Richard Scott: Introducing the next generation to train travel
 

Rail is playing a vital role in supporting growth by reconnecting people to places and opportunities across the UK. But as well as attracting people back to the railway, we want to go further, ensuring our services are fit for the next generation of passengers and that the improvements we are investing in now support long-term ambitions to level up the country and develop a net-zero economy.

 

Over the last few months, we have made great strides in improving stations and customer experience, continuing the investments we started in 2019 when the West Coast Partnership began. Work continues on refurbishing our Pendolino fleet and introducing a brand-new fleet of electric and bi-mode Hitachi trains to the West Coast.

 

We have also been able to show the next generation of passengers everything the railway has to offer through our Feel Good Feel Trips for school children across our network. In a first for a UK train operator, this campaign gives pupils aged 4-18 the chance to travel by train to destinations across the West Coast Main Line for hands-on learning, fun and culturally diverse days-out.

 

Of course, as passenger numbers increase so too can the number of services we provide. Avanti West Coast (AWC) increased service levels in February as part of changes to our timetable and in response to increased demand. Our Manchester and West Midlands routes saw an addition of a second hourly service to and from London Euston, increasing the AWC operation to six trains per hour on the West Coast Main Line. There will be a further timetable change from Sunday 15 May, with an additional uplift in the number of services on our network. As always, more details can be found on our website.

 

While this newsletter will give highlights of what we have been up to and what’s ahead, please do get in touch with our team of dedicated Regional Growth Managers if you want to discuss this or any other aspects of our business.