Avanti West Coast services will be brought into public ownership from March 7 next year, the transport secretary has announced. The government will take control of the private train company in an effort to tackle infrastructure issues, reduce delays and improve passenger experience.
The plans also aim to improve onboard Wi-Fi, providing passengers with better connectivity. The government will provide an additional £10 million for power and signalling maintenance, on top of the £840 million already pledged to upgrade infrastructure along the West Coast Main Line.
Passengers 'left paying the price'
Avanti West Coast services are among the most overcrowded in the UK, with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander warning that passengers are "left paying the price" and adding: "Enough is enough."
Ms Alexander said: "For years, we've heard stories of Avanti underperforming, with passengers left paying the price. Enough is enough."
"That is why we will bring Avanti into public ownership at the earliest opportunity, in March next year."
Improvement plan and timetable changes
"This Labour Government is committed to putting essential services back in public hands, connecting people to opportunity and delivering growth in every postcode and this move reflects that commitment," she added.
"We will also introduce a comprehensive improvement plan, focused on delivering for passengers, not shareholders." Timetables will be revised to make services faster and more reliable, with a particular focus on routes to and from Manchester, home to Number 10 North.
Operator response and context
Andy Mellors, Managing Director at Avanti West Coast, said: "We're proud of what we've achieved over the last six years - from refurbishing our Pendolino fleet and introducing our new Evero trains to running more services than ever before."
"Together, these improvements have given customers greater choice, more capacity and better connectivity, while we've continued to innovate to shape the future of the West Coast and wider rail industry."
"Over the coming months, we'll work closely with the government to ensure a seamless transition into public ownership while remaining focused on delivering for our customers and communities."
Avanti West Coast's contract is due to come to an end on March 7. A total of 7.1% of planned Avanti West Coast services were cancelled between April and June this year, with only CrossCountry recording a higher rate at 8%, both around twice the Great Britain average.
When Labour came into power in 2024, they pledged to bring England's major rail services back under public ownership by 2027, allowing private contracts to expire naturally. Once Avanti is nationalised, CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway will be among the remaining operators yet to be brought under public ownership. The first train operator to come into public ownership through this Act was South Western Railway on May 25 2025.
