TAKE BACK WEST COAST

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: february 2023 :: RMTnews 16 Avanti West Coast is the train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70 per cent) and Trenitalia (30 per cent) that operates the West Coast Partnership (WCP) franchise. At the end of 2019 it took over operations from Virgin Trains which had run the franchise since 1997 and the franchise was scheduled to run until March 2030. However, the Department of Transport introduced an Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (ERMA) in September 2020 to deal with the pandemic set to expire in October 2022. The DfT extended the ERMA arrangements until the end of March 2023 under broadly the same terms and conditions. Problems began almost immediately after Avanti took over the franchise as they lost staff and failed or refused to replace them, presumably to manage down staff costs. Instead, they attempted to force existing staff to work longer shifts and cover more work. Then last year Avanti West Coast began reducing its timetable and blaming its staff in the media with unsubstantiated claims of unofficial strike action. Trains were running at one service per hour most routes, as opposed to the three which would typically run on the London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly route. Media stories also emerged of numerous train cancellations, overcrowded services, delays and expensive fares. The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham expressed his frustration by calling on the government to strip Avanti West Coast of its franchise and the CEO of Avanti West Coast resigned amid the controversy. In October last year when the government extended Avanti's contract until the end of next month it stated that "drastic improvements" were necessary. However, according to figures released by the Office of Rail and Road in November, Avanti West Coast had the worst record of train cancellations in the year prior to this date. Before Christmas Rail Minister Huw Merriman told the House of Commons that Avanti’s incoming timetable would mark a new departure because its services would be no longer reliant on staff – drivers and Train Managers – volunteering to work overtime or on their Rest Days. “This timetable change represents an opportunity to put in place a long-term timetable base and to return to the extended booking horizons that passengers rightly expect,” he said. At the time of this debate, RMT surveyed Avanti staff who told the union that they had no confidence that Avanti would be able to deliver its new timetable as the company was simply too short-staffed. Avanti’s internal TAKE BACK WEST COAST CHAOS: Passengers at Euston station following train cancellations last year as London mayor Sadiq Khan and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham slammed Avanti West Coast for drastically reducing its timetables as "completely unacceptable". RMT calls for Avanti West Coast to be taken into public ownership at end of contract in April ANGER: Ian Bryne Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby is just one of many MPs across the political spectrum calling for Avanti to be stripped of its West Coast franchise.