Mayors and council leaders told representatives from the rail operator that they have 'lost confidence' that services will improve
Northern mayors and council leaders have voted for Avanti West Coast to lose its contract. The Transport for the North board unanimously backed the move to formally call for the rail operator's contract to be terminated 'at the earliest possible opportunity'.
At a TfN meeting in Leeds today , Steve Montgomery, managing director at First Rail which owns Avanti, apologised for the 'inconvenience' caused by cancellations which have 'crept up' since October. Mr Montgomery said the firm has now secured a trade union deal that will help address issues with staffing which means Avanti has 'really struggled on certain days' - particularly Saturdays.
In a fiery exchange with the rail operator's representatives, Mr Burnham asked what the organisation has got wrong and what it will do to change them. Mr Montgomery said Avanti is 'rebuilding relationships', before saying: "First group has not done anything wrong.""You're not fixing issues on the most important railway line in the country."
She said: "Quite frankly it feels like an echo of TransPennine Express. It's always someone else's fault. Your problem is now becoming my problem. People in London are now coming to Leeds and they're cramming onto TransPennine to get to Manchester.Mr Montgomery accepted that Avanti passengers have faced an 'exceptionally difficult period' and apologised for the inconvenience caused. He said: "We are trying to sort some of this out.
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