Avanti West Coast news
News about Avanti West Coast, which operates inter-city passenger train services on the West Coast Main Line from London Euston to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, North Wales and Glasgow.
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Rail Business UKFive-point plan to improve the passenger experience at London Euston station
UK: Network Rail and the Department for Transport have announced a five-point plan which aims to improve the passenger experience at London Euston station pending longer-term changes. Network Rail said a ‘major reconstruction’ of the ‘outdated’ station is required to meet current demands, and avoid ’very ...
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Rail Business UKEuston still has a problem
UK: ‘Even on good days, the passenger experience at London Euston fails to match its importance as the capital’s main rail gateway to four of the UK’s largest cities. But it is when train services are disrupted that the station really struggles to cope, with high ...
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Rail Business UKStation safety campaign draws on behavioural science
UK: Avanti West Coast is using posters and signage to make station facilities such as lifts, stairs and handrails ‘speak directly to customers’ as part of a ‘Take care. Get there’ safety campaign. The approach has been developed with Richard Shotton who applies findings from psychology ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast bi-modes are quick off the mark
UK: Rail Business UK takes a ride in the cab of one of the Class 805 electro-diesel trainsets now entering traffic with Avanti West Coast.
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast introduces through ticketing to Keswick
UK: Avanti West Coast has added Stagecoach bus services X4 and X5 between Penrith and Keswick to its journey planner and introduced through tickets for the rail fare plus £2. Launched in partnership with Cumbria Tourism, the scheme is intended to encourage visitors to the Lake ...
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Rail Business UKHitachi Evero trains enter service with Avanti West Coast
UK: Avanti West Coast announced Evero as the brand name for the 200 km/h inter-city trainsets being supplied by Hitachi Rail when its first Class 805 electro-diesel sets entered service with the June 2 timetable change. AWC has ordered 13 five-car Class 805 electro-diesel trainsets for ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast says Superfares have brought modal shift
UK: Avanti West Coast has expanded the availability of its Superfare tickets to 10 more destinations, saying the cheaper tickets have encouraged modal shift. Passengers book a Superfare ticket for a specific date, with the choice of morning, afternoon or evening slots. The exact time of ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast won’t be nationalised, says Minister
UK: The government will not terminate Avanti West Coast’s operating contract, Rail Minister Huw Merriman has told the House of Commons. At Transport Questions on March 21, Labour’s Shadow Rail Minister Stephen Morgan asked ‘a simple question to the Minister today, will he strip Avanti of ...
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Rail Business UKInterview: Avanti West Coast navigates complex path to recovery
UK: Avanti West Coast Managing Director Andy Mellors sets out how the operator intends to restore resilient operations and develop services further, explaining that there will be no return to the pre-Covid operating plan on Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway.
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Rail Business UKCalls for Avanti West Coast review and first class declassification
UK: Transport for the North has written to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for a ‘critical review’ of the ‘deteriorating service being endured by passengers’ on Avanti West Coast, and also asking for first and standard premium accommodation to be declassified until performance reaches ...
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Rail Business UKHow to refurbish a Pendolino in 10 days
UK: The £120m refurbishment of Avanti West Coast’s 56 Class 390 Pendolino trainsets is on course for completion by next June year, in what Alstom says is the largest programme of its kind in the UK. Nick Kingsley reports from Widnes.
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Rail Business UKNational Rail Contract aims to enable Avanti West Coast to plan ahead
UK: The Department for Transport has awarded the Avanti West Coast joint venture of FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia UK (30%) a further National Rail Contract to continue to operate West Coast Main Line inter-city passenger services from the expiry of its current agreement on October 15. ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast launches real-time interactive train map
UK: Technology company Signalbox has developed a customised interactive live map for Avanti West Coast’s website which enables passengers to track their train in real-time. This builds on Signalbox’s technology which tracks and maps National Rail trains. Users can follow the service on which they are ...
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Rail Business UKInterview: ‘You can’t innovate as a monopolist’
UK: Avanti West Coast and c2c parent Trenitalia is ready to make significant investment in Britain’s railways, mirroring its recent expansion in Spain. But this is contingent on the government relaxing its grip on the industry, the company’s UK Managing Director Ernesto Sicilia explains to Nick Kingsley and Sophie Burton.
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast contract extended and Managing Director appointed
UK: Avanti West Coast must continue to regain the confidence of passengers before decisions on its future are made, the Department for Transport said when it announced a six-month extension of the inter-city operator’s contract. The West Coast Partnership contract covers the operation of inter-city services ...
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Rail Business UKSuperfare ticket trials aims to attract flexible travellers to rail
UK: Avanti West Coast is trialling a low-price Superfare ticket, aimed at people who can be more flexible with their journeys and who would not normally opt to travel by train. Superfare prices London – Birmingham £12 London – ...
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Rail Business UKCustom carpets keeps luggage out of train wheelchair spaces
UK: Wool from more than 30 000 sheep is being used by Axminster Carpets to produce over 20 000 m2 of floor coverings for the refurbishment of the Avanti West Coast Pendolino fleet. The two-year contract to supply carpets for the £117m refurbishment of the 56 ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast launches instant accessibility help channel
UK: Avanti West Coast has launched a WhatsApp channel providing instant access to specialist support for passengers with disabilities. Travel Companion is staffed by members of the inter-city operator’s social media team who have ‘passion and empathy for accessibility’, as well as specialist knowledge. AWC said ...
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Rail Business UKWest Coast Main Line electro-diesels on test
UK: The first two of 13 Hitachi Class 805 electro-diesel trainsets ordered for Avanti West Coast services are undergoing testing on the West Coast Main Line ahead of entry into service later this year. This follows two months of dynamic testing at Network Rail’s Rail Innovation ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast submits revised recovery plan
UK: Inter-City West Coast operator Avanti West Coast has submitted a revised timetable production recovery plan to the Office of Rail & Road. The regulator had sought changes after the operator’s initial improvements had stalled with weekend timetables being finalised just a few days in advance. ...