West Coast rail services

The much-criticised Avanti West Coast line is clearly fighting back and has added extra seats and introduced new trains as part of its summer timetable change. This coincides with the introduction of the final 56th and last Pendolino used on the London Euston main line via Manchester to Scotland.

The intercity operator’s new timetable, now offers more connectivity in the West Midlands – with additional services between London and Birmingham on weekdays and Saturdays.

As part of the new timetable, Avanti West Coast will also introduce its new fleet of Hitachi trains. Named Evero, the 23-strong fleet consists of 10 seven-carriage electric trains (807) and 13 five-carriage bi-modes (805).

They will initially serve routes from London to the Midlands, Chester, North Wales and then in the North West. The Class 805 has 299 seats, 16% more than the Voyager trains which served this part of the network.

Switching between electric and diesel, the bi-mode versions will principally operate on the London to North Wales route while the electric trains will be focused between London, the West Midlands and Liverpool.

The departure of the last Pendolino from rail manufacturer Alstom’s Widnes facility marked the end of the project – the UK’s biggest ever fleet upgrade. It has seen 574 refurbished carriages delivered in just over two years, at a rate of one completed train every two weeks.

www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk

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