Avanti keepWest Coast rail contract despite criticism

THE company running the main Birmingham to London rail route has kept the contract for another six months despite a storm of criticism over its previous performance.

Avanti West Coast slashed its timetable last August in a bid to improve reliability.

It came after passengers suffered weeks of short-notice cancellations on the West Coast Main Line, partly due to a sharp decline in the number of drivers voluntarily working on rest days for extra pay.

The company was put on a shortterm contract by the government and ordered to develop a recovery plan.

This week, the firm had its contract extended until October by the government. The Department for Transport said ”significant improvements” had been made.

These saw 40 per cent more services running and cancellations dropping to 4.2 per cent, the department added. In addition, more than 100 extra drivers were recruited, reducing reliance on union-controlled overtime working.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “The routes Avanti West Coast run are absolutely vital, and I fully understand the frustrations passengers felt at the completely unacceptable services seen last Autumn.

“Following our intervention, Rail Minister Huw Merriman and I have worked closely with local leaders to put a robust plan in place, which I’m glad to see is working. However, there is still more work to be done to bring services up to the standards we expect, which is why over this next six months further improvements will need to be made by Avanti West Coast.”

More work needed to be done to restore reliability and punctuality to the standards that passengers expected and there was a need for more reliable weekend services, continued reductions in cancellations and improvements in passenger information during planned and unplanned disruption.