ORR reverses Avanti West Coast’s Manchester–London ‘ghost train’ plan

Plans to ban passengers from a peak morning train service between Manchester and London have been abandoned after a U-turn by a government regulator.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) reversed its decision to run the 07:00 GMT Avanti West Coast service from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston without passengers after a public backlash.

On Sunday, the ORR announced only staff would be on board as of mid-December – citing concerns that allowing passengers to get on would “harm the overall performance” of the line.

But just over 24 hours later, an ORR spokesperson said after listening to feedback it would give Network Rail and Avanti permission to continue running the service with passengers.

“On the basis of the information we have, we believe the running of this 7am service could have a negative impact on reliability and punctuality of services on the West Coast Main Line, but we recognise its importance and popularity and will support its continued operation,” the ORR spokesperson continued.

Avanti said it was “delighted” that the ORR had given permission to reinstate the service.

“The original decision would have had a detrimental impact on customers who use this train and this development is a welcome boost for those who want to take advantage of a sub two-hour service between two of the UK’s major cities,” a spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said.

The ORR has confirmed the U-turn only relates to the 07:00 Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston service. It said the following services would not be running:

12:52: Blackpool North – London Euston (Monday to Friday)

09:39: London Euston – Blackpool North (Monday to Friday)

19:32: Chester – London Euston (Monday to Friday)

17:53: Holyhead – London Euston terminates at Crewe (Sunday)