The loathed Avanti West Coast service has finally restored its timetable of trains between Manchester and London, four months after it temporarily slashed services and suspended ticket sales.
The troubled train line said that it was suffering with ‘severe staff shortages’ after many of its drivers refused to work overtime – something it had previously relied on to keep services running smoothly.
Passengers this week have been facing frequent cancellations and delays, sometimes mere minutes before scheduled departure times.
Many will have expected disruption with the extremely cold weather and the ongoing strike action this week, but Avanti has been telling disgruntled passengers that the issue is staff shortages – again.
Those trying to travel to and from the capital have reported fellow passengers having to sit on the floor, multiple services in a row being cancelled, and huge delays to trains.
Credit: Avanti West Coast
The unreliable service has been a sticking point for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has been publicly demanding that Avanti has its contract stripped. He has said it’s ‘unbelievable how they treat people paying sky-high prices’.
And it appears the Government is keeping a close eye on the company now.
At Prime Minster’s Questions on Wednesday, Rishi Sunak said: “Our priority immediately is to support the restoration of services before then making any long-term decisions on the operation of the West Coast franchise, but we will be closely monitoring Avanti’s rollout of its recovery plan and holding them to account for delivering for passengers.”
A spokesperson for Avanti told the Commons’ Transport Committee that they accept the company has ‘damaged trust in the travelling public’.
Richard Scott, director of corporate affairs at the West Coast Partnership (of which Avanti West Coast is part of) said: “The service we have provided over recent months has not been good enough.
“We apologise, I apologise unreservedly for that. We have been working extremely hard over the last few months to get a new timetable in place.
“I accept fully we have damaged trust in the travelling public over coming months and it will take time to get back. But the timetable, new rosters, new diagrams that are in place I believe will allow us to do that.”
Since Avanti’s new timetable was introduced on 12 December,
Stockport Labour member Navendu Mishra said, with no small trace of irony: “I spoke in the West Coast Main Line debate today and called on the Government to strip @AvantiWestCoast of the franchise.
“Now at Euston station to travel home to Stockport. Of course the next 7 Avanti services from Euston to Stockport are either delayed or entirely cancelled.”
I spoke in the West Coast Main Line debate today and called on the Government to strip @AvantiWestCoast of the franchise.
Now at Euston station to travel home to Stockport. Of course the next 7 Avanti services from Euston to Stockport are either delayed or entirely cancelled.🤯
On the very first day of the new timetable, several people found themselves facing departures boards full of delays and cancellations.
One person said: “First weekday operation of the new rail timetable. As ever a complete disaster trying to travel on @AvantiWestCoast between London and Manchester… when will it be a pleasure and not a trauma to make this journey again?”
First weekday operation of the new rail timetable. As ever a complete disaster trying to travel on @AvantiWestCoast between London and Manchester… when will it be a pleasure and not a trauma to make this journey again? pic.twitter.com/Xi9mW45WzY
Several other people have publicly slammed their journeys with Avanti this week, with one person saying it’s time to ‘consign this wretched franchise to the dustbin of history’.
Ah. @AvantiWestCoast have just cancelled my train. And most trains to MCR. The old magic lingers a little longer…
When's your contract up @AvantiWestCoast literally a shocker of a service today 3 trains cancelled. Passengers sitting on the floor. Its time you give up your monopoly on the railway. @Mark_J_Harper
The @AvantiWestCoast shambles continues….train delayed waiting for crew, ah sod it we can’t bothered so let’s just cancel it…. Come on @AndyBurnhamGM – the time has come to consign this wretched franchise to the dustbin of history… cc @helenpidd 😎
Earlier this month, back when Avanti was running its reduced timetable, passengers said they were left ‘stranded’ when the last two trains to Manchester were cancelled.
In that instance, Avanti offered an ‘alternative travel option’, which was to get the train to Birmingham and then sit on a coach to Manchester – 88 miles away.
We haven't left people stranded Aaron, we have provided an alternative travel option for you. The last two are cancelled due to staff shortages. – Pete
Avanti's um, stellar customer service, when they cancel the last two trains out of LDN and the only alternative is a train and then a bus going another SEVENTY MILES, which will *at least* double the journey time and get everyone home in the middle of the night. Come on, mannnn https://t.co/LTMk5J1V4N
Other people reported having to stand in the toilets because there was no room on board packed services after multiple services were cancelled.
Absolute scenes at Euston – sold out train cancelled, all crammed on another sold out train. I am literally standing in the toilet. Open first class for gods sake, @AvantiWestCoast are the worst of the worst. Shut the fuckers down! pic.twitter.com/hqeVVzmS3w
#AvantiWestCoast trains are a f’kn shambles. Loads of us stranded all day trying to get from Mcr Piccadilly to Euston & now from Euston to Piccadilly. Major delays, cancelled trains, rammed phone lines, extra money payed for taxis & buses & we pay full whack for this shit service pic.twitter.com/yZA0Pt7AMb
When announcing the new timetable, Barry Milsom, Executive Director of Operations and Safety at Avanti West Coast, said: “We know in recent months our customers have not been getting the service they deserve.
“We are sorry for the enormous amount of frustration and inconvenience this has caused and are grateful for the patience our passengers have shown.
“Over the last few months, our sole focus has been to do everything we can to return to a more resilient operation which delivers more services for our customers and communities.
“This timetable is based on a robust and sustainable roster for our staff, achieved by working with our people and the unions. It provides a better working pattern for staff and our customers will benefit from more trains, greater connectivity and tickets on sale much earlier. Crucially, the new timetable is not dependent on overtime.”
Featured image: Avanti West Coast
News
NHS urges people to keep ‘coming forward for care’ as resident doctors begin strikes from tomorrow
Emily Sergeant
The NHS has issued a plea urging people to keep ‘coming forward for care’ if they need it for the next week.
In case you hadn’t heard, earlier this month, the British Medical Association (BMA) confirmed that doctors had ‘spoken clearly’ after the results of a ballot – which ran from 27 May until 7 July – revealed that 90% of resident doctors voted in favour of a return to industrial action.
The ballot saw a turnout of 55% members, with almost 30,000 (29,741) votes cast, and 26,766 of those votes endorsing the use of strike action as part of efforts to restore pay.
The result meant that resident doctors secured a fresh mandate to stage industrial action when they choose up until January 2026.
Resident doctors will be staging strike action for the next five days / Credit: BMA
As the results of the ballot proved that the vast majority of resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – were in favour of taking industrial action, it was then subsequently confirmed they will stage a full walk out from 7am tomorrow (Friday 25 July) up until 7am on Wednesday 30 July.
Ahead of the strikes beginning tomorrow morning, the NHS has now appealed directly to the public urging them to not be deterred from seeking treatment if they need it during this time frame.
According to the NHS, hospitals and local teams across the UK have all been preparing ‘as usual’ ahead of this latest round of strikes, and plans have been put in place to minimise disruption to patient experiences and ensure life-saving care continues.
The NHS is urging patients to still keep coming forward for care if they need it / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
Hospital chief executives have been asked to keep routine operations going ‘to the fullest extent possible’ during this round of strikes, and to only reschedule appointments and other activity in ‘exceptional circumstances’.
This is why the NHS is therefore advising the public to continue to attend any planned appointments that they have scheduled over the strike period unless they have been contacted to reschedule.
Primary and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them.
From tomorrow, some NHS services will be affected due to strike action.
While some appointments won’t go ahead as planned, NHS staff are doing all they can to limit disruption – and patients should continue to use services in the usual way.
The public should use 111 online as the ‘first port of call’ for issues that are considered urgent but not life-threatening during industrial action, so that they can be directed to the best place for their needs, while calling 999 or heading to A&E as normal should happen in the event of an emergency.
“There is no doubt this industrial action will take a toll on patients and NHS staff, and it is disappointing it is going ahead,” commented Professor Meghana Pandit, who is NHS England’s National Medical Director, ahead of the strikes.
“While it will mean some appointments won’t be able to go ahead as planned, we are doing all we can to limit this, and patients should continue to use NHS services in the usual way.”
Featured Image – Pxhere
News
Oasis are clearly doing something very deliberate for the as-yet-unconfirmed Live ’25 reunion album
Danny Jones
We’ve still not emotionally recovered from Oasis’ five homecoming nights in Manchester, and after seeing that the band just released a live recording of ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ from Heaton Park, it’s taken us right back to Friday, 11 July, and we can’t stop thinking about a Live ’25 album.
In fact, while the live record of the reunion world hasn’t been confirmed just yet, we’re becoming increasingly convinced that this is exactly what fans are going to get – and following the second Live ’25 concert capture dropping this week, we’re almost certain we know what they’re doing.
And if so, you can consider the vinyl of the ‘Oasis Live ’25‘ LP already in the basket.
Many of you might have already thought the same thing, but for anyone it hasn’t yet clicked for, let us explain; we got the live taping of ‘Slide Away’ from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to start with, i.e. the first stop on the world tour. Here’s a snippet of how it sounds:
Have we listened to it pretty much non-stop ever since? Yes, but concentrate, that’s not the point we’re getting at; we think Oasis are doing something very specific for their almost inevitable Live ’25 album.
Up next was the aforementioned ‘Cigs and Alcohol’, performed and recorded on home turf right here in 0161, and released in honour of their magnificent Manc comeback.
More accurately, the live version of the song is plucked from their unforgettable opening evening at Heaton Park, as opposed to any of the other five dates.
Can you see where we’re going with this yet?…
With their place of birth having waited more than a decade and a half to hear the first few iconic chords that signal the start of the timeless Oasis classic and a pure rock and roll blowout, you can literally hear the energy from the crowd in your ears.
If you haven’t heard it dozens of times already, take a listen for yourselves and feel free to Poznań wherever you happen to be reading this:
That first Poznań for #OasisManchester hit like a chuffing freight train. 🔥
Upon checking the date of the Cardiff recording of ‘Slide Away’ was taken from, we noticed that they had also chosen the inaugural night of the entire Live ’25 tour, i.e. their very first live show in 16 years.
While we’re aware an official Oasis reunion tour album is technically still TBC, if you see a third live track released after their five shows in the capital get underway this Friday (25 July), you can pretty much bank on the special live release being all but nailed on.
So, not only are we getting an Oasis Live ’25 reunion documentary from the man behind Peaky Blinders, but it looks like they’ll be providing fans with a virtual tour and a chance to experience/relive the gigs aurally, with each of the 23 tracks on the setlist being pulled from a different city on the world tour.
Now, while this isn’t an entirely unheard of idea in the world of live albums, that’s not all.
Better still, if our suspicions are correct and the next drop is taken from night one of Oasis Live ’25 in London (bonus points if you can guess which tune they go for), then the entire thing will capture the sonics and atmosphere at its best: propped up by the utter euphoria of a dream finally being realised.
We’re sure they could pull the audio at any part of the set, from any old date, and it would sound great, but nothing is like the palpable ecstasy you could quite literally hear on the opening nights in Cardiff, Manchester and, no doubt, Wembley. Having said that, the final farewell was pretty biblical too.
Put simply, isolate any night of the world tour and there’ll be something unique in the master.
Die-hards have been waiting what feels like a lifetime to finally see their favourite band in the flesh again; actually, like many of us here in Greater Manchester and indeed all over the world, some were simply too young to experience the Britpop craze and ‘Oasis Mania’ the first time around.
They obviously have a huge following not just in the UK and Ireland, but all over: the US, Japan, across South East Asia and throughout most of South America – you only have to watch clips or even hear Noel Gallagher talk about Buenos Aires to not how ‘mad fer it’ they are over there.
For a lot of fans, this IS their 1990s moment, and even those who sadly didn’t manage to get tickets have a chance to almost feel like they were there.
One thing’s for sure: if/when the Oasis Live ’25 album arrives, that Manchester buzz will take some beating in the unofficial contest to see who loves the legendary British rock band the most.
Daisy Jackson -
16th December 2022 
