Avanti reduced timetable – passenger experiences

[Rail Ranger]

Live in London, looking to travel to visit parents in central Scotland in six weeks’ time. Stopping at in-laws so searched for a return from Birmingham.

Travelling on Friday and back on Monday so able to book advance tickets (result!). No tickets available for weekend. Quickest journey is 4 1/2 hours with change at Preston - no direct trains from Birmingham to Glasgow. Cheapest return for two adults with a railcard is £300; first class tickets range from £500 to £850(!).

We have to drive to Birmingham so have taken the rational decision to drive to Glasgow - cheaper and more reliable. We would happily have spent around £300 with a railcard for a reliable, direct first class journey. We don’t know how Avanti can possibly hope - or deserve - to survive with this service.

According to brfares.com, an Off-Peak Return from Birmingham to Glasgow via Preston with a railcard is £99.75. Valid on any train timed to depart after 04.15.

 

[Mag_seven]

Yesterday's journey to Glasgow on Avanti was wholly successful. No full / standing, no massive delays, everything worked, even a convivial atmosphere onboard. Colour me surprised.

I also had a journey on Avanti yesterday (southbound from Stockport). I feared the worst but the journey was surprisingly civilised just as it should be.

 

[Llandudno]

Mrs W. went to London this morning on the 0653 from Rhyl.
It was already 27 minutes late from waiting for crew at Holyhead.
The portion from Wrexham was cancelled due to shortage of drivers, and it was supposed to collect what would have been the Wrexham portion at Crewe to form 10 coaches southwards, but for some reason that didn't happen. So it was a rather cosy single voyager that pulled into Euston 33 minutes late.
Just another day on Avanti West Coast, and another delay compensation claim for me to file.

Hope she has better luck coming home….!

 

[urbophile]

Why? Cars are comfy, fast and reliable.

Cars themselves might be fast and reliable. The road network, not always. I never drive long distances these days, but on several occasions when I have (or been) driven on motorways in the last few years I have been held up by interminable delays caused by crashes. Shorter but annoying ones because of road works or general congestion are routine. And you can't claim delay repay for any of them.

 

[Welshman]

Hope she has better luck coming home….!

Thank you.
So do I!!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Cars themselves might be fast and reliable. The road network, not always. I never drive long distances these days, but on several occasions when I have (or been) driven on motorways in the last few years I have been held up by interminable delays caused by crashes. Shorter but annoying ones because of road works or general congestion are routine. And you can't claim delay repay for any of them.

I used to experience a lot of that, but I find if you use a traffic satnav it can be mostly avoided, often by way of routes you wouldn't even think of (e.g. yesterday M69 then A5).

 

[jfollows]

I noted in a different thread (https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...uencies-w-b-sep-26.237477/page-2#post-5881855) a number of additional Manchester-London services currently running in "Q" paths, essentially some xx:55 Manchester-London via Crewe and returning xx:40 Euston-Manchester via Crewe, these should be useful to those in the know or simply just lucky enough to stumble across them. They ran last Friday and are running today (for example, today, up, https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...10-10/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=actual and the ones which are going to run later in the day show with stock allocations).

 

[318266]

Just came off a wonderful Avanti spectacle - was booked on the 0940 from Glasgow to London which left 0959, missed my connection at Carlisle onto the Settle-Carlisle line and now sitting in an Avanti Emergency Taxi down to Appleby!

 

[Class800]

Just came off a wonderful Avanti spectacle - was booked on the 0940 from Glasgow to London which left 0959, missed my connection at Carlisle onto the Settle-Carlisle line and now sitting in an Avanti Emergency Taxi down to Appleby!

I think they acted responsibly though by offering a taxi as it wasn't the last connection of the day - but would have been nearly 3 hours.

 

[Simon11]

Anyone have any idea when Avanti timetable will be confirmed for half term, only 2-3 weeks away? Have been wanting to book for a while and I hope that don't force their customers to buy very expensive tickets as a result of them not being able to confirm timetables in advance.

Thanks

 

[DannyMich2018]

Had a journey up to Blackpool today. 11.15 from Birmingham. Train was quite busy considering no half term yet. Just a few mins late too. 11 car 390157. Nice inside. All good. Shame about no ticket checks.

 

[LYuen]

Anyone have any idea when Avanti timetable will be confirmed for half term, only 2-3 weeks away? Have been wanting to book for a while and I hope that don't force their customers to buy very expensive tickets as a result of them not being able to confirm timetables in advance.

Thanks

You can buy open return tickets between their key stations and London. Off peak open return isn't cheap, but at least not too ridiculous.
For example, £98.1 for Manchester London return, which could be cheaper than buying a single ticket on the day.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

I'm almost scared to ask, but does anyone know how they have been doing with their Edinburgh services? There's a lot of talk of London/Birmingham/Manchester but I rarely see the Edinburgh mentioned? I'm due to travel from Wolves to Edinburgh with them on the 16th, returning on the 19th, and I'm just hoping against hope that the Avanti trains we've booked will actually run and I won't have to resort to the XC services.

 

[londonmidland]

Further strike action is to affect Avanti services for the 22nd of October and 6th of November.

Details are how these will affect services are still TBA.

 

[digitrac]

Took a trip from Flint to Harwich initially using Avanti to London today - Pleased to say coach A on 1A44 ex Lime Street to EUS was like a library with plenty of spare seating - nearly missed it however as the HHD - CRE got delayed at Beeston for ‘Works’ but I was pleasantly surprised overall after reading some of the horror stories!

 

[MalaiseForever]

Mrs W. went to London this morning on the 0653 from Rhyl.
It was already 27 minutes late from waiting for crew at Holyhead.
The portion from Wrexham was cancelled due to shortage of drivers, and it was supposed to collect what would have been the Wrexham portion at Crewe to form 10 coaches southwards, but for some reason that didn't happen. So it was a rather cosy single voyager that pulled into Euston 33 minutes late.
Just another day on Avanti West Coast, and another delay compensation claim for me to file.

I was waiting for this at Crewe but decided to jump on LNWR. Sounds like I made the right choice! The 50% back delay repay will be nice though.

In fairness my return journey this evening on Avanti was on time. No ticket checks though but the train was very very very lightly loaded in the front half of the double voyager.

 

[tornado]

Live in London, looking to travel to visit parents in central Scotland in six weeks’ time. Stopping at in-laws so searched for a return from Birmingham.

Travelling on Friday and back on Monday so able to book advance tickets (result!). No tickets available for weekend. Quickest journey is 4 1/2 hours with change at Preston - no direct trains from Birmingham to Glasgow. Cheapest return for two adults with a railcard is £300; first class tickets range from £500 to £850(!).

We have to drive to Birmingham so have taken the rational decision to drive to Glasgow - cheaper and more reliable. We would happily have spent around £300 with a railcard for a reliable, direct first class journey. We don’t know how Avanti can possibly hope - or deserve - to survive with this service.

There is a direct Bham-Glasgow train shortly after 7pm (4 hrs 2 mins). There will be hopefully be several more throughout the day from Dec 12th onwards. Can be had for £25 one way a couple of weeks in advance.

 

[Welshman]

Mrs W. went to London this morning on the 0653 from Rhyl.
It was already 27 minutes late from waiting for crew at Holyhead.
The portion from Wrexham was cancelled due to shortage of drivers, and it was supposed to collect what would have been the Wrexham portion at Crewe to form 10 coaches southwards, but for some reason that didn't happen. So it was a rather cosy single voyager that pulled into Euston 33 minutes late.
Just another day on Avanti West Coast, and another delay compensation claim for me to file.

I now realise how lucky she was!
Today's equivalent is an hour late leaving Holyhead, and terminating at Crewe.
Its bad enough when there are cancellations to services that are 1 per hour, but when its 1 through train per day!.....

 

[Ianigsy]

I’m still waiting for my delay repay refund from 6th July after my train from Euston to Chester was cancelled. Booked with LNER for the cashback offer and they passed it on to TfW about six weeks ago as I actually arrived at Chester with them, so I’ve emailed LNER, Avanti and TfW and asked for somebody to take responsibility for it.

 

[MalaiseForever]

I put a claim in on Monday, was approved on Tuesday and should be repaid by the start of next week. Must've got lucky.

 

[frodshamfella]

I’m still waiting for my delay repay refund from 6th July after my train from Euston to Chester was cancelled. Booked with LNER for the cashback offer and they passed it on to TfW about six weeks ago as I actually arrived at Chester with them, so I’ve emailed LNER, Avanti and TfW and asked for somebody to take responsibility for it.

Doesn't this just illustrate the fragmentation of the UK railways.

 

[Andrew*Debbie]

Considering a day return to London this Saturday.

0703 BNG direct to EUS hopefully returning on the 1610 direct to Holyhead.

Am I a fool? It isn't an essential journey. My fear is getting stuck if the 16:10 doesn't run.

 

[dk1]

Considering a day return to London this Saturday.

0703 BNG direct to EUS hopefully returning on the 1610 direct to Holyhead.

Am I a fool? It isn't an essential journey. My fear is getting stuck if the 16:10 doesn't run.

You’ll still have a connection off something else at Crewe so shouldn’t be a problem.

 

[Andrew*Debbie]

You’ll still have a connection off something else at Crewe so shouldn’t be a problem.

I actually need to get to LPG, a short walk from home. I don't have a car.

If the 16:22 to Crewe runs on time, I can catch the 19:48 change at CTR and get home.

The 17:23 arrives CRE at 2007 connecting to the 2100 TfW which gets to Bangor at 2245. The last bus is 2215. ugh. I can hope there is a taxi. Otherwise I have a long, cold walk.

Anything after the 17:23 gets me home on Sunday. I'd get a hotel rather then spend the night on a platform

 

[dk1]

Anything after the 17:23 gets me home on Sunday. I'd get a hotel rather then spend the night on a platform

Oh my days yes definitely. Couldn’t imagine spending a night on a platform unless I was getting paid for it lol.

 

[Watershed]

I actually need to get to LPG, a short walk from home. I don't have a car.

If the 16:22 to Crewe runs on time, I can catch the 19:48 change at CTR and get home.

The 17:23 arrives CRE at 2007 connecting to the 2100 TfW which gets to Bangor at 2245. The last bus is 2215. ugh. I can hope there is a taxi. Otherwise I have a long, cold walk.

Anything after the 17:23 gets me home on Sunday. I'd get a hotel rather then spend the night on a platform

If you already hold a ticket when the train is cancelled, TfW/Avanti are under an obligation to get you to your destination, by hook or crook. It's likely a SSO would be arranged on the 21:00 if necessary.

 

[Bertiethebobby]

Regarding the direct service from Shrewsbury to Euston, is there still only one each way per day and are there any plans to reinstate it?
There used to be a 10.30 ish dep from Euston and return at 15.24 from Salop.

I know that that the present one 06.39 out and 18.23 return are quite often cancelled but at least it's supposed to run!

 

[Andrew*Debbie]

It's likely a SSO would be arranged on the 21:00 if necessary.

I didn't know that could be done. Something to keep in mind as a contingency.

 

[Howardh]

From today's Manchester Evening News:

Avanti boss apologises after brutal BBC grilling

The rail boss was interviewed on Radio 4 this morning

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

An Avanti boss has apologised for the rail operator's 'terrible' service but insisted they are the right company to run the operations during a gruelling interview this morning.

Richard Scott, Avanti West Coast 's director of corporate affairs, joined Nick Robinson on Radio 4's 'Today' programme to face questions about the company's 'appalling' service between London and Manchester - which has seen timetables slashed in recent months.

The BBC host quizzed Mr Scott on whether Avanti was the 'worst service in the country' and asked why the rail operator, who took over the west coast mainline trains from Virgin in 2019, deserved the six months they have been given by the government to 'sort itself out'.


"I'm broadcasting from the great city of Manchester today, well more precisely the neighbouring city of Salford, and if you want to hear people get really angry up here, you only have to say one word: Avanti," Mr Robinson said, before playing several clips of disgruntled passengers at Manchester Piccadilly.

"I've come from London Euston, two of the trains were cancelled, so three lots of passengers getting on one train," one said, while another said the service was unreliable and 'uncomfortable'.

Mr Robinson asked Mr Scott whether transport minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan's blasting of Avanti services as 'terrible' was a 'good word'.

"Well, we know we're not good enough at the moment, Nick, we haven't been good enough over the last few weeks, and we're still not good enough at the moment," Mr Scott replied. "But we are making progress. We have put in extra services above the base timetable, that started in August.

"We're incrementally adding more services over the coming weeks, and the level of cancellations as a percentage of our service is falling. So we're not there yet, but we are making progress, and the important date that we're working towards is in December when we get to a timetable step-up, a significant step-up in our timetable, and this will restore a near-normal service on our network."

So are we to expect a "normal" and "reliable" timetable for December, and if so shouldn't we be able to buy advance tickets NOW (ie within 13 weeks?)?

 

[The Planner]

From today's Manchester Evening News:

Avanti boss apologises after brutal BBC grilling

The rail boss was interviewed on Radio 4 this morning

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

So are we to expect a "normal" and "reliable" timetable for December, and if so shouldn't we be able to buy advance tickets NOW (ie within 13 weeks?)?

Putting in the base plan and STP alterations are two very different things, don't ever expect 12 week advance tickets to come back as an industry norm, as they won't.