Avanti to run Manchester to London morning commuter train without passengers – after watchdog refuses to let them sell tickets for it

The early morning high-speed suburban train from Manchester to London will start running without passengers after a rail watchdog blocked Avanti from selling tickets for the service.

A decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) means the 7am Avanti West Coast service from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston will operate every weekday but will only carry staff for up to five months.

The high-speed train, which reaches the capital in less than two hours, will be removed from passengers as of December 15, when the new schedule will start.

More than 100 cruises are expected to be made without any paying customers on board.

Avanti told BBC this It said it was ‘disappointed’ by the decision and warned that it would ‘clearly impact customers who already use these services’.

But ORR insisted its decision was based on ‘robust evidence’ from Network Rail; this evidence argued that adding the train to the morning timetable would consume vital ‘firebreak’ intervals on the West Coast Main Line, leaving the network more vulnerable to chain delays.

The regulator said empty stock could be stopped or rerouted much more easily than scheduled passenger service.

The high-speed train, which reaches the capital in under two hours, will be cleared of passengers as of December 15, when the new schedule will begin.

However, this move was not received very positively by the passengers; one described it as ‘purely mental’ while the other called it a ‘ridiculous decision’.

Under the decision, Avanti loses access rights to four weekday services, including the Manchester-London express as well as the Sunday Holyhead-London train, which must terminate in Crewe.

Furious passengers raged online about the decision, with one saying: ‘It’s all mental and why Britain is falling apart.’ Another commented: ‘This country is a complete joke.’

Another said: ‘How ridiculous.’ ‘A complete waste of money and resources.’

A third shouted angrily: ‘What a ridiculous decision! This will make the @British_Airways Manchester-Heathrow flight even more attractive at a time when the government wants people to travel more sustainably.’

An Avanti spokesman added that despite the decision it ‘will continue to offer even more services across our network from the start of the December timetable, including additional trains on our Liverpool route’.

ORR noted that Avanti had previously been granted only temporary rights to operate the Manchester-London express until May 2025, when First Lumo’s new Stirling services were not yet operational.

These open-access trains are expected to start on the December 2025 schedule, which will prompt the regulator to remove Avanti’s route.

The Daily Mail has approached ORR, Avanti and Network Rail for comment.