Avanti M.D. quits.

[jaigee]

Avanti West Coast boss fired after timetable failures

Intercity train operator provoked fury last month after slashing services between London and Manchester

www.theguardian.com

One of Britain’s major intercity train operators, Avanti West Coast, has parted company with its boss a month after the company admitted it was unable to run its timetabled services.​

Avanti announced that its managing director, Phil Whittingham, had decided to step down, with effect from 15 September, the date when the next in a series of strikes will further afflict its operations.

It is understood that the owners are looking at a range of options and that other senior operational staff are also understood to be in the line of fire.

More woes at Avanti.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Interesting, thanks. I thought he was ex-Virgin, I guess not! Hopefully someone competent can be put in place to sort out the mess, however much I might love the new seats!

 

[James90012]

Interesting, thanks. I thought he was ex-Virgin, I guess not! Hopefully someone competent can be put in place to sort out the mess, however much I might love the new seats!

He was at Virgin but stuck with Virgin when they wanted to rock the boat with the Open Access application, and then moved to Avanti.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Interesting, thanks. I thought he was ex-Virgin, I guess not!

"Whittingham, who transferred to Avanti as managing director from Virgin when the firm took over the west coast mainline operation from Richard Branson’s company,"

 

[janb]

Yep he just transferred over when the franchise changed. https://www.theguardian.com/busines...-as-first-group-takes-over-from-virgin-trains

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yep he just transferred over when the franchise changed. https://www.theguardian.com/busines...-as-first-group-takes-over-from-virgin-trains

Ah I see, I read that wrong.

 

[yorksrob]

Fundamentally, unless they're allowed to employ enough drivers, I can't see things improving.

 

[Busaholic]

In my opinion, First should be disbarred from holding or sharing any further rail contracts.

 

[Agent_Squash]

Arguably the rot on the West Coast set in when he was appointed as MD of VTWC. The culture change under Avanti let everything fall apart.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Arguably the rot on the West Coast set in when he was appointed as MD of VTWC. The culture change under Avanti let everything fall apart.

I can believe that - latter day VT wasn't that good either, it was very much "holding over". What held it together was it being fairly good already at that point and a bit of Virgin "culture" which went as they went.

I wonder would Hopwood fancy a challenge? Though you'd need to be careful how you replaced him on GWR.

 

[Agent_Squash]

In my opinion, First should be disbarred from holding or sharing any further rail contracts.

Will there be anyone left to bid? Stagecoach’s rail business has practically been dismantled, Arriva is hardly in the DfT’s good books over Northern - Govia and Abellio can’t run everything!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Will there be anyone left to bid? Stagecoach’s rail business has practically been dismantled, Arriva is hardly in the DfT’s good books over Northern - Govia and Abellio can’t run everything!

I wonder if LNER's management would be able to handle taking on both and basically recreating (some of) InterCity? Or would that dilute the "magic" too much?

 

[duncanp]

I don't think the situation at Avanti can get much worse.

Hopefully a new managing director will start to restore some of the lost goodwill between management and staff, thus leading to a improvement in the frequency and reliability of services.

 

[father_jack]

I can believe that - latter day VT wasn't that good either, it was very much "holding over". What held it together was it being fairly good already at that point and a bit of Virgin "culture" which went as they went.

I wonder would Hopwood fancy a challenge? Though you'd need to be careful how you replaced him on GWR.

Doesn't look like it.....

Hapless said-

From Monday 5 September, Barry Milsom our Train Service Delivery and Performance Director will be going to support Avanti West Coast to help them work through their recent operational challenges.

This move is testament to the great work Barry has done with us at GWR and his reputation for understanding the issues and resolving them in collaboration with key partners.

Barry has been instrumental in many of the key projects in Great Western Railway over the last 11 years, including the rebuild of Reading station; electrification; the introduction of the Heathrow Express 387 Air and the 769s(!!!!!), and most recently Project Fusion and the preparations for the opening of the Elizabeth Line.

I thank Barry for all his hard work and commitment to GWR and wish him all the very best for this move and know he will make a positive difference for colleagues and customers on that part of the network.

Exclamation marks are mine.

 

[owidoe]

Will there be anyone left to bid? Stagecoach’s rail business has practically been dismantled, Arriva is hardly in the DfT’s good books over Northern - Govia and Abellio can’t run everything!

In my dreams: management buyout, renamed LMS.
In reality: OLR followed by some soulless consortium of consultants on seven figures each.

 

[Western Sunset]

It's a good job Grant Shapps still thinks there are plenty of direct trains each hour between the two cities.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Which other current or past TOC MD would even touch current Avanti with a barge pole, not many I bet.

 

[LRV3004]

So the MD takes over the company, completely messes it up, blames everyone else, then leaves when it all goes wrong. Classic “seagull manager”………

 

[Simon11]

Which other current or past TOC MD would even touch current Avanti with a barge pole, not many I bet.

I would say quite a few would be interested in running one of the premier TOCs. With the poor state of the franchise, there is only one way (focus on recruitment and rebuild the culture) and hopefully that is up!

 

[Sputnik89]

It doesn't change the underlying fundamental problems, but he was directly responsible for a significant part of the poison in the industrial relations well and so on that basis, good riddance.

 

[pdeaves]

focus on recruitment

It appears that every TOC needs DfT permission just to buy toilet paper, let alone recruit staff. There was the DfT-led push for voluntary redundancy recently; I don't see the 'saved' money being available again to recruit someone else...

 

[Nunners]

I wonder would Hopwood fancy a challenge? Though you'd need to be careful how you replaced him on GWR.

You read my mind! One of the few good managers left IMO. Although Avanti is such a mess it would still be a struggle

 

[43096]

So the MD takes over the company, completely messes it up, blames everyone else, then leaves when it all goes wrong. Classic “seagull manager”………

Reading between the lines on it, I don't think Whittingham had a choice whether to leave or not. Given he'd likely be on at least a 6 month notice period, leaving in two weeks if it is planned isn't very likely. I'd say WorstGroup HQ have finally done the right thing and pushed him out.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

In my dreams: management buyout, renamed LMS.
In reality: OLR followed by some soulless consortium of consultants on seven figures each.

But just as today's LNER doesn't remotely replicate the old company, renaming Avanti as LMS wouldn't replicate its predecessor either.
For a start there is no "M" context (Midland). In fact the MML has migrated to NR's Eastern Region.
ICWC/Avanti is closest in route and service offering to the pre-grouping LNWR (with the North Staffs and part of the Caledonian thrown in).

 

[Western Sunset]

It could always be called the WC&P.
West Coast and Pentlands...

 

[tomuk]

So the MD takes over the company, completely messes it up, blames everyone else, then leaves when it all goes wrong. Classic “seagull manager”………

What are you talking about he has been at West Coast for over 20 years, MD for a lot of that time. It's First\Trenialia who are new on the scene and the post covid ERMA contract with DfT.

 

[Bald Rick]

Fundamentally, unless they're allowed to employ enough drivers, I can't see things improving.

They have enough drivers….

 

[yorksrob]

They have enough drivers….

I'll let someone from the other side counter ..

 

[Bald Rick]

I'll let someone from the other side counter ..

other side of where?

They have more than enough drivers. What they don’t have is enough fully competent drivers.

 

[yorksrob]

other side of where?

They have more than enough drivers. What they don’t have is enough fully competent drivers.

Semantics.

If they don't have enough "fully competant" drivers, then they don't have enough drivers.