Avanti West Coast cancellations

[karlbbb]

Journeycheck showing 38 cancellations and 23 other changes so far today.

 

[childwallblues]

Or even using a CH & TFW ONLY ticket. Chiltern from Marylebone to Birmingham for TfW to Chester, changing if required at Shrewsbury.

Although that will probably take longer than LNR then TfW

The only 'awkward' stations to reach from London without using Avanti services is Warrington -> Carlisle as that requires a detour via Manchester [or Chester for Warrington]

Or Liverpool. Two routes to Chester (TfW and Merseyrail) and Blackpool services.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

There will be even more cancellations this morning due to WCML being shut at Winsford due to trespass incident. Causing considerable disruption

 

[Moonshot]

No end in sight for this issue with Avanti, anyone booking a ticket between now and at least Xmas would be well advised to note that the train you are planning to use probably has a 50% chance of being cancelled on the day

 

[Class 466]

Looks like I’ll continue using CS or LNER to get to Scotland tbh. When I was last up there every single day was farcical at GLC with queues out into the street for the few AWC trains that actually ran.

 

[Failed Unit]

No end in sight for this issue with Avanti, anyone booking a ticket between now and at least Xmas would be well advised to note that the train you are planning to use probably has a 50% chance of being cancelled on the day

I guess it depends on how much time you have. An alternative view would be I can travel for free, because of the delay repay.

Business travel will be really hard hit. You often leave 1 hour buffer, but at the moment you can’t even do that.

i have to do a trip from Welwyn Garden City - Bolton.
Normal Route.
Welwyn - London - Wigan - Bolton.

Plan B
Welwyn - Doncaster - Stockport - Bolton. But this involves tranpennie express which in my opinion is as bad as Avanti.

Plan C
Welwyn - Leeds - Manchester (more trains and Northern) - Bolton.
But now this is really eating up time pushing me towards driving.

Many normal people would do plan A and get stuck or those direct to driving.

As others have said Avanti need to advertise a timetable they can deliver. If that is 1tph to Wolverhampton and Manchester and a train every 2 hours to Glasgow and Liverpool surely that is better then the “are you feeling lucky“ Approach we have now.

It would be interesting if routes where you have a choice are heading to the alternative. Such as Huddersfield always using Leeds, Glasgow and Carlisle going for LNER. I know a number of West Midlands passengers that always use Chiltern now (they seem to think it is better than London Midland)

i hope for the sake of the general railway this gets sorted soon.

 

[peter166]

Journeycheck showing 38 cancellations and 23 other changes so far today.

O747, 0847 and 0947 Liverpool to Euston all cancelled. A 4 hour gap in the service

 

[43066]

I've worked on the railway since I was 18, and every summer people don't want to work overtime, want to take annual leave, and there are staff shortages. Every. Single. Year.

It's reality, and not once have I ever seen it being referred to as "unofficial industrial action" until yesterday.

I am sure a few people who applied for the qualified driver vacancies will now be having second thoughts. I'm glad I never applied

So much so that qualified drivers have actually started with Avanti, and have almost immediately gone back to their previous TOCs. Chaotic training and a toxic atmosphere were the reasons given.

 

[karlbbb]

O747, 0847 and 0947 Liverpool to Euston all cancelled. A 4 hour gap in the service

I’m hoping the spillover from them will get on the 1047 and 1147 and leave the 1247 I’m booked on alone

 

[modernrail]

I've literally never seen this in any job.
I have seen it where you can be expected to work longer hours on your working days, but never have I seen anything about being expected to come in on your days off.
If nothing else it would be impractical because people are often busy doing non work things on their days off!!

You are very lucky then. There are plenty of jobs where cancellation of annual leave or being put under severe pressure to cancel annual leave is fairly normal.

 

[Statto]

O747, 0847 and 0947 Liverpool to Euston all cancelled. A 4 hour gap in the service

Add in the 05.25 was cancelled, the 06.05 departed around 60 late, the 07.00 departed 13 late which isn't so bad, but it's been an horrendous morning if you're going Liverpool to Euston.

As mentioned AWC should publish a revised timetable that they can deliver, even if it means some services going to every 2 hours, it's better than the current mess now.

 

[Moonshot]

So much so that qualified drivers have actually started with Avanti, and have almost immediately gone back to their previous TOCs. Chaotic training and a toxic atmosphere were the reasons given.

What's causing the toxic atmosphere ( assuming it's not pay) ?

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Add in the 05.25 was cancelled, the 06.05 departed around 60 late, the 07.00 departed 13 late which isn't so bad, but it's been an horrendous morning if you're going Liverpool to Euston.

As mentioned AWC should publish a revised timetable that they can deliver, even if it means some services going to every 2 hours, it's better than the current mess now.

At least the delays were out of their control this morning

 

[Failed Unit]

What's causing the toxic atmosphere ( assuming it's not pay) ?

I suspect the very public twitter spat. Even if their claims were true they should be handled behind closed doors. if i worked for them and didn’t need the money, I would definitely be working to rule now and looking for a new job.

 

[43066]

What's causing the toxic atmosphere ( assuming it's not pay) ?

Generally poor IR atmosphere, poor relationships between staff and management, nobody seeming to know what was going on with training etc.

Headline salary not the issue but it takes a long time to get to the full whack and starting salary represents a significant pay cut for most qualifieds until they sign certain routes and become productive (London - Birmingham IIRC), no timescales given on how long this would take.

Frankly after what I’ve heard I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.

I suspect the very public twitter spat. Even if their claims were true they should be handled behind closed doors. if i worked for them and didn’t need the money, I would definitely be working to rule now and looking for a new job.

This was prior the latest Twitter spat, but clearly that won’t help matters!

 

[jfollows]

Generally poor IR atmosphere, poor relationships between staff and management, nobody seeming to know what was going on with training etc.

Sorry, what's "IR" in this context please?

 

[Watershed]

Sorry, what's "IR" in this context please?

Industrial relations.

 

[357]

Sorry, what's "IR" in this context please?

Industrial relations

 

[Furrball]

Schrödinger's Service?

Screenshot of Avanti website showing the short notice cancellation banner and good service

 

[nedchester]

Schrödinger's Service?

Screenshot of Avanti website showing the short notice cancellation banner and good service

Still telling lies about “unofficial strike action” I see. I reckon that has been enabled by Shapps?

 

[footprints]

O747, 0847 and 0947 Liverpool to Euston all cancelled. A 4 hour gap in the service

The 1047 is still at the platform in Liverpool too, apparently waiting for a driver.

 

[Failed Unit]

Still telling lies about “unofficial strike action” I see. I reckon that has been enabled by Shapps?

I would suggest saying if is a good service is also a lie.

 

[D1537]

Presumably it's the "concerted" or "orchestrated" nature of the collective refusal to work overtime that distinguishes it in the employer's eyes from run of the mill declining of overtime by the normal proportion of individual drivers who would be expected in the normal way of things so to do?

It's the school summer holidays and the weather is good. The number of people willing to work their rest days has therefore declined. This is nothing new; it happens every year.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And the return? I was thinking of returning around 4pm (on a Friday). I'll have a medium sized suitcase with me though. It sounds like too much bother tbh.

You are much more likely to get a seat on the shuttle and LNR Euston service than the Avanti through service, simply because you are boarding both at the origin.

 

[GordonT]

It's the school summer holidays and the weather is good. The number of people willing to work their rest days has therefore declined. This is nothing new; it happens every year.

Always knew this to be the case up to a point. Hadn't appreciated that the current level of cancellations on top of a vastly curtailed timetable plan was nothing new, though!? If this is level of staff availability was as entirely predictable as you suggest then why is the timetable so out of kilter?

 

[dk1]

I’m hoping the spillover from them will get on the 1047 and 1147 and leave the 1247 I’m booked on alone

I'd just go to Crewr & change onto something else London bound.

 

[td97]

One major issue with Avanti is their travel advice to customers affected by cancellations is very poor, usually just
"You can travel on the Avanti West Coast service immediately before or after this train with your original ticket"
At least TPE gives a detailed explanation with exact alternative services to use, such as
"Customers are advised to travel on the 09:45 Northern service from Manchester Airport to Preston.
Change at Preston for the 11:41 Avanti West Coast service to Glasgow Central."
This is quite significant as Avanti should be implementing ticket acceptance with LNR/other TOCs if they are cancelling multiple successive services, but their messaging to customers does not imply this.

It should also be noted an existing LNR/WMR-only ticket exists for Liverpool to Euston (return ticket price quoted).

	Anytime	Off peak	Super off peak
All operators	£342	£98	n/a
WMR-only	£134	£51	£38

 

[43066]

Still telling lies about “unofficial strike action” I see. I reckon that has been enabled by Shapps?

Seems likely!

 

[peter166]

At least the delays were out of their control this morning

All 3 cancellations from Liverpool. at 0747.0847 and 0947 were due to train crew being unavailable. The 1447 is also cancelled for the same reason, entirely in the control of Avanti.

I would suggest saying if is a good service is also a lie.

Absolutely. With around 30 cancellations and a further 30 other changes including many trains starting/terminating short at the likes of Preston it is a lie. It is the usual shambles.

 

[krus_aragon]

All 3 cancellations from Liverpool. at 0747.0847 and 0947 were due to train crew being unavailable. The 1447 is also cancelled for the same reason, entirely in the control of Avanti.

Four cancellations in North Wales too, plus at least one curtailed, all due to train crew shortages. I'm watching RTT like a hawk, as I have family expecting to travel to London this afternoon...