The government has awarded Avanti West Coast a new long-term contract to run services between Manchester and London. Avanti, which replaced Virgin Trains in December 2019, had been monitored by the government after passengers faced a host of problems last year.
There were concerns over trains being cancelled, passengers being unable to book tickets in advance and the number of services being cut between Piccadilly and London Euston, which were later restored.
Avanti was issued a short-term contract by the Department for Transport (DfT) last October while the government monitored its performance.
The operator was issued another six-month deal in March this year, and now a fresh deal has been announced by the government this morning (September 19).
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