Andy Mellors, Managing Director of Avanti West Coast, has emphasised the necessity for the train operator to maintain a "laser focus" on reducing service cancellations and delays.
Speaking at Liverpool Lime Street station during the introduction of an additional weekday return service to London, Mellors acknowledged that while there have been improvements in performance, the journey is far from over with "still more to do", as reported by .
This statement comes in light of Avanti West Coast's previous position as the least reliable of 24 operators in Britain last year, although recent figures show an improvement to 20th place.
Mellors commented: "There's been a relentless focus on restoring operational performance and day-to-day delivery, which is starting to bear fruit."
He attributed this progress to a "collaborative effort", particularly with Network Rail. Highlighting recruitment strides, Mellors noted that Avanti West Coast is "starting to see the benefit of unprecedented levels of recruitment" of drivers initiated in 2022, now boasting over 650 drivers, including 100 in various training stages.
When questioned about passenger trust, Mellors responded: "I came into this role in March of last year, and one of the things I was really clear about was that we needed to regain the trust and confidence of customers and stakeholders."
Over the past year, significant strides have been made in enhancing train services, as highlighted by a spokesperson who said: "What we've done over the last 12 months in terms of building back the timetable, running extra services and delivering improvements in punctuality and reliability, has really supported that."
They added, "We are making progress. There's still more to do, but we continue to keep that laser focus on delivering the best possible service we can for customers and communities."
In response to ongoing concerns, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh called a meeting with Mellors and Network Rail executives in July. Following the discussions, she expressed her dismay at the performance levels previously accepted by the government, stating that the Department for Transport was "exploring options for Avanti".
Mellors, speaking to PA, emphasised the collaborative efforts to overcome operational challenges: "It was an opportunity to talk through the challenges that we both have, ourselves and Network Rail, in terms of delivering the best possible service we can."
He further stressed the importance of their partnership with Network Rail, saying, "We've got a joint performance strategy with Network Rail. Ultimately, we can't deliver our timetable reliably and punctually without their support."
Recent figures from the Office of Rail and Road indicate that Avanti West Coast cancelled about 5.9 per cent of its services in the four weeks leading up to October 12, which shows a slight improvement from the 6.6 per cent cancellation rate the previous year.
Avanti West Coast has reported that 57 per cent of the cancellations during the three months to the end of June were due to external factors such as infrastructure issues.
The government is taking steps to ensure continuity in train operations, having introduced legislation that will allow it to nationalise train services as current contracts come to an end.
The former Conservative government granted Avanti West Coast a joint venture by FirstGroup and Trenitalia an extended contract from October last year, set to run until 18 October, 2026.
Mellors revealed: "The two challenges that the industry faces consistent operational delivery and growing the business to be less of a burden on the taxpayer will continue to exist whatever the ownership model."
Additionally, Mellors commented: "Our focus on improving day-to-day delivery, on growing the business, is undiminished despite the policy of nationalisation."
Commencing from December 15, Avanti West Coast has scheduled to enhance its itinerary with 30 extra weekly services between Liverpool and London, including some improvements during weekends.
These supplementary journeys are being facilitated by the new, fully electric Evero trains.
These Everos boast numerous upgrades over the Voyager trains they replace, including more seats, greater legroom, expanded luggage storage and improved wi-fi.
Completing the advancement in service, these modern units will complement the Pendolino trains, which have recently seen the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's largest train fleet upgrade.
