Before I go into our usual updates on performance and initiatives across the business, I want to start by acknowledging the serious fire that affected central Glasgow this month. Thankfully there were no injuries, but this was nevertheless a terrible event for the city and the necessary closure of Scotland’s busiest station proved incredibly challenging. I’d like to recognise the people who have worked tirelessly to keep people moving in the weeks since then. Despite these challenges, we worked together as an industry to keep critical cross-border services in place and we’re grateful to the hard work by our own colleagues, Glasgow City Council, Network Rail and others that resulted in the full opening of the station this week.  

Whilst events such as these naturally command a great deal of attention, I also want to shine a light on some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes on to improve safety and customer satisfaction as well as updating you on a busy few months for activities across the network.

In this edition of the newsletter, we’ll be taking a close look at the latest customer satisfaction levels, our work on safety, performance and a roundup of events across the network. 

Customer experience is at the heart of what we do at Avanti. When we get it right for our customers, more people choose to travel with us. That means stronger regional growth, better social outcomes, and ultimately, better value for taxpayers through the premium we return to Government.  So, I’m really pleased to see customer satisfaction is now at record levels, with 15 consecutive periods of positive Net Advocacy Scores (metric of customer loyalty), underpinned by our continued effort to deliver a more reliable and consistent service for our customers. It is especially good to see a strong score over the period of engineering works in January - where we kept customer moving by train across the North West by using the Settle and Carlisle line.  We’ve got a deep-dive into the statistics that illustrate this below. 

These same customer satisfaction metrics show the key area we know we need to improve is performance. We’ve seen Avanti-caused cancellations halved over the last year with P12 (1 February – 28 February) now at 1.7%. But we know punctuality remains a challenge. Almost two thirds of delays are due to infrastructure challenges including trespass and weather-related issues, and we continue to work with Network Rail and other industry partners through our Joint Improvement Plan, which sets out a range of actions to reduce delays across the route. You can find a more in-depth look at this later on in this edition. 

When it comes to safety, we have to work as a team and it's important to recognise the thousands of small, everyday actions that keep our network safe and everything running as it should. You can read more about this below. 

As we look ahead to Easter, Network Rail will be carrying out major engineering works along the West Coast Main Line. We’re working closely with Network Rail, and other operators, to keep passengers moving, once again making use of the Settle and Carlisle diversionary route. You can find more detail in this newsletter.

Our team has also been out meeting stakeholders across the network - from Scotland to Stafford and Westmorland to Westminster. These conversations help shape how we support the communities along our route. 

We continue to invest in stations and local areas. At Carlisle, the opening of the new heritage-themed Scott & Brassey pub celebrates local independent producers and complements the wider regeneration and accessibility work we’re supporting across the station. At Oxenholme, the arrival of artisan coffee from Ramble & Roast, alongside improvements for the Co-Wheels Car Club, is helping enhance the customer experience and support more sustainable travel choices. 

In Stockport, we’re working with local partners on a long-term station masterplan designed to drive growth, create jobs and strengthen the town’s role as a major regional and national transport hub. We also recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of Birmingham International station, welcoming the West Midlands Combined Authority, Birmingham Airport, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, and the NEC to mark the milestone.   

But it’s not just about recognising the places we serve – it's also about celebrating the people who use and deliver our services. In January, we announced the winners of our Together We Roll photography competition, showcasing images that reflect the communities and landscapes along our route and the essential role the railway plays in connecting them.  

Finally, I will be hosting our annual Ask Andy webinar on 16 April. I’ll be sharing a full end of financial year round-up, looking ahead to our plans for the coming months, and answering your questions. Please do register to join us here.