Avanti West Coast contract extended by six months after making improvements, government says
By Katy Austin & Stewart WhittinghamRail operator Avanti West Coast has had its contract extended for another six months after making improvements, the government has said.The Department of Transport said its contract would now run until 15 October.
The operator, which runs trains to Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, north Wales, Glasgow and Edinburgh, slashed its timetable last summer after drivers stopped doing overtime and passengers suffered widespread disruption.Transport Secretary, Mark Harper said: "The routes Avanti West Coast run are absolutely vital, and I fully understand the frustrations passengers felt at the completely unacceptable services seen last autumn.
Avanti's parent company First Group said the current arrangements had been extended "under broadly the same terms and conditions". "Performance at Avanti is steadily improving and, since the introduction of the new timetable in mid-December, the number of services has increased by more than 40% compared to last summer, with more seats and better frequencies."
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