Avanti West Coast has been granted a contract extension for a further six months, despite being continuously branded “unacceptable” by government ministers, local leaders, and countless customers.
The company has been given until 1 April 2023 to continue running the West Coast Main Line from London to Glasgow by the Department for Transport (DfT), but has been told that it needs to “drastically improve” its services if it’s to stand any chance of having the contract extended further beyond that date.
The rail firm has been responsible for operating the route from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston since December 2019, but notably took the decision to slash its timetable “until further notice”and temporarily suspend ticket sales over the summer.
Avanti said at the time that it would continue with with “a reduced service”, with train frequencies between the capital and Manchester being reduced to as few as one per hour, rather than the usual three.
Since the reduced timetable came into operation, some passengers travelling on the services reported scenes of chaos – including instances of “fights” over seat reservations.
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The move was, understandably, met with widespread backlash and criticism, with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham being particularly vocal about it, and most-notably calling the move “nothing short of a disgrace”.
Mr Burnham said yesterday that he would not accept a service below two trains per hour.
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Avanti West Coast has been granted a contract extension for a further six months / Credit: Avanti West Coast
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also said this week that Avanti should be stripped of its contract, claiming that the West Coast Main Line service was “simply not good enough”, and he knows how “frustrating” it is as he uses those trains himself.
Even with all of these critiques taken into account though, Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has announced the contract extension for the rail operator, but added that the operator has been put on an improvement plan, and that the DfT would “consider Avanti’s performance” once the extension comes to an end.
The government has previously said it would keep all options on the table – including the option for non-renewal of the contract.
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“We need train services which are reliable and resilient to modern day life,” Anne-Marie Trevelyan said in a statement addressing the renewal.
“Services on Avanti have been unacceptable, and while the company has taken positive steps to get more trains moving, it must do more to deliver certainty of service to its passengers, so we have agreed a six-month extension to assess whether it is capable of running this crucial route to a standard passengers deserve and expect.”
The rail operator has been told to “drastically improve” its services / Credit: Network Rail
The improvement plan will see a swathe of new drivers trained, recruitment of other train crew members, a timetable recovery plan, and a “significant, sustained, and reliable increase” from about 180 trains to 264 trains per day on weekdays.
These will be implemented as the new and retrained drivers “become available”, the DfT added.
Avanti says the West Coast Main Line contract extension will allow it to focus on restoring services that passengers “rightly expect”.
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“We are committed to working closely with government and our partners across the industry to deliver a successful railway that serves the needs of our customers and communities,” said Graham Sutherland, CEO of FirstGroup, which part-owns Avanti.
“The 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.”
Featured Image – Avanti West Coast
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Chester Zoo becomes first UK zoo to gain important international status
Danny Jones
The North West’s beloved Chester Zoo has been awarded a highly coveted global status, being named as the first international botanical garden in the entire UK.
With so many well-deserved awards, accolades and plaudits from within the world of wildlife preservation over the year, it’s no surprise.
A gem in Cheshire and the wider region’s crown, which continues to express its extreme commitment to ecological and environmental causes year in and year out, Chester Zoo is regularly ranked the best in the country and one of the top facilities in all of Europe, and now its worldwide reputation is growing too.
Taking its already sterling CV one further this year, 2026 marks the inaugural year of not only Chester Zoo existing as a recognised international botanical garden, but a big moment for Great Britain’s conservation status in general, as it’s been over 150 years since it last held the status.
Writing on social media in response to the huge honour, they wrote: “We’re officially the FIRST UK zoo recognised as a globally important botanic garden!
“We care for hundreds of rare plants, protect species at risk of extinction, and create beautiful gardens that encourage visitors to slow down and connect with nature.
“Global plant conservation organisation [Botanic Gardens Conservation International] assessed us against 22 criteria before awarding us Conservation Practitioner status – a recognition that now lets us do even more to protect native wildlife alongside our incredible conservation partners!”
Incredible stuff.
They signed off by adding that their efforts are “all made possible by YOU”, with 2025 marking an all-around groundbreaking year for the venue, as a total of 2,136,224 visitors came through the gates to surpass their previous record tally back in 2019 (2,086,785).
BGCI’s awarding of Conservation Practitioner is yet more proof of just how much work Chester Zoo does throughout the annual calendar, not least of all the incredible fundraising they do via various activations like their hugely successful charity run.
They signed off by adding that their efforts are “all made possible by YOU”, with 2025 marking an all-around groundbreaking year for the venue, as a total of 2,136,224 individuals came through the gates to surpass their previous record tally back in 2019 (2,086,785).
Speaking directly on the watershed moment, the zoo’s head of plants, Philip Esseen, said in an official press release: “This recognition shows that our plant work has real conservation value.
“We’re caring for species that are threatened with extinction in the wild, and that carries a responsibility to protect them, propagate them and share our expertise with others.
“The accreditation will help us work more closely with other horticultural and conservation organisations and increase the amount of conservation work we can do, particularly to support native species.”
Congratulations once again to Chester Zoo on such a significant achievement, and with around 10k people visiting each day – be that staff, field-expert guests or visitors – the proof is in the pudding: it really is the best in Britain doing some of the most vital work possible.
The UK has lost half of it's hedgehogs in the last 20 years, so here's 3 simple things you can do to make your garden a hedgehog haven 👇
🏡 Create a cosy hideout – piles of leaves, logs, or a hedgehog house give them a safe spot to rest Make a hedgehog highway – leave a…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Chester Zoo)
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Family pay tribute to ‘fun-loving’ son who died in Wythenshawe as man charged with murder
Emily Sergeant
The family of a man who died in Wythenshawe last week have now paid a touching tribute to him.
It comes after at around 11:35pm last Thursday (5 February), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to reports of an incident on Southwick Road in the Northern Moor area of Wythenshawe, and when emergency services attended the scene, they discovered a man in his 20s had been ‘seriously injured’.
Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the man sadly at the scene.
The victim has since been formally identified as Drew McCormick, who was aged 29, and another man was also subsequently arrested.
19-year-old Lewis Morley, of Ryecroft Grove in Manchester, was charged with murder and has been remanded to next appear at Manchester Crown Square Court on Tuesday 10 March 2026.
A police investigation into the incident is now being run by GMP’s Major Incident Team (MIT) and enquiries are ongoing.
In the meantime, Drew’s family have paid tribute: “There are just not enough words to describe Drew and the impact he had on many lives. He was a fun-loving person that brought laughter and joy to the world with his big bright smile and loud laugh.
“Drew had the biggest heart and would do anything for those he loved. He loved his family deeply even more than TikTok.
“He has left a huge hole in our hearts, and our lives will never be the same. We love you Drew and will keep you in our hearts forever.”
With investigations ongoing, anyone who has any information or footage in relation to the incident that may assist GMP with its enquiries is urged to report them via the dedicated major incident portal here.
Emily Sergeant -
7th October 2022 
