Avanti West Coast facts for kids
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Franchise(s): | West Coast Partnership | ||
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Fleet size: | |||
Stations called at: | 46 | ||
Stations operated: | 16 | ||
National Rail abbreviation: | VT | ||
Parent company: | FirstGroup (70%) Trenitalia (30%) |
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Avanti West Coast is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had run the franchise since 1997. Originally, the franchise was initially scheduled to run until March 2030, and had also been set to operate the initial High Speed 2 services from 2026, before project delays moved its expected completion. However, during December 2020, it was announced that First Trenitalia and the DfT had agreed to terminate the WCP franchise at the earlier date of 31 March 2026 as part of the abolition of the franchise system; later revisions resulting from COVID-19 and poor performance shortened the contract expiry to October 2023 before being extended to October 2026.
Avanti West Coast provide the principal long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland. Its services connect six of the largest cities in the UK: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, which have a combined metropolitan population of over 18 million. At the start of the franchise, the rolling stock used for these services consisted of 56 Class 390 Pendolino high speed electric multiple units and 20 Class 221 Super Voyager diesel-electric multiple units; in 2019, it was announced that the Super Voyagers would be replaced by newly built Class 805 bi-mode multiple units and Class 807 electric multiple units. Originally, Avanti West Coast was set to operate the pending high speed train fleet intended for use on High Speed 2, although the contract is set to end prior to the completion of this new railway as of 2023[update].
History
Background
In November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that the InterCity West Coast franchise would be superseded by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). The principal change of the WCP was the inclusion of the High Speed 2 (HS2) services, then envisioned to start around 2026. Accordingly, the DfT required that bidders have experience in operating high-speed trains and the associated infrastructure, which led to all tendering parties either being, or partnering with, an existing high-speed operator.
During June 2017, the DfT announced that three consortia had been shortlisted to bid for the franchise:
- FirstGroup (70%) / Trenitalia (30%)
- MTR Corporation (75%) / Guangshen Railway Company (25%)
- Stagecoach (50%) / SNCF (30%) / Virgin Group (20%)
In December 2018, the Spanish state-owned company Renfe Operadora joined the MTR-led bid. During April 2019, it was announced that the incumbent Stagecoach-led bid had been disqualified after it had proposed significant changes to the commercial terms, specially in regards to staff pensions. Stagecoach disputed its disqualification and launched a legal challenge to have it overturned. On 17 June 2020 the High Court ruled against the company and that the decision had been lawful.
In August 2019, the DfT awarded the franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium with Avanti West Coast to commence operations on 8 December 2019. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a merger inquiry into the award of the franchise following a referral from the European Commission. In December 2019 it was announced that the CMA had approved the franchise's award; concerns that limited competition on some routes could lead to higher fares and less availability of cheaper tickets were offset by the agreement of price caps to be present in some regions.
Services
Avanti West Coast currently operates the same services as Virgin Trains did on the West Coast Main Line. However, over the course of the franchise, several timetable changes are expected to be made. It was anticipated that, from December 2022, an additional 263 train services would be run every week.
Unlike services operated by London Northwestern Railway and London Overground, the Oyster contactless payment card is not valid on Avanti West Coast services between London Euston and Watford Junction, as Avanti West Coast services are pick-up only northbound and set-down only southbound at Watford Junction. In February 2021, Avanti West Coast launched smartcard ticketing as a more convenient and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional paper tickets.
Routes
As of December 2023, Avanti West Coast Monday to Friday regular intercity routes are as follows:
Route A – London - North West and Scotland via Birmingham | ||
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Route | tpd | Calling at |
London Euston to Blackpool North via Birmingham New Street | 2 |
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London Euston to Glasgow Central via Birmingham New Street | 5 |
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London Euston to Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham New Street | 7 |
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Route B – London - West Midlands | ||
Route | tph | Calling at |
London Euston to Birmingham New Street | 1 |
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Route C – London - Chester and North Wales | ||
Route | tpd | Calling at |
London Euston to Holyhead | 10 |
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Route D – London - Liverpool | ||
Route | tph | Calling at |
London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street | 1 |
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Route E – London - Manchester | ||
Route | tph | Calling at |
London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke-on-Trent | 1 |
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1 |
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London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe | 1 | |
Route F – London - North West and Scotland via Trent Valley | ||
Route | tph | Calling at |
London Euston to Blackpool North | 1tpd |
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London Euston to Glasgow Central | 1 |
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Rolling stock
Avanti West Coast commenced operations having inherited the existing Super Voyager and Pendolino fleets from Virgin Trains.
Current fleet
Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Built | Notes | |
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mph | km/h | |||||||
221 Super Voyager | DEMU | 125 | 200 | 18 | 5 | 2001–2002 | Set numbers 221101–118 Refurbished and overhauled. To be replaced by the Class 805 and 807 units in the future. |
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390 Pendolino | EMU | 21 | 9 | 2001–2004 | Pendolino (from the Italian word Pendolo) refers to tilting trains. To be retained long-term and refurbished throughout. |
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31 | 11 | 2001–2004 |
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4 | 2010–2012 | |||||||
Future fleet
All the Class 221 Super Voyagers will be replaced by 23 new trains from the Hitachi A-train family with maintenance taking place at Alstom's Oxley TRSMD depot in Wolverhampton. These trains are to be divided into thirteen Class 805 bi-mode multiple units. and ten Class 807 electric multiple units. Although the units will have the same top speed, they will not tilt like the Class 390 Pendolinos nor the Class 221 Super Voyagers they will replace. The Class 805s are to be used for services to Chester, Gobowen and North Wales and the Class 807s are to be used for services to Birmingham New Street, Blackpool North and Liverpool Lime Street (alongside the Pendolinos).
Avanti West Coast had planned to operate at least 54 new high speed trains for High Speed 2 services, to be built by Hitachi Rail and Alstom in the UK and expected to enter service between 2029 and 2033.
Family | Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Entering service | |
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mph | km/h | ||||||||
Hitachi AT300 | 805 | BMU | 125 | 200 | 13 | 5 |
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Summer 2024 (Currently on Test) | |
807 | EMU | 10 | 7 | 2024 | |||||
Alstom/Hitachi | TBA | 225 | 360 | 54 | 8 | 2029–2033 |
Past fleet
In June 2022, two Avanti West Coast Class 221 "Super Voyagers", units 221142 and 221143, went off lease, and later transferred to Grand Central.
Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Built | |
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mph | km/h | ||||||
221 Super Voyager | DEMU | 125 | 200 | 2 | 5 | 2001–2002 |