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Post by MetrolineGA1511 on Mar 12, 2022 9:42:19 GMT
I suddenly realise how fortunate I was that there was a respectable service to/from Euston on Easter Monday 2013. I am considering a day in London for Saturday June 4th, in the middle of the Jubilee weekend. I wonder what engineering works if any will be happening then. I doubt they have been decided on yet. Network Rail has stated that they will avoid major projects over the Jubilee weekend, so that people can make travel plans for that weekend with confidence. Large numbers of travellers are expected over the four days. They are also avoiding major projects during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham during July and August. I am relieved about both, thanks! I am also considering a Birmingham/London double with Birmingham for Friday July 29th and London (North London or Woolwich) for Saturday 30th. Digressing from Avanti, and with route 383 safe with Uno, routes 384 unclear and route 142 starting with Metroline in January, I may postpone Finchley / Colindale / Edgware until early next year.
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Post by routew15 on Apr 25, 2022 12:24:52 GMT
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Post by kmkcheng on May 2, 2022 17:42:18 GMT
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 1, 2022 17:58:43 GMT
The first of the new Hitachi trains for Avanti West Coast has started static testing at Hitachi Rail's Newton Aycliffe facility. These are to replace the diesel class 221 Voyager units currently in use.
Avanti West Coast is to take ten seven-coach class 807 all-electric trains, which will operate London to Liverpool services. These will cascade longer Pendolino class 390s to electrify London-Birmingham-Glasgow/Edinburgh services which are currently diesel operated, in spite of the route being electrified throughout. Also coming are thirteen five-coach bi-mode class 805 units, capable of operating singly or in pairs, for the London to Holyhead route which requires diesel traction beyond Crewe. The first units are expected to enter service in 2023.
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Post by capitalomnibus on Sept 6, 2022 10:52:10 GMT
Avanti West Coast boss quits after train timetable cutsThe managing director of Avanti West Coast is stepping down, the company has announced, amid a backlash over timetable cuts.www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62771922
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Post by snowman on Oct 7, 2022 7:03:21 GMT
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Post by WH241 on Oct 7, 2022 10:33:16 GMT
Is there any reason the contract was cut back to 3 years? I thought it was due to run until 2026. The service has been pretty poor and the ability to book advanced tickets has been a joke recently.
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Post by wirewiper on Oct 7, 2022 10:59:11 GMT
Is there any reason the contract was cut back to 3 years? I thought it was due to run until 2026. The service has been pretty poor and the ability to book advanced tickets has been a joke recently. All franchises were converted to management contracts on 23rd March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. These contracts were subsequently renegotiated. I agree about the ticketing. I wonder how many passengers they are losing because people cannot get Advance fares. National Express and Megabus must be raking it in.
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Post by Eastlondoner62 on Oct 7, 2022 11:09:31 GMT
Is there any reason the contract was cut back to 3 years? I thought it was due to run until 2026. The service has been pretty poor and the ability to book advanced tickets has been a joke recently. All franchises were converted to management contracts on 23rd March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. These contracts were subsequently renegotiated. I agree about the ticketing. I wonder how many passengers they are losing because people cannot get Advance fares. National Express and Megabus must be raking it in. Would assume British Airways and EasyJet are raking it in even more.
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Post by WH241 on Oct 16, 2022 11:41:21 GMT
The old Virgin trains Twitter account has tweeted a teasing tweet possibly suggesting some type of return!
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Post by WH241 on Oct 25, 2022 9:04:27 GMT
Not strictly all Avanti West Coast's fault but did I have a hard journey yesterday. I was in Blackpool for the weekend and traveled back yesterday. They had already warned there could be cancellations on Monday because of disruption over the weekend! I checked first thing and my direct train was cancelled from Blackpool North to Euston! so the dread set in thinking I would have to catch another train without reserved seats but an hour later the train was running again! all good I thought then more problems a broken down train at Birmingham! my train due to depart Blackpool was running so late it never arrived and was cut short at Preston so I then had to make my way there for onward travel.
The train from Preston then had no train manager so we then had to wait 30 mins for one to arrive from another train. The journey home took over 5 hours in the end as trains were diverted via slow lines because engineering works Between Rugby and Stafford.
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Post by galwhv69 on Oct 26, 2022 7:08:21 GMT
Not strictly all Avanti West Coast's fault but did I have a hard journey yesterday. I was in Blackpool for the weekend and traveled back yesterday. They had already warned there could be cancellations on Monday because of disruption over the weekend! I checked first thing and my direct train was cancelled from Blackpool North to Euston! so the dread set in thinking I would have to catch another train without reserved seats but an hour later the train was running again! all good I thought then more problems a broken down train at Birmingham! my train due to depart Blackpool was running so late it never arrived and was cut short at Preston so I then had to make my way there for onward travel. The train from Preston then had no train manager so we then had to wait 30 mins for one to arrive from another train. The journey home took over 5 hours in the end as trains were diverted via slow lines because engineering works Between Rugby and Stafford. I was the Stafford late Rail Replacement Bus controller on Monday. Things were already not looking good as there was a broken down freight train between Milton Keynes and Rugby just after 9am, meaning services were diverted via Northampton. Over the day the service fell apart, with disruption lasting until end of service, even last few trains down to London were heavily delayed. Lots of passengers asking if the coaches were running northbound towards Stoke. The Avanti staff were top notch though, I was also allowed to use an Advance ticket on a previous train (due an hour earlier but was delayed so arrived when my train was supposed to (that was running nearly an hour late) so ended up getting back to London decently
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Post by snowman on Mar 20, 2023 9:51:01 GMT
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Post by wirewiper on Mar 20, 2023 10:32:51 GMT
The extension has been granted as Avanti West Coasti is deemed by the DfT to have "improved sufficiently" to warrant it. Since the Recovery Timetable was implemented in December the number of cancellations has dropped from 25% to less than five percent, and 90% of all journeys now arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled time. Avanti West Coast now operates 264 timetabled journeys each weekday, this highest level for two years. They still have some way to go, hence the extension for just 6 months. The DfT wants to see more reliable weekend services, a continued fall in cancellations and better passenger information during both planned and unplanned disruptions. A new Managing Director, the third in a year, has been appointed. Andy Mellors has previously held senior management posts at Great Western Railway and South Western Railway. On a personal level, I hope that Avanti West Coast will work on making its Advance bookings available much further out. At present it is often difficult to book more than two weeks ahead, which I am sure must lose custom as travellers will look for other ways of making the journey.
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Post by vjaska on Mar 20, 2023 12:39:16 GMT
The extension has been granted as Avanti West Coasti is deemed by the DfT to have "improved sufficiently" to warrant it. Since the Recovery Timetable was implemented in December the number of cancellations has dropped from 25% to less than five percent, and 90% of all journeys now arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled time. Avanti West Coast now operates 264 timetabled journeys each weekday, this highest level for two years. They still have some way to go, hence the extension for just 6 months. The DfT wants to see more reliable weekend services, a continued fall in cancellations and better passenger information during both planned and unplanned disruptions. A new Managing Director, the third in a year, has been appointed. Andy Mellors has previously held senior management posts at Great Western Railway and South Western Railway. On a personal level, I hope that Avanti West Coast will work on making its Advance bookings available much further out. At present it is often difficult to book more than two weeks ahead, which I am sure must lose custom as travellers will look for other ways of making the journey. We managed to book tickets to Glasgow for May about the usual 11-12 weeks out
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