Avanti West Coast facts for kids

Avanti West Coast is a British train operating company. It is owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%). This company runs trains on the West Coast Partnership railway.

In November 2016, the government's Department for Transport (DfT) decided to change the train service on the InterCity West Coast line. They created a new plan called the West Coast Partnership (WCP). In August 2019, a group called First Trenitalia won the contract to run these trains.

Avanti West Coast started running trains on 8 December 2019. They took over from Virgin Trains, which had run the service since 1997. The original plan was for Avanti to run trains until March 2030. They were also supposed to run the first trains for the new High Speed 2 railway.

However, the contract was changed. It is now set to end earlier, in October 2026. This was due to changes in the railway system and also because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Avanti West Coast provides the main long-distance train services. These trains run on the West Coast Main Line. They connect London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales, and Scotland.

Their trains link six of the UK's biggest cities. These are London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. These cities together have over 18 million people.

When Avanti West Coast started, they used two types of trains. These were 56 Class 390 Pendolino electric trains. They also had 20 Class 221 Super Voyager diesel-electric trains. The Super Voyagers will be replaced by new Class 805 and Class 807 trains in the future.

History of Avanti West Coast

How Avanti West Coast Started

In November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced a big change. The InterCity West Coast train service would become the West Coast Partnership (WCP). A key part of this new plan was to include services for High Speed 2 (HS2). HS2 was planned to start around 2026.

Because of HS2, the DfT wanted companies that knew how to run fast trains. This meant that all the companies bidding for the contract either already ran high-speed trains or teamed up with someone who did.

In June 2017, the DfT announced three main groups were chosen to bid:

• FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%)
• MTR Corporation (75%) and Guangshen Railway Company (25%)
• Stagecoach (50%), SNCF (30%), and Virgin Group (20%)

In August 2019, the DfT chose the First Trenitalia group. Avanti West Coast then began running trains on 8 December 2019.

Train Services

Avanti West Coast runs similar train services to what Virgin Trains used to offer. These trains operate on the West Coast Main Line. Over time, some changes to the timetable are expected. For example, it was planned that 263 more train services would run each week from December 2022.

You cannot use the Oyster card for contactless payments on Avanti West Coast trains between London Euston and Watford Junction. This is because Avanti trains only pick up passengers going north from Watford Junction. They only drop off passengers going south.

In February 2021, Avanti West Coast started using smartcard tickets. These are a modern and eco-friendly way to travel instead of paper tickets.

Main Routes

As of December 2023, Avanti West Coast runs these regular train routes from Monday to Friday:

Train Fleet (Rolling Stock)

"Rolling stock" is another name for the trains a company uses. Avanti West Coast started with trains they got from Virgin Trains. These were the Super Voyager and Pendolino trains.

Current Trains

Train Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number of trains	Carriages	Built	Notes
			mph	km/h
221 Super Voyager		DEMU (uses diesel and electricity)	125	200	18	5	2001–2002	These trains have been updated. They will be replaced by new Class 805 and 807 trains.
390 Pendolino		EMU (uses electricity)			21	9	2001–2004	Pendolino means "tilting" in Italian. These trains can tilt to go faster around bends. They will be kept and updated.
					31	11	2001–2004	These trains can tilt to go faster around bends. They will be kept and updated.
					4		2010–2012

Future Trains

All the Class 221 Super Voyager trains will be replaced. Avanti West Coast will get 23 new trains from the Hitachi A-train family. These new trains will be looked after at the Alstom depot in Wolverhampton.

These new trains will be:

• Thirteen Class 805 trains. These are "bi-mode," meaning they can use both electricity and diesel.
• Ten Class 807 trains. These are "electric multiple units," meaning they only use electricity.

The new trains will have the same top speed as the current ones. However, they will not tilt like the Pendolinos or the Super Voyagers. The Class 805s will be used for services to Chester, Gobowen, and North Wales. The Class 807s will be used for services to Birmingham New Street, Blackpool North, and Liverpool Lime Street.

Avanti West Coast had also planned to run new high-speed trains for High Speed 2 services. These trains would be built by Hitachi Rail and Alstom in the UK. They were expected to start service between 2029 and 2033.

Train Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number of trains	Carriages	Routes they will run	When they start
				mph	km/h
Hitachi AT300	805		BMU (uses electricity and diesel)	125	200	13	5	London Euston to Chester London Euston to Holyhead	Summer 2024 (Currently being tested)
	807		EMU (uses electricity)			10	7	London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street London Euston to Blackpool North London Euston to Birmingham New Street	2024
Alstom/Hitachi	To Be Announced			225	360	54	8	HS2 routes	2029–2033

Past Trains

In June 2022, two of Avanti West Coast's Class 221 "Super Voyagers" trains left their fleet. These trains, numbered 221142 and 221143, were then moved to another train company called Grand Central.

Train Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number of trains	Carriages	Built
			mph	km/h
221 Super Voyager	Class 221 Super Voyager departing Rugby	DEMU	125	200	2	5	2001–2002