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Welcome to our latest stakeholder update. This edition is packed with details on how we’re performing, improving taxpayer value, and working for the communities we serve.

Andy Mellors

Managing Director, Avanti West Coast

Welcome to our latest stakeholder update. This edition is packed with details on how we’re performing, improving taxpayer value, and working for the communities we serve.

The data in this update covers the period from 1 April 2025 to 21 June 2025.

I’m pleased to report that since our successful timetable step up in May, reliability has remained strong and from September, we will be operating more services than ever before on the West Coast Main Line. Over the past year, we've seen a halving in the level of cancellations that Avanti is responsible for (TOC on Self cancellations) – and these have remained consistently low over the first three periods of the year (1 April - 21 June), at an average of 1.1%. Period 01 saw cancellations at 0.9% (1 April - 26 April), Period 02 at 1.5% (27 April - 24 May) and Period 3 at 1.1% (25 May - 21 June).

Whilst 88% of our trains have arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled time, we know there is more to do to improve punctuality. As two-thirds of delays are due to infrastructure failures, extreme weather and trespass incidents, we're working closely with Network Rail and other industry partners through our Joint Improvement Plan. This comprises a range of actions to drive up performance, particularly on the critical first 60 miles from London, which will help build resilience across the entire route. I will keep you updated on our collaborative efforts to reduce delays.

As a result of our overall improvements in performance, as well as continued investment in customer experience and fleet, customers’ positive sentiment as measured by the Net Advocacy Score has reached record levels, and passenger numbers continue to increase. As a result of these improvements, we are one of only two Department for Transport operators who are returning a premium to Government and generating more money to the taxpayer than we are receiving in subsidy. This delivers on our promise after the pandemic to build our timetable back in both an operationally and financially sustainable manner.

We are also working closely with Network Rail to support customer travel during the current work to replace the bridge that takes the Greek Street roundabout, in Stockport, over the West Coast Main Line. This requires a 21-day closure of the route, which means no trains at Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent between Saturday 2 to Friday 22 August. Rail replacement buses are operating to these stations, and trains between London and Manchester will take a slightly longer route. You can find out more here.

We’re proud to have delivered significant investments and improvements at some of our stations. This includes a £600,000 programme to replace the skylights and add new wayfinding signage at Coventry station, which we’ve undertaken in partnership with Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Trust, and helps brighten the station and further transform the experience for customers. We’ve invested nearly £1mn at Wigan North Western to overhaul the station and create new jobs. Working with Network Rail, improvements include a redesigned main entrance and new Automatic Ticket Gates have also been installed. The programme has created eight jobs – to provide a greater staff presence to assist customers.

Building on the huge success of our previous school outreach programme, Feel Good Field Trips, we’ve now launched its successor, Feel Good Futures, a year-long initiative aimed at educating teenagers about career opportunities in the railway and tying into the UK’s Railway 200 celebrations. We’ve seen the profound impact this engagement has on young people and I’m really excited to see this latest project introducing our industry to the next generation across our network.

Members of our team also recently completed the National Three Peaks by Rail challenge to raise money in aid of the Railway Children - a vital organisation that supports vulnerable children in the UK, India and Tanzania. A huge achievement - well done to our team for raising over £8,000!

Lastly, myself and Shamit Gaiger, Managing Director of West Coast Partnership Development, are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our WCP Stakeholder Conference, which this year will be held on Monday, 22 September, in Birmingham. This is a fantastic opportunity to look in detail at the key issues affecting our railway and to focus on the collaboration to achieve positive results.

In the meantime, please let me know if there are any issues you’d like to discuss by getting in touch with our Regional Growth Manager team, whose details are included.

Andy Mellors

Managing Director, Avanti West Coast

We are committed to delivering consistently reliable services. Below, we have provided key industry metrics on cancellations, punctuality, delays, customer satisfaction, and overall experience to offer transparency on our performance. These updates will be included in each newsletter, and for the latest information, you can also visit our website or the Office of Rail and Road’s website, which publishes detailed statistics and comparative data across train operators. The data presented below covers the period from 1 April 2025 to 21 June 2025.

The details

1. Reliability

In the first three periods of FY26, over 88% of our services arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, demonstrating strong performance despite ongoing infrastructure works across the network. Over the past year, we've seen a halving in the level of cancellations that Avanti is responsible for (TOC on Self cancellations) - these have remained consistently low in the first three periods of the financial year at an average of 1.1% (1 April - 21 June). Thanks to robust contingency planning, we aim to maintain or improve on this level of reliability in the coming periods.

The below graph shows the average punctuality between 1 April - 21 June 2025.

The below graph shows the level of delays between 26 May 2024 - 21 June 2025, outlining the percentage of services that arrived and departed within 15 minutes of its published schedule.

2. Delay minutes/cancellations

As this data shows, this period saw reductions in overall cancellations and delays, with both having improved significantly from this time last year.

3. Delay responsibility

While there is still progress to be made, we’re beginning to see the positive impact of our joint efforts with Network Rail and industry partners to tackle the root causes of poor performance. We remain committed to working collaboratively to reduce delays beyond our direct control and deliver a more reliable service for our customers.

We remain focused on attracting passengers back to rail and driving sustained growth. Our continued investment in the customer experience is delivering strong results, with positive sentiment rising and our Net Advocacy Score (NAS) reaching levels not seen since before the pandemic. While we experienced a temporary dip in NAS due to disruption caused by the recent heatwave, the Liverpool FC victory parade, and major engineering works, our underlying customer satisfaction remains strong and compared with the same period last year, the score has risen by 12%. These events highlighted the importance of resilience and proactive planning, and we’re using these insights to strengthen future performance. As more customers place their trust in us for a reliable journey, we are seeing continued growth in passenger numbers. We’ll keep building on this momentum by investing in further improvements that enhance the travel experience and support long-term recovery.

Celebrating 100 Years of Stoke-on-Trent

We proudly marked the 100th anniversary of Stoke-on-Trent being granted city status with a specially updated nameplate on Pendolino 390129, now reading City of Stoke-on-Trent 1925–2025.

In partnership with the Stoke 100 campaign, we unveiled the new nameplate at London Euston before the train travelled to the city carrying civic leaders for the official celebrations on 5 June, which was also the first ever Stoke-on-Trent Day - now to be held annually to honour the city's heritage and communities.

The train was warmly welcomed at Stoke-on-Trent station by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Steve Watkins, MPs Allison Gardner, David Williams, and Gareth Snell, as well as friends and colleagues of our much-missed team member Brett Hobson. Brett is commemorated with a nameplate on the same train following his passing in 2022.

Read more here.

Recognised for Rail Safety Impact

In June, we were recognised for our contribution to rail safety with the presentation of a gold disc during a Rail Safety Week event at Crewe station. The award highlights our continued support for the Rail Safe Friendly Programme, an initiative led by Learn Live to help educate young people about the dangers of trespassing on the railway.

Since joining the programme in 2024, we’ve helped 181 schools along our route access virtual rail safety lessons via Learn Live’s platform. These sessions are designed to equip students with the knowledge they need to stay safe around rail infrastructure.

The Rail Safe Friendly Programme was launched in 2023 and was inspired by the story of 11-year-old Harrison Ballantyne, who tragically died after being electrocuted by overhead power lines while trying to retrieve a football from a rail freight depot. The initiative aims to reach every school in the UK by 2027.

The gold disc was presented at Crewe station, where we hosted a networking event to bring together rail industry colleagues and safety advocates to share progress and explore ways to expand the programme’s reach.

Stuart Heaton, Founder of the Rail Safe Friendly Programme, added:“Our partnership with Avanti West Coast has been instrumental in expanding the programme’s reach. Thanks to their support, we’ve been able to deliver safety messages to thousands more students. Educating young people about the dangers of the railway is vital to preventing future tragedies, and with Avanti’s ongoing involvement, we are one step closer to our goal of enrolling every school in the UK by 2027.”

Community

We have been actively supporting the people, places and communities we serve, including launching our Feel Good Futures programme, commemorating Railway 200, raising money through two Railway Children challenges, and supporting projects through our Community Rail Partnerships.

Wigan Landmarks Celebrated in New Station Mural

We’ve come together to celebrate Wigan’s rich history and heritage with the unveiling of a brand-new mural at Wigan North Western station.

As part of a community effort led by the South East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership (CRP), the Wonders of Wigan mural brings to life 25 of our town’s most iconic landmarks through powerful black-and-white ‘then and now’ images. From Haigh Hall to Wigan Pier and our local railway stations, we’ve highlighted places that matter most to us, with nominations coming directly from the community.

Local artists, students, and renowned photographer Frank Orrell collaborated to create this meaningful tribute to Wigan’s past and present. With support from Avanti West Coast via its Community Rail Project Fund, we’ve also included QR codes to share the stories behind each landmark.

Located at the station underpass, the mural is not just a piece of art, it’s a welcoming gateway for everyone arriving in Wigan. This project also marks the 200th anniversary of the UK railways and follows the success of our much-loved Wiganese mural from 2021.

For more information, visit: Wonders of Wigan

Feel Good Futures initiative has launched

We have launched Feel Good Futures, a year long initiative aimed at educating students aged 14–18 about the rail industry and its career opportunities.

The first trip saw pupils from The Heath School in Runcorn visit Liverpool Traincare Centre to learn about train maintenance and engineering from industry professionals.

Led by Community Rail Lancashire’s David Savage, Feel Good Futures is part of the UK’s Railway 200 celebrations, connecting students to the history and future of rail.

The programme focuses on inspiring young people, especially those who may not typically have access to such experiences, by showing the range of roles available, from engineering to customer service and sustainability.

Avanti West Coast Teams Complete Consecutive Peak Challenges in Support of Railway Children

Throughout May and June 2025, teams from Avanti West Coast undertook two major endurance challenges in support of Railway Children, a charity that provides vital support to vulnerable children at risk of homelessness in the UK, India, and Tanzania.

In May, four colleagues, Amy Moore (HR Admin Team Lead), Paul Mills (Senior IT Project Manager), Margaret Dzikiti (IT Project Manager), and Lauren Plant (Senior Research Executive), successfully completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. Covering 24 miles across Pen-y-ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough in just 13 hours, the team raised over £2,000. Their efforts contributed to a wider initiative that generated more than £30,000, with participation from 70 colleagues, including members of West Coast Partnership Development.

Building on this momentum, a second group, Craig Mortiboys (Regional Growth Manager), Andy Doyle (Head of Operational Readiness), Lucy Weilding (Governance Coordinator), and Sandi Sidhu (Performance Project Manager), took on the National Three Peaks by Rail Challenge in June. Over the course of three days, the team climbed Snowdon, Scafell Pike, and Ben Nevis, travelling between each peak by rail. The challenge tested both physical endurance and team resilience, while raising further funds and awareness for the charity.

These back-to-back initiatives reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting social impact through employee-led action. We are proud of our colleagues’ dedication and grateful to our wider community of supporters who helped make these fundraising efforts a success.

Stations

We have delivered major enhancements at Coventry and Wigan North Western stations, investing over £1.6 million to improve accessibility, customer experience, and heritage preservation, highlighted by a new skylight and signage upgrade at Coventry and a redesigned entrance, improved facilities, and new Welcome Host roles at Wigan.

Coventry Station Enhanced with £600,000 Skylight and Signage Upgrade

In collaboration with Network Rail, and the Railway Heritage Trust, we have completed a £600,000 project replacing all 27 skylights on Coventry station’s platform 1 and installing new wayfinding signage.

The original skylights, dating from the 1960s, were at the end of their lifespan and difficult to maintain. The new skylights allow more natural light, feature removable panels for cleaning, and are complemented by energy-efficient LED lighting. Roof access points were also added to improve future maintenance.

This project forms part of a wider transformation, including the 2022 opening of a new main station building, multi-storey car park, retail outlets, and a refreshed courtyard on platform 1. Additionally, work to renovate the station’s unique tiled walls and highlight its heritage has been supported by the Railway Heritage Trust.

Dean Duthie, Engineering and Infrastructure Director at Avanti West Coast, said:
“Walking along Platform 1, the work has made a remarkable difference where customers will see a more vibrant look and feel from the natural light streaming through the new skylights. Coventry station boasts a rich railway history and is undergoing a huge transformation to ensure the best possible experience.”

Federica Labanca, Principal Route Engineer at Network Rail Central, added:
“We take great pride in preserving Britain’s iconic stations while meeting modern passenger needs. We hope the new improvements enhance the experience for station users and city visitors for years to come.”

Tim Hedley-Jones, Director of The Railway Heritage Trust, commented:
“Having clear natural light and visible signage is key to the customer experience. We’re pleased to have supported this important work at this Grade II listed station.”

Cllr Naeem Akhtar, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at Coventry City Council, said:
“The new skylights and signage strike a great balance between enhancing the station’s architectural heritage and meeting modern-day needs, improving the customer experience while preserving its unique character.”

£1 Million Station Enhancement Completed at Wigan North Western

We are pleased to announce the completion of a £1 million investment programme at Wigan North Western station, aimed at significantly improving the customer experience and supporting local employment.

The programme delivered a range of enhancements, including a redesigned main entrance with widened doors, improved lighting, upgraded CCTV, and the installation of Automatic Ticket Gates. Ticket machines were relocated for easier access, and a new retail space and accessible toilet were introduced on platform 4. In addition, we refurbished customer information areas to provide clearer and more accessible support for passengers.

As part of our commitment to delivering a more personal and welcoming service, we also created eight new Welcome Host roles. These team members are positioned throughout the station to offer assistance with ticketing, journey planning and general customer support, helping to ensure a seamless and positive experience for all station users.

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director at Avanti West Coast, commented:
“The upgraded entrance and platform areas create a brighter, more accessible environment, while our Welcome Hosts are on hand to offer reassurance and support to customers throughout their journey.”

Simon Elliott, Network Director for Rail at Transport for Greater Manchester, added:
“This investment aligns with our broader ambition to make stations across the city region safer, more welcoming, and accessible.”

This project forms part of our wider strategy to enhance station environments across the network, ensuring they meet the evolving needs of customers and communities alike.

Sustainability Partner of the Year

We’re honoured to have been named Rail Operator Sustainability Partner of the Year at the 2025 Business Travel Sustainability Awards, recognising our commitment to making rail a more sustainable and viable option for business travel.

Judges praised our ambitious sustainability strategy and strong collaboration with corporate clients to encourage a shift from air to rail. A standout example was our partnership with Mott MacDonald, where we introduced a flexible and competitive fare framework between London and Glasgow. This initiative helped them achieve a 49% increase in rail market share and a 43% reduction in carbon emissions on targeted routes.

This award reflects the dedication of our Corporate Sales and Responsible Business Teams, who continue to support our customers in meeting their net zero goals by offering smarter, more sustainable travel solutions.

Timetable

With the May timetable uplift now underway, we are continuing to add more services than were in operation at the start of the franchise. This phased approach will ultimately see us operating up to 10 trains per hour, including the full introduction of two trains per hour on the Liverpool route, strengthening connectivity and supporting growth across the UK.

In addition, we’ve shared details of significant engineering work taking place this August, which will temporarily affect some services as we carry out vital improvements.

Over the course of the next financial year, we will operate more services than at the start of the franchise. We are seeking to eventually operate 10 trains per hour during the currency of the December 2025 timetable, including the full rollout of two trains per hour on the Liverpool route – driving connectivity and growth across the UK.

Timetable uplifts

Since 18 May, we have added 62 more weekly services, a 3.3% increase, bringing our total to 1,957 services and over one million seats available each week across the West Coast Main Line. Between May and December, we will be increasing services by 8%, moving towards twice-hourly trains to Liverpool, one train per hour to Chester, and a full return of Holyhead routes. Plans to restore the full Glasgow to London, via West Midlands, service are underway (subject to ORR approval), marking our most extensive intercity timetable since the pandemic.

Key timetable regional service updates:

Liverpool: 20 extra weekly services plus more stops at Lichfield Trent Valley and Tamworth

West Midlands: additional weekday and weekend trains between Birmingham and London

Scotland: rerouted and extra services between London, Glasgow, and the West Midlands

Chester & North Wales: extra trains including an early service to London before 9am

Summer engineering works | Line closed at Stockport - 2 to 22 August 2025

From Saturday 2 to Friday 22 August, essential engineering work will mean no train services to or from Stockport, Macclesfield, and Stoke-on-Trent. During this period, replacement buses will operate to keep passengers moving, but journeys will take longer than usual.

Trains between London and Manchester will continue to run; however, they will be diverted via an alternative route, adding a few extra minutes to journey times. These diversions will also result in fewer trains running between Manchester and Liverpool, leading to a reduced frequency of services.

As a result, the timetable at Lichfield Trent Valley and Tamworth will be significantly reduced, particularly for services between London and Liverpool.

Passengers planning to travel to Wembley for the Community Shield on 10 August should be aware that this engineering work could affect their journey. We strongly advise checking travel plans in advance and allowing extra time.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while we carry out this important work to improve reliability and future capacity on the network.

On Board

We’ve launched a new virtual work experience programme to inspire young people to consider careers in the rail industry. Designed to be accessible and engaging, this initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to creating opportunities and encouraging diversity across the sector. In line with our focus on inclusion, we’ve also recently introduced free period care products onboard our trains, enhancing the travel experience and helping to ensure all customers feel comfortable and supported when they journey with us.

Avanti West Coast Rolls Out Free Period Care Onboard

We have launched a new initiative on Menstrual Hygiene Day 2025 to provide free period care onboard its trains, supporting customers who may need essential items during their journey.

The ‘Package for a Friend’ scheme allows customers to discreetly request pads from onboard staff or order them via the Click and Collect service. The initiative was developed following suggestions from employees, including members of Avanti’s Gender Network, and is delivered in partnership with ethical period care brand TOTM.

Brightly coloured posters onboard trains promote the scheme and explain how to access the products.

New Virtual Work Experience Programme Launched to Inspire Young People

We’ve launched a new virtual work experience course in partnership with careers platform Springpod, aimed at introducing young people (aged 13+) to the wide range of careers available in the rail industry.

The free online programme offers over six hours of engaging content covering roles in engineering, customer experience, and office-based functions. Students can complete the course at their own pace and receive a certificate to support future education or employment opportunities.

In the first month, over 150 students from 91 schools across the UK have signed up, demonstrating strong early interest. This initiative is part of our broader commitment to inspire the next generation of railway professionals and complements our continued support of the King’s Trust ‘Get into Railways’ programme.