Avanti Restoring Some Frequencies w/b Sep 26?

[LNW-GW Joint]

According to the BBC, Avanti will begin to add trains to its current limited timetable next week, between London and Birmingham and Manchester.

Avanti West Coast boosts services after timetables cut

Avanti West Coast says services will be further boosted once 100 new drivers complete training.

www.bbc.co.uk

It will initially run an additional 10 daily trains between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and an extra six on Wednesdays.
An extra four daily services will operate between London Euston and Birmingham New Street on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Timetables on the remaining days will be boosted "as soon as possible" and there would be a further increase to services in December, the company said.

Further improvements will be made when newly-trained drivers are available.

 

[hexagon789]

According to the BBC, Avanti will begin to add trains to its current limited timetable next week, between London and Birmingham and Manchester.

Avanti West Coast boosts services after timetables cut

Avanti West Coast says services will be further boosted once 100 new drivers complete training.

www.bbc.co.uk

Further improvements will be made when newly-trained drivers are available.

I'll believe it when I see it in practice, given even their drastically pared-down timetable still suffered short-term cancellations.

At least it's a step in the right direction though, if only a statement of intentions.

 

[Huntergreed]

According to the BBC, Avanti will begin to add trains to its current limited timetable next week, between London and Birmingham and Manchester.

Avanti West Coast boosts services after timetables cut

Avanti West Coast says services will be further boosted once 100 new drivers complete training.

www.bbc.co.uk

Further improvements will be made when newly-trained drivers are available.

Interesting choice of days - I would have definitely gone for a Monday as it gets both the normal commuter market, as well as the long-weekend leisure travelers and the Monday - Friday business travelers.

Question is - will they be able to run it. As there’s been no significant (any?) improvement in the dispute, I can see this simply causing more cancellations and causing a less reliable overall service. Hopefully I’m wrong.

 

[dk1]

Interesting choice of days - I would have definitely gone for a Monday as it gets both the normal commuter market, as well as the long-weekend leisure travelers and the Monday - Friday business travelers.

Question is - will they be able to run it. As there’s been no significant (any?) improvement in the dispute, I can see this simply causing more cancellations and causing a less reliable overall service. Hopefully I’m wrong.

I'm with you there. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Such a pity after years of improvements & inspiration since the launch of VHF.

 

[hexagon789]

Question is - will they be able to run it. As there’s been no significant (any?) improvement in the dispute, I can see this simply causing more cancellations and causing a less reliable overall service. Hopefully I’m wrong.

My concern as well @Huntergreed, but I too hope to be proven wrong.

 

[Tezza1978]

I'm sceptical we will see significant improvements in the short term, but hopefully a slow gradual improvement. But still will be a long way off where it should be. I've had shockingly poor experiences with Avanti in the last few months - still think they should lose the franchise given how poorly they have performed comparted to VT.

 

[miklcct]

Interesting choice of days - I would have definitely gone for a Monday as it gets both the normal commuter market, as well as the long-weekend leisure travelers and the Monday - Friday business travelers.

I have read that the commuter levels of Monday and Friday are less than mid-week instead.

 

[507020]

Interesting choice of days - I would have definitely gone for a Monday as it gets both the normal commuter market, as well as the long-weekend leisure travelers and the Monday - Friday business travelers.

Question is - will they be able to run it. As there’s been no significant (any?) improvement in the dispute, I can see this simply causing more cancellations and causing a less reliable overall service. Hopefully I’m wrong.

There was never any dispute. Avanti simply don’t employ anywhere near the required number of competent drivers to run the service and there is no obligation or requirement for the ones who are employed and competent to work overtime to cover the shortfall.

 

[Howardh]

Does this mean they release the timetable earlier so we can book advance tickets much earlier?

 

[The Planner]

Does this mean they release the timetable earlier so we can book advance tickets much earlier?

The internal resource issues are still there, the planners can only do so much.

 

[The Prisoner]

Five cancellations and a short journey already announced today. Expectations of them running their current reduced timetable plus anything extra in full are zero. Hope to be proved wrong.

 

[nuneatonmark]

They state 100 more drivers by the end of the year? Is this the start of the end of rest day working or just catching up on attrition?

 

[Howardh]

They state 100 more drivers by the end of the year? Is this the start of the end of rest day working or just catching up on attrition?

How many drivers do Avanti actually need (not new ones but in total) to avoid rest days and overtime being used? Also; would there be employee disquiet if overtime wasn't available - considering the cost of living crisis?

 

[Merseysider]

Does this mean they release the timetable earlier so we can book advance tickets much earlier?

Dream on

Would not surprise me in the slightest if it stays at ~1 week booking for the next month

 

[syorksdeano]

They state 100 more drivers by the end of the year? Is this the start of the end of rest day working or just catching up on attrition?

Whoever said 100 more drivers by the end of the year must be smoking something very strong

 

[Chester1]

How many drivers do Avanti actually need (not new ones but in total) to avoid rest days and overtime being used? Also; would there be employee disquiet if overtime wasn't available - considering the cost of living crisis?

That is an interesting point. Drivers are very well paid but in any organisation there are some people who will always spend too much and take up over time offers. Making a recruitment plan that would eventually eliminate planned rest day working might influence some drivers.

 

[Huntergreed]

That is an interesting point. Drivers are very well paid but in any organisation there are some people who will always spend too much and take up over time offers. Making a recruitment plan that would eventually eliminate planned rest day working might influence some drivers.

Almost all drivers have chosen to stop working overtime (at the same time) and very few are now accepting rest day working (the reason for which hasn’t been disclosed, but I think most of us have our suspicions).

 

[Peter0124]

According to RTT the 11.10 and 12.10 services from London to Glasgow aren't showing? Cancelled I guess?

 

[dk1]

According to RTT the 11.10 and 12.10 services from London to Glasgow aren't showing? Cancelled I guess?

11:30 & 12:10 are both showing as cancelled no crew.

 

[Huntergreed]

The Scotland route is a sight for sore eyes today:

07:05 Down terminating at Preston
08:15 (Birmingham) down terminating at Preston
08:30 Up starting at Preston
08:52 Up starting at Preston
09:37 Up starting at Preston
10:52 Up replaced with a voyager
11:30 Down cancelled
12:10 Down cancelled
12:52 Up cancelled
13:30 Up cancelled
14:23 Down terminating at Preston
17:40 Up starting at Preston

And that’s accompanied by many cancellations on their other routes too.

Meanwhile, EasyJet and BA will (combined) run 12 A320’s from Glasgow to London today, all of which are scheduled to run, quite possibly full of disgruntled ex-Avanti customers who’ve had enough.

And Avanti claim they’re ready to ramp up the timetable without compromising reliability? Please…

 

[gazzaa2]

07:47 and 08:47 from Liverpool both cancelled this morning. Ended up going to Euston via Birmingham. They've put a lot of pressure on LNR today with all the cancellations

 

[londonmidland]

Was hoping to travel to Preston today but my train (9P67) is now terminating at Wolverhampton.

 

[Falcon1200]

The Scotland route is a sight for sore eyes today:

Up Avanti services from Glasgow Central this morning:
0426 cancelled
0526 cancelled
0830 started Preston
0937 started Preston
Therefore four of the first six trains scrubbed.

And from Edinburgh:
0852 started Preston
1252 cancelled
Therefore two of the first four trains scrubbed.

Note this is a public holiday weekend in Scotland, but even so, any crowing by Avanti about increasing their service is a sick joke.

 

[Huntergreed]

Up Avanti services from Glasgow Central this morning:
0426 cancelled
0526 cancelled
0830 started Preston
0937 started Preston
Therefore four of the first six trains scrubbed.

And from Edinburgh:
0852 started Preston
1252 cancelled
Therefore two of the first four trains scrubbed.

Note this is a public holiday weekend in Scotland, but even so, any crowing by Avanti about increasing their service is a sick joke.

Precisely.

If anything, they should be reducing their timetable.

There must be some level of service that they can offer with no staffing cancellations (be it 1tpd on each route or 20).

They need to identify that, and alter their timetable to that level of service to maximise reliability. People would much rather fewer trains actually run than offering many services and having a luck lottery as to which will turn up.

 

[station_road]

The Scotland situation is bad, but the extra trains are all to Manchester and Birmingham so using crews that wouldn't be able to work trains to Glasgow or Edinburgh anyway? The problem seems to be finding crew who can work north of Preston

 

[londonteacher]

Almost all drivers have chosen to stop working overtime (at the same time) and very few are now accepting rest day working (the reason for which hasn’t been disclosed, but I think most of us have our suspicions).

would there be employee disquiet if overtime wasn't available - considering the cost of living crisis?

If Avanti employs to fill the gaps created by drivers stopping working overtime, and in some cases rest day working then they can hardly moan when these opportunities are not available later on. Employing to reduce the need to rely on overtime and rest day working should always have been the case anyway.

 

[Peter0124]

Adding to that the dewirement at Lockerbie and fatality at Oxenholme, it probably hasn't been a good week for Avanti on the Scotland route!

 

[furnessvale]

1630hrs saturday afternoon and National Rail Enquiries still cannot confirm if a train booked to depart Stockport at 0804hrs monday will run or not.

Just tell me it isn't running so I can make other arrangements!

 

[jfollows]

1630hrs saturday afternoon and National Rail Enquiries still cannot confirm if a train booked to depart Stockport at 0804hrs monday will run or not.

Just tell me it isn't running so I can make other arrangements!

Avanti's timetable at View & download here says it is running

 

[furnessvale]

Avanti's timetable at View & download here says it is running
View attachment 121194

Thanks for that!