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.
As all train operators start a new Annual Business Plan each April, I thought now would be an opportune time to reflect on the past 12 months and update you on our plans for the next 12 months.
I’m delighted that our hard work across the business is resulting in significant improvements. In Period 13, All Cancellations were 3.0%, which is less than half the annual average of 6.4%. Cancellations for which the operator is responsible (TOC-on-self Cancellations) were down to 1.0%, with the annual average now at 3.0% - which is down by a third year-on-year. We have now seen three consecutive periods where these cancellations have reduced.
This is really being noticed by our customers. We’ve seen our Net Advocacy Score in the period increase to +31 which is the highest since the pandemic. We have also seen improvements in customer satisfaction scores across all measures. You can read more about this in our Performance section.
The improvements in reliability, significant recruitment and training of drivers and train managers, timetable uplifts, new and refurbished trains and more capacity, alongside our wider commercial proposition and marketing activity have also resulted in a 9% year-on-year revenue growth which has further increased the amount of money we are returning to Government and taxpayers.
I was pleased so many stakeholders joined us for our ‘Ask Andy’ stakeholder webinar last month to hear about our performance and customer experience improvements in 2024 and our plans for delivery and growth in 2025 and beyond. For those of you who were unable to join us you can watch a recording here and download presentation slides here.
We recognise that punctuality remains a challenge. As almost two-thirds of delays on the west coast are due to infrastructure issues, severe weather and trespass, we have improved our partnership working with Network Rail.
We continue to collaborate to address the causes of these complex challenges, for example with our First 60-mile plan, and Manchester-Euston and Anglo-Scot task forces. Our partnership is already delivering benefits.
Customer feedback has been incredibly positive, but we know there is still more work to do. We recently jointly hosted a Westminster drop in for MPs and peers to share the progress on our collaborative work and to understand and address the issues their constituents raise.
Network Rail will be carrying out vital maintenance and improvement work this Easter bank holiday. Infrastructure renewals, a major bridge replacement and signalling upgrades will help provide safer and more reliable journeys. You can read more in our Timetable section.
We are pleased that our Train Managers have voted to accept our latest offer to resolve the dispute over Rest Day Working. We’ve worked together to find a resolution that is right for our Train Managers as well as the company and are now looking forward to continuing to grow our business. The RMT has now called off all its remaining strike action on Sundays, previously due to run until 25 May 2025.
Our plans for 2025 include further timetable uplifts and delivering value for taxpayers, as one of only two DfT operators who return a premium to government and the taxpayer. This means we are generating more money to the taxpayer – and we returned well over £100m in premium in the last financial year ending 31 March 2025.
As a result of our May and September timetable uplifts later this year we will be operating more services than were operated at the start of the franchise. We are also seeking, subject to a timetable offer from Network Rail, to operate 10 trains per hour to/from London during the currency of the December 2025 timetable change, to include the full rollout of two trains per hour on the Liverpool route – driving connectivity and growth across the UK. You can read more about this in our Timetable section. We are able to deliver these timetable uplifts as we now have more frontline staff than ever before thanks to record levels of recruitment. You can read more about this in our On Board section.
This is all part of our mission to be the transport of choice connecting our customers and communities along the West Coast, as well as our commitment to collaboration with our stakeholders.
I hope you find this an interesting and informative read. We want to hear from you if you have any feedback or questions. Please get in touch with your Regional Growth Manager (details at the bottom of our newsletter) if you have any questions or feedback.
Andy Mellors
Managing Director, Avanti West Coast