Avanti West Coast contract extended for six months

[Dan G]

Avanti West Coast has received a short contract extension for six months:

Avanti West Coast contract extended for a further 6 months following recent service improvements

Avanti West Coast contract extended with further work to restore reliability and punctuality to come.

www.gov.uk

• Avanti West Coast’s new contract will run until 15 October 2023
• follows significant improvements including running 40% more services and cancellations falling to 4.2%
• further improvements will be needed over the next 6 months

The Department for Transport has today (20 March 2023) extended Avanti West Coast’s contract for a further 6 months after significant improvements have been made since October.

This decision comes almost 6 months after the operator was initially put on a short-term contract by the government and ordered to develop a recovery plan aimed at addressing poor performance on vital West Coast Main Line routes...

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Just mentioned on BBC R4, in passing at the end of the business news.
No details, and nothing on other media yet that I can see.

Edit:
Extension is to October 15.
Andy Mellors is now the Avanti MD.

FirstGroup press release:

West Coast Partnership Contract Extension

FirstGroup plc (‘the Group’) today announces that it has agreed with the Department for Transport (‘DfT’) to extend the current arrangements for the West Coast Partnership (‘WCP’) rail contract.

The current arrangements for WCP were due to expire on 31 March 2023 and are now extended to 15 October 2023 under broadly the same terms and conditions. The WCP rail contract comprises the operation of Avanti West Coast (‘Avanti’) and acting as shadow operator to the HS2 programme. Discussions are ongoing with DfT regarding the longer-term National Rail Contract for WCP.

The Group also announces that Andy Mellors has been appointed Managing Director of Avanti with immediate effect. Andy previously held senior roles at Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and most recently as Managing Director of the Group’s non-franchised rail businesses. Andy takes over from Steve Montgomery, First Rail Managing Director who has been acting Managing Director of Avanti since September 2022.

So it looks like the crisis at Avanti has receded.

 

[dk1]

As expected then.

 

[Snow1964]

6.5 months per DfT from 2nd April to 15th October

• Avanti West Coast’s new contract will run until 15 October 2023
• follows significant improvements including running 40% more services and cancellations falling to 4.2%
• further improvements will be needed over the next 6 months

Since the introduction of this timetable on 11 December, Avanti West Coast has seen very significant improvements across services including:

• weekday services have risen to the highest level in over 2 years
• reducing cancellations from nearly 25% of the service in August 2022, to 4.2% in early March 2023 – the lowest in over 12 months
• 90% of trains now arriving within 15 minutes of the booked time
• over 100 additional drivers have been recruited, reducing reliance on union-controlled overtime working

Avanti West Coast contract extended for a further 6 months following recent service improvements

Avanti West Coast contract extended with further work to restore reliability and punctuality to come.

www.gov.uk

All as expected.

I didn't expect a second interim award could be part of 10 year award to 2032 even if you did

It is currently envisaged that following the expiry of the second interim award, a new successor direct award will be entered into with the Operator for a duration expiring no later than 17 October 2032. The duration of the successor direct award may be made up of a core term and one or more optional periods with the option(s) exercisable by the Secretary of State.

Prior information notice (PIN) for direct award of West Coast Partnership contract (rectification)

www.gov.uk

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The Avanti DfT announcement also says the TPE contract (expires May 28) is still under review and a further announcement will be made.

 

[Danfilm007]

The Avanti DfT announcement also says the TPE contract (expires May 28) is still under review and a further announcement will be made.

Seems a bit more ominous perhaps?

 

[DarloRich]

I notice on social media that a pressure group, Bring Back British Rail, are to protest about the Avanti and potential TPE extensions outside DfT. Putting aside thier issue with First Group for a moment is there anyone who could, conceivably, run a better service in the current climate?

The issue, surely, is IR rather than service/reliability based.

 

[Man_with_beard]

Let off again. So another six months of the biggest shower the WCML has seen.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Let off again. So another six months of the biggest shower the WCML has seen.

Have you used it recently? In my experience there has been a very significant improvement in performance in the last couple of months.

 

[Halwynd]

....is there anyone who could, conceivably, run a better service in the current climate?

Quite a few actually...

Del Boy
The Krankies
Arthur Daley
Benny Hill
Mr Bean....

Seriously? No. The railway industry isn't currently overburdened by competent and effective managers at the highest levels. The Tories are never going to get rid of Avanti because it would be just another nail in the coffin of their railway privatisation and policy failure.

Meanwhile, despite wanting to travel by train, due to today's TPE operating shambles I'm just about the get in the car for a journey to York via the M62.

 

[185]

There must be something in the exhaust trails of those planes that's made some people forget how terrible Avanti were.

Any extension now should not just be based on the last three months, but all the shenanigans in the previous year too.

FirstGroup should have been sacked entirely for multiple gross breaches of contract.

 

[Dan G]

Avanti WC was doing OK until Aslef withdrew overtime working as part of their pay dispute.

 

[Intercity110]

any burham will be fuming at this.

 

[DarloRich]

Seriously? No. The railway industry isn't currently overburdened by competent and effective managers at the highest levels. The Tories are never going to get rid of Avanti because it would be just another nail in the coffin of their railway privatisation and policy failure.

That isn't true though is it? There are plenty of "competent and effective manager at the highest level". Surely, the issue is they aren't being allowed to manage by the government.

The second line seems wrong also. Rail privatisation is already dead.

FirstGroup should have been sacked entirely for multiple gross breaches of contract.

Ok - who takes over? Harry Potter Rail? They will need a magic wand to change government policy and allow a sensible deal to be done with the unions that might help to restore service.

Moaning is fine, I am very happy to moan about TPE and Avanti, but what is the solution? Is anyone else going to want this hospital pass? Is the government going to want OOR running such a basket case? Surely First are useful tool to deflect rage ( see quoted post!) and start sorting things out.

 

[43066]

I notice on social media that a pressure group, Bring Back British Rail, are to protest about the Avanti and potential TPE extensions outside DfT.

I’m not sure a pressure group with that name should be listened to! I doubt that will be a popular view on here, mind.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Avanti WC was doing OK until Aslef withdrew overtime working as part of their pay dispute.

There was also, if I recall, an issue with Euston staff not agreeing new rosters, which caused a fairly large number of the cancellations and there was a huge improvement when those rosters were agreed.

 

[DarloRich]

I’m not sure a pressure group with that name should be listened to! I doubt that will be a popular view on here, mind.

I agree and whilst I would be quite happy to have BR back ( it was much better than people like to admit, especially at making the best of limited resources which we are going to need in the next few years) it wont happen for many reasons.

My main comment was: if not Avanti then whom?

 

[bengley]

Avanti WC was doing OK until Aslef withdrew overtime working as part of their pay dispute.

False. ASLEF did not withdraw Rest day working at Avanti.

 

[43066]

My main comment was: if not Avanti then whom?

AIUI most of the recent issues can be traced back to the IR dispute, so a new government permitting a resolution to this is more likely to improve things than a new operator!

 

[357]

Avanti WC was doing OK until Aslef withdrew overtime working as part of their pay dispute.

Very foolish for any company to rely on overtime to the extent AWC did.

And ASLEF didn't withdraw anything.

I'll repeat this again, louder, for those at the back.

You. Can. Not. Make. Anyone. Work. Overtime.

 

[Man_with_beard]

Have you used it recently? In my experience there has been a very significant improvement in performance in the last couple of months.

I haven't used it but i know a few people who have and they're not happy, services are still terminating short of their destination. The big question is how long will the "improvement" last for?

 

[Bletchleyite]

You. Can. Not. Make. Anyone. Work. Overtime.

There is a significant difference between co-ordinated withdrawal of overtime via a dispute and a given person just not wanting to sign up for any that week because they want to spend more time with the kids or they just don't feel like. I don't think wilfully obfuscating that fact is in any way helpful.

 

[43066]

There is a significant difference between co-ordinated withdrawal of overtime via a dispute

There’s also significant difference between a coordinated withdrawal of overtime (which would be unlawful) and people simply deciding en masse not to work rest days because they’re cheesed off with their employer. No evidence of the former has ever been produced, AIUI.

You shouldn’t make insinuations of unlawful activity without any evidence, which is exactly what AWC management did. So there is direct evidence of management actively goading their employees, and that kind of atmosphere would certainly explain many individuals choosing to stop working their rest days.

 

[bengley]

There’s also significant difference between a coordinated withdrawal of overtime (which would be unlawful) and people simply deciding en masse not to work rest days because they’re cheesed off with their employer. No evidence of the former has ever been produced, AIUI.

You shouldn’t make insinuations of unlawful activity without any evidence, which is exactly what AWC management did. So there is direct evidence of management actively goading their employees.

Indeed, there's no evidence of coordinated RDW withdrawal. So the only party who have absolutely done something wrong is the employer and the DfT.

Avanti are treating their staff extremely poorly and people clearly didn't want to come in more than absolutely necessary due to this ill treatment.

 

[dangie]

Any industry which provides a 24/7 service, then relies on its workforce to work overtime to provide that service, is really asking for trouble somewhere down the line (no pun intended).

I worked for 40 years in the power industry. Staffing levels were such that holidays & sickness could usually be covered without resorting to overtime working. Of course that may occasionally mean if no one was on holiday or no one was off sick, there would be a surplus of staff. That was never a problem though as there’s always some work to be found.

 

[43096]

That isn't true though is it? There are plenty of "competent and effective manager at the highest level".

There aren’t enough such managers. Putting Mellors in charge of AWC is a sure sign of that - it was he who utterly screwed up SWR.

 

[DarloRich]

There aren’t enough such managers. Putting Mellors in charge of AWC is a sure sign of that - it was he who utterly screwed up SWR.

So not none but not enough? I still maintain that any developmental spirit will be squashed out of a manager/leader by the rigid DfT approach to delivering railway services!

 

[a good off]

I’ve seen a recent improvement in AWC and I deal with them every day.

 

[gazzaa2]

I’ve seen a recent improvement in AWC and I deal with them every day.

I think they've been okay in recent months outside of the obvious industrial action or if anything goes wrong with the WCML (often outside of their control). Glasgow-Preston section always feels a bit of a lottery though.

 

[Krokodil]

I notice on social media that a pressure group, Bring Back British Rail, are to protest about the Avanti and potential TPE extensions outside DfT. Putting aside thier issue with First Group for a moment is there anyone who could, conceivably, run a better service in the current climate?

The issue, surely, is IR rather than service/reliability based.

Better than the DfT? My vote is for Mr Bean.

How the hell we get Sir Humphrey's sticky paws away from the day-to-day management of the railway again is the question.