Avanti West Coast is to return to public ownership on 7 March 2027, the Government has announced.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on 28 September that the Government would “step in” to re-nationalise the operator at the first opportunity after its current contract expires. Avanti has been operated by First Trenitalia, a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia, for the past seven years.
Investment in reliability and stations
The Government said passengers had faced frequent disruption on one of the UK’s busiest routes, with performance remaining below the industry average. It identified infrastructure problems on the West Coast Main Line, attributed to long-term underinvestment, as the biggest cause of the disruption.
A further £10m is due to be spent on power and signalling maintenance by the end of 2027, in addition to £840m already committed to address infrastructure issues. The Government said those issues account for around a third of delays on the West Coast Main Line.
Timetable changes focused on services to and from Manchester are expected to begin from December 2026. The programme also includes £50m for improvements at London Euston over the next three years, with an initial £11m for additional seating, improved waiting areas and refurbished toilets. Passengers are also expected to be able to access trains earlier before departure within the next year.
A further £10m is planned for improvements at other West Coast Main Line stations before the end of 2027. The Government also said low-earth-orbit satellite technology would be deployed to improve onboard Wi-Fi and 5G connectivity.
Transition to public ownership
The Government said all planned transfers to public ownership remained on track for completion by the end of 2027, ahead of the creation of Great British Railways. Avanti West Coast will be the 12th train operator to transfer back to public ownership, following Great Western Railway in December 2026.
Andy Mellors, managing director of Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved over the last six years – from refurbishing our Pendolino fleet and introducing our new Evero trains to running more services than ever before.”
He added: “Over the coming months, we’ll work closely with the Government to ensure a seamless transition into public ownership while remaining focused on delivering for our customers and communities.”