The Office of Rail and Road has welcomed what it calls 'key improvements' to how Avanti passengers plan and book their journeys.

This follows a call from the rail regulator for ‘immediate improvement’ to Avanti’s timetable recovery plan, after its initial improvements stalled.

This meant weekend timetables were only being finalised a few days in advance, making it difficult for passengers to plan and book with confidence.

Avanti initially made ‘reasonable progress’ against their September 2022 plan according to the ORR but the position ‘deteriorated’ in at the start of 2023.  

Avanti’s more ‘resilient’ recovery plan shows a ‘pathway to full and sustained recovery’ to producing and finalising timetables in line with current industry norms by mid-May say the ORR

The regulator recognises that significant engineering work on the West Coast Mainline in March and April adds complexity and risk to the plan, and has impacted on recovery timescales.

Avanti has also published on its website the dates for when tickets are to be released for sale, in an important step to improving information for passengers.

Stephanie Tobyn, Director of Strategy, Policy and Reform at ORR said: “Now that Avanti has established an improved recovery plan, the onus is on them to deliver.   

“It is positive to see some early improvements to passenger information, in particular the publication of dates when tickets are to be released to passengers.

“This early momentum needs to be sustained and we will closely monitor delivery on a weekly basis”.

Avanti was awarded a six-month contract extension by the government in the autumn but were warned to ‘drastically improve’ if the contract was to be extended further.

The Labour Party have previously called for the franchise to be stripped prior to the timetable changes and a decision on whether to extend the contract further will be made in the upcoming weeks.

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Cumbrian MPs have also been vocal in their criticism of the franchise with both John Stevenson and Neil Hudson called for improved performance from the train company and Workington MP Mark Jenkinson has said the franchise should be stripped.