Avanti 7am Manchester–London service to run empty soon

The Avanti 7am Manchester–London service is set to vanish from passenger timetables, even though the train itself will still run every weekday morning, as reported by the Guardian.

From mid-December, the 7am Manchester Piccadilly–London Euston train will disappear from public schedules, yet the same Avanti West Coast intercity service is due to depart on time, fully crewed and still reaching the capital in under two hours – only this time without passengers on board.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Why the Avanti 7am Manchester–London service is disappearing?

The change stems from a ruling by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which has ordered this flagship departure to be removed as part of a broader timetable overhaul. Starting on 15 December, the new December timetable is supposed to support more reliable day-to-day operations on the railway. For people travelling between Manchester and London, though, it means losing a prominent express that covers the journey in just one hour and 59 minutes and has long been sold as a “sub-two-hour” Manchester to London train.

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In practice, neither the rolling stock nor the crew are being withdrawn. Under the new December timetable they are still required at Euston to work later services, and the rail planning system needs them to arrive there on time. So the 7am Manchester Piccadilly–London Euston train will continue to leave on weekday mornings, run fast to London and arrive on its usual schedule – but as an empty Manchester–London train for staff travel only, with no paying passengers allowed to board.

This unusual set-up is expected to stay in place until the next timetable change in May, meaning the train could complete the trip more than 100 times without passengers. The idea that one of Britain’s fastest and most lucrative intercity paths will be used five days a week solely as a staff and stock movement has become a symbol of the frustration many rail insiders feel about the latest ORR timetable decision.

Empty express and lost peak-time revenue

For business travellers from the north, this 7am Avanti West Coast intercity service has been a fixture in many working routines. The train leaves Manchester, then runs non-stop once it passes Stockport in Greater Manchester, so that commuters reach central London just before 9am. Financially it has been a strong performer as well: current single fares on this peak-time service are around £193, rising to about £290 for first class, making it one of the most profitable morning departures on the route.

Rail writer and industry commentator Tony Miles has noted that the train will still be on the platform, visible to anyone at the station, yet passengers will no longer be allowed on, while taxpayers will fund this fast Manchester–London train to run five days a week with no one on board. That contrast between a visible train and closed doors has become a clear illustration of how the change is being perceived within the sector.

The service itself dates back to 2008, when Virgin Trains operated intercity services on the west coast mainline. It was later suspended during the coronavirus pandemic and amid Avanti’s operational difficulties, before returning in 2024 when Avanti restored a full timetable and reinstated the 7am Manchester–London express as a regular passenger train.

Because it is the only service to complete the journey so quickly, the early-morning dash has long served as a major marketing asset. It allowed operators to advertise trains running between England’s capital and Manchester in less than two hours, underlining the appeal of fast rail travel on this key intercity corridor.

Both Network Rail and Avanti had argued in favour of keeping the train open to passengers, pointing out that it would still be using capacity on the network. Their view was straightforward: if the 7am Manchester to London train was occupying a valuable path in the timetable anyway, it should carry passengers rather than run south as an empty service.

A senior industry figure also stressed that customers were prepared to pay significant sums for this particular departure and that the decision to let it run empty highlights the call for a clearer “guiding mind” in charge of the railway. In their eyes, the outcome shows how timetable decisions can end up clashing with what frequent travellers and operators regard as common sense.

ORR timetable decision, May changes and Lumo’s new services

The ORR move forms part of wider efforts to stabilise services from 15 December, a process also discussed in coverage of West Coast Main Line timetable changes by Rail Magazine. The new schedule will mainly affect the UK’s other major rail artery, the east coast mainline, and the industry remains wary of potential disruption after the widespread cancellations and delays that followed the last comparable overhaul, the May 2018 timetable fiasco. Against that backdrop, the regulator has concluded that the 7am Avanti West Coast path is no longer feasible within the new timetable.

According to the ORR, one important factor is the arrival of new open access train services, including those run by FirstGroup’s Lumo to Stirling in Scotland, a route also described by Railway Supply. Under these arrangements, fare revenue from Lumo open access services goes directly to the private operator, while income from Avanti’s contract flows to the Department for Transport.

With the network having to absorb these new trains and at the same time protect reliability, the regulator has decided that the Manchester–London express will leave the public timetable – even though, for at least five months until the May timetable change, the same fast train will keep running down the west coast main line with only staff on board.

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