Manchester to London ghost train that no one is allowed to board

The rail regulator has axed one of Britain’s fastest and most lucrative intercity services, the 7am Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, as part of a timetable shakeup that will take effect next month.

- Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent

What will add to frustration for passengers, as well as service’s operator, is that exactly the same train service will continue to run between the stations from 7am each weekday: crewed, fast and empty.

The train and staff still need to travel down from Manchester as they are rostered to operate subsequent services out of Euston in the new December timetable, under rail’s complex planning.

The situation is expected to continue for five months or more until the next timetable change in May, meaning the service could run empty more than 100 times. The move has left rail insiders fuming at the Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) decision.

Business travellers from the north of England may mourn the end of the express train, nonstop after Stockport in Greater Manchester and timed conveniently to arrive in the capital just before 9am. Revenue collectors even more so: current single fares on the peak-time service are priced at £193, rising to £290 for first class.