Avanti’s new three-year contract is reward for failure, says Labour
Avanti West Coast has avoided renationalisation and instead been awarded a three-year contract after the Department for Transport spotted a dramatic improvement in performance.
The contract award, which includes CrossCountry, came despite the latest Office of Rail and Road figures showing Avanti West Coast is Britain’s second-worst performing operator in the country for punctuality, with only 48 per cent of stops at stations made within one minute of timetables in the four weeks to August 19.
CrossCountry had the fourth-lowest figure, at 52 per cent, while the average across all operators was 71 per cent.
Mark Harper, the transport secretary, said: “The routes Avanti West Coast[1] operate provide vital connections, and passengers must feel confident that they can rely on the services to get them