Britain hands troubled train operator Avanti short term contract

Avanti Helium

07/10/2022 07:47

LONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Britain granted train operator
Avanti West Coast a short term contract to continue to run
services between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh,
giving the firm six months to improve after it cut services in
August. 
    The contract award came despite the government saying past
performance from Avanti had been unacceptable. The company is
majority owned by London-listed FirstGroup  FGP.L  alongside
minority partner Italy state-owned Trenitalia.
    New drivers are starting to join which should allow Avanti
to add more trains per day, Britain's Department for Transport
said in a statement on Friday. 
    "We have agreed a six-month extension to Avanti to assess
whether it is capable of running this crucial route to a
standard passengers deserve and expect," Transport Minister
Anne-Marie Trevelyan said. 
    Avanti in August angered passengers and politicians when it
cut the number of trains it ran between London and Manchester by
a third in August due to driver shortages. 
    FirstGroup said the contract extension to the end of March
2023 was broadly under the same terms and conditions as before
and that discussions were ongoing over the longer-term contract.
 (Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by William James)
 ((sarah.young@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 1109; Reuters
Messaging: sarah.young.thomsonreuters@reuters.net))