more than 100 times. The move left railway insiders outraged at the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) decision.

Business travelers from the north can mourn the end of the express train, which makes no stops after Stockport in Greater Manchester and is conveniently timed to arrive in the capital just before 9am. The revenue collectors are even more so: current single fares on peak-time service are priced at £193, rising to £290 for first class.

Industry expert and railway writer Tony Miles said: “It will be on the platform; people will be able to see it, touch it, watch it leave. But they won’t be able to get on it. Taxpayers will be paying for empty trains five days a week.”

The service began in 2008 with Virgin Trains operating intercity train services on the west coast mainline, but was suspended during the coronavirus pandemic and Avanti’s ensuing problems and restarted when Avanti returns to full timetable in 2024.

As the only service to complete the journey this quickly in one hour and 59 minutes, it has long been a key marketing asset, allowing operators to advertise trains running between England’s capital and the northern city in less than two hours.

Network Rail and Avanti have backed the continuation of the service with passengers, arguing that the train will “use whatever capacity is available” on the network.

A senior industry source said: “People paid a lot of money to get on that train. If ever we needed justification for a guiding mind on rail, this is the example.”

The train was removed as the regulator attempted to ensure the overall reliability of the railway according to the new schedule on December 15. The new schedule will mainly affect the east coast main line, the UK’s other major rail artery, but the industry is wary of any potential disruption after widespread cancellations and delays caused by the last comparable overhaul, the tariff debacle in May 2018.

ORR said the service was no longer possible on the new timetable due to the start of new open access train services run by First Group’s Lumo to Stirling in Scotland. Fee revenue will go to the private operator instead of the Ministry of Transport, as in the Avanti contract.

A spokesperson for Avanti confirmed that the fastest service will continue with crew but no passengers. They said: “We are disappointed with the Rail and Road Office’s decision to deny access from December to the four weekday services we currently operate, including the 7am express service from Manchester to London, and are now requiring the Sunday service from Holyhead to London to terminate at Crewe. This will clearly impact customers who already use these services.”

ORR said: “Our decision on the Manchester-London service was based on solid evidence provided by Network Rail that adding services within firebreaks on the west coast main line would have a detrimental impact on performance. “We determined that this service would operate on one of these routes.

“If Avanti operates the service as empty coaching stock, [it] It can be operated more flexibly (delayed or rerouted) than a booked passenger service. This can help with performance management and service recovery during an outage.”

Fire breaks are planned gaps or unused time in the schedule that allow services to be interrupted.

ORR said Avanti would provide more service to the northwest overall under the new timeline, and other applications from open access companies on the line were rejected.

The fastest trains connecting Manchester and London will now take around 2 hours and 15 minutes, and those wanting to arrive in the capital at 9am will need to catch the 6.29am train.

Northern business leaders reacted to the decision. Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said ORR’s support for open access was “denying business people in Manchester access to London via the vital rapid peak service” and sacrificing revenue. He added: “The future finances of Great British Railways are being undermined by a regulator that ignores the interests of taxpayers who will foot the bill for this poor decision in the name of competition.”