https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/29/avanti-axed-7am-manchester-london-train-will-run-without-passengers [p] Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Close dialogue1/3Next imagePrevious imageToggle caption Skip to navigation Print subscriptions Newsletters Sign in US[ ] * US edition * UK edition * Australia edition * Europe edition * International edition The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian [ ] * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle Show moreHide expanded menu * [ ]News + View all News + US news + US politics + World news + Climate crisis + Middle East + Ukraine + US immigration + Soccer + Business + Environment + Tech + Science + Newsletters + Wellness * [ ]Opinion + View all Opinion + The Guardian view + Columnists + Letters + Opinion videos + Cartoons * [ ]Sport + View all Sport + Soccer + NFL + Tennis + MLB + MLS + NBA + WNBA + NHL + F1 + Golf * [ ]Culture + View all Culture + Film + Books + Music + Art & design + TV & radio + Stage + Classical + Games * [ ]Lifestyle + View all Lifestyle + The Filter + Wellness + Fashion + Food + Recipes + Love & sex + Home & garden + Health & fitness + Family + Travel + Money * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Support us + Print subscriptions + Newsletters + Download the app * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + Live events + About Us + The Guardian app + Video + Podcasts + Pictures + Inside the Guardian + Guardian Weekly + Crosswords + Wordiply + Corrections + Tips * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + Live events + About Us * Business * Economics * Banking * Money * Markets * Project Syndicate * B2B * Retail Train passengers board an Avanti West Coast service at Manchester Piccadilly railway station: a man runs down the platform carrying a rucksack. [ ] The train and staff will still need to travel from Manchester as they are rostered to operate subsequent services out of London Euston. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian View image in fullscreen The train and staff will still need to travel from Manchester as they are rostered to operate subsequent services out of London Euston. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Rail industry Soon-to-be-axed 7am Manchester-London train will still run - but without passengers Exclusive: Rail regulator pulls Avanti service from timetable from mid-December but it is needed for staff travel Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent Sat 29 Nov 2025 01.00 ESTLast modified on Sat 29 Nov 2025 05.00 EST Share The good news for rail travel between Manchester and London is that a morning train will continue to link the two cities in under two hours. The bad news: passengers will no longer be able to get onboard. The rail regulator has axed one of Britain's fastest and most lucrative intercity services, the 7am Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, as part of a timetable shake-up that will take effect in mid-December. What will heap on frustration for passengers, as well as the operator, is that the exact same train service will continue to run between the stations from 7am each weekday: crewed, fast and empty. Launch of East West Rail services to be delayed in row over guards on trains Read more The train and staff still need to travel from Manchester as they are rostered to operate subsequent services out of Euston on the new December timetable, under rail's complex planning. The bizarre situation is expected to continue for five months or more until the next timetable change in May, meaning the service could run empty more than 100 times. The move has left rail insiders fuming at the decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Business travellers from the north may mourn the end of the express train, non-stop after Stockport in Greater Manchester and timed conveniently to arrive in the capital just before 9am. Revenue collectors even more so: current single fares on the peak-time service are priced at PS193, rising to PS290 for first class. The industry expert and rail writer Tony Miles said: "It will be on the platform - people will be able to see it, touch it, watch it leave. But they won't be able to get on. The taxpayer will be paying five days a week for empty trains." Two trains seen head on at the platforms under the arches of the station.View image in fullscreen Passengers board an Avanti West Coast service at Manchester Piccadilly railway station. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian The service began in 2008 when Virgin Trains ran intercity trains on the west coast mainline but was suspended during the coronavirus pandemic and Avanti's subsequent troubles, and reinstated when Avanti returned to a full timetable in 2024. As the only service completing the journey so quickly, at one hour 59 minutes, it has long been a major marketing asset, allowing operators to advertise trains running between England's capital and the northern city in less than two hours. Network Rail, as well as Avanti, supported the continuation of the service with passengers, arguing the train would be "using capacity regardless" on the network. A senior industry source said: "People paid a lot of money to get on that train. If we ever need justification for a guiding mind in the railway, this is the example." The train has been removed as the regulator tries to ensure the overall reliability of the railway in the new timetable on 15 December. The new schedule will mainly affect the UK's other major rail artery, the east coast mainline, but the industry is wary of any potential disruption after the widespread cancellations and delays sparked by the last comparable overhaul, the May 2018 timetable fiasco. The ORR said the service was no longer feasible in the new timetable as new open access train services, run by First Group's Lumo to Stirling in Scotland, were due to start. Fare revenue will go to the private operator rather than the Department for Transport, as is the case under the Avanti contract. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Business Today Free daily newsletter Get set for the working day - we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Enter your email address [ ]Sign up Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Train passengers arrive and walk down the platform at Manchester Piccadilly railway station.View image in fullscreen Avanti will be running more services to the north-west overall under the new timetable, the ORR said. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian An Avanti spokesperson confirmed that its fastest service would still run with crew, but no passengers. They said: "We are disappointed with the Office of Rail and Road's decision not to grant access rights from December for four weekday services that we currently operate, including the 07.00 from Manchester to London fast service, as well as requiring a Sunday service which currently runs from Holyhead to London to terminate at Crewe. This will clearly impact those customers who already use these services." The ORR said: "Our decision on the Manchester-London service was based on robust evidence provided by Network Rail that adding services within firebreak paths on the west coast mainline would have a detrimental impact on performance. We identified that this service would run in one of those paths. "If Avanti operates the service as empty coaching stock, [it] can be run more flexibly - delayed or rerouted - than a booked passenger service. This can assist with performance management and service recovery during disruption." Firebreak paths are planned gaps or unused time in the timetable to allow for disruption to services. Avanti will be running more services to the north-west overall under the new timetable, and other applications from open access companies on the line had been declined, the ORR said. The fastest trains linking Manchester and London will now take about 2 hours 15 minutes, with those wishing to arrive in the capital by 9am having to catch a 6.29am train. Northern business leaders hit out at the decision. Henri Murison, the chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the ORR in backing open access was "denying business people in Manchester access to London on a vital fast peak service" and sacrificing revenue, adding: "Great British Railways' future finances are being undermined by a regulator disregarding the interests of taxpayers, who will pick up the bill for this poor decision in the name of competition." 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