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| Avanti West Coast told to drastically improve rail services | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Rail firm Avanti West Coast has been warned it needs to "drastically improve services" after its contract to run the London to Glasgow line was extended by months. | |
| The decision means it will continue to run services until next April, the Department for Transport said. | |
| Avanti has come under fire after cutting the number of trains between London and Manchester by a third in August. | |
| It had apologised for the problems. | |
| Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said services on Avanti have been "unacceptable". | Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said services on Avanti have been "unacceptable". |
| "While the company has taken positive steps to get more trains moving, it must do more to deliver certainty of service to its passengers," she said. | "While the company has taken positive steps to get more trains moving, it must do more to deliver certainty of service to its passengers," she said. |
| "We have agreed a six-month extension to Avanti to assess whether it is capable of running this crucial route to a standard passengers deserve and expect." | "We have agreed a six-month extension to Avanti to assess whether it is capable of running this crucial route to a standard passengers deserve and expect." |
| Rail firm should be stripped of contract - Starmer | |
| Government considers withdrawing Avanti contract | |
| Train operator suspends sales and cuts timetables | |
| The Department for Transport added that it would "consider Avanti's performance" once the extension comes to an end on 1 April 2023. | The Department for Transport added that it would "consider Avanti's performance" once the extension comes to an end on 1 April 2023. |
| FirstGroup, which owns Avanti West Coast in a joint venture with Italy's Trenitalia, said it was "committed" to providing services that meet the needs of customers and communities. | FirstGroup, which owns Avanti West Coast in a joint venture with Italy's Trenitalia, said it was "committed" to providing services that meet the needs of customers and communities. |
| "Today's agreement allows our team at Avanti West Coast to sustain their focus on delivering their robust plan to restore services to the levels that passengers rightly expect," said Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup's chief executive. | "Today's agreement allows our team at Avanti West Coast to sustain their focus on delivering their robust plan to restore services to the levels that passengers rightly expect," said Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup's chief executive. |
| The operator, which runs services on the West Coast mainline, slashed its timetable from seven trains per hour to a minimum of four per hour on 14 August and suspended ticket sales, blaming "severe staff shortages". | |
| Avanti has blamed the shortages on train drivers suddenly stopping volunteering for overtime. The train drivers' union, Aslef, has strongly denied any accusations that there has been unofficial strike action. | |
| The timetable cuts sparked widespread criticism and frustration. | |
| In September, Avanti West Coast's managing director Phil Whittingham stepped down amid an ongoing backlash over the reduced services. | |
| Its director Barry Milsom also apologised "for the enormous frustration and inconvenience". | |
| Avanti has since increased its services. The company started running extra trains on its key London-Manchester and London-Birmingham routes at the end of September. It also said services would be boosted again in December once nearly 100 drivers finish their training. |