Search full image library
Enter words, names or reference numbers. This opens Alamy results in a new tab.
Other languages and quick categories
Search HotpixUK images in Spanish, French, German, Italian, or English. Use the dropdown for shortcuts.
Search Euston in other languages
Search All in French
FR Euston,
Search All German
DE Euston,
Search All Italian
IT Euston,
Search All Spanish
ES Euston,
Back to all images preview
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Merseyside,city,centre,platform,dusk,night,service,WCML,poor,Alstom,Pendolino,390112,EMU,Electric,trains,train,at,unreliable,renewed,failed,intercity,to,Euston,London,stopped selling,advance,tickets,Richard Scott,First Group,Trenitalia,worst performing,drivers,overtime,strikes,timetable,peak
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2M1F601 - Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had run the franchise since 1997. Originally, the franchise was initially scheduled to run until March 2030, and had also been set to operate the initial High Speed 2 services from 2026. However, during December 2020, it was announced that First Trenitalia and the DfT had agreed to terminate the WCP franchise at the earlier date of 31 March 2026 as part of the abolition of the franchise system. Since then a number of contract changes have taken place due to COVID-19 and then poor performance by the company. As of March 2023, the company's contract will expire in October 2023.
Between 14 August and 18 September 2022, Avanti West Coast reduced its timetable, citing unofficial strike action from its employees. However, this allegation was disputed by Aslef, which accused the company of lying and blamed their lack of recruitment, especially of train drivers, for the problems. Trains were running at one service per hour on the majority of routes, as opposed to the three which would typically occur on the London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly route. Following these changes, Avanti West Coast was subject to public criticism
news stories emerged of numerous train cancellations, overcrowded services, delays, and expensive fares. Many commuters faced difficulties reaching their destinations on the reduced services and some travellers have been left to wait for to two days before travel for tickets to be released for sale
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Cheshire,England,UK,station,train,trains,APT,BREL,WCML,West Coast mainline,370006,Crewe,APT-P,Crewe Heritage Centre,Scotland,blue,carriage,1st class,1st,class,Glasgow,Euston,tartan,table,tables,HST,high,speed,prototype,prototypes,inside,interior,seats,seating
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2JX2T4N - The Advanced Passenger Train (APT) was a tilting high speed train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s, for use on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). The WCML contained many curves, and the APT pioneered the concept of active tilting to address these, a feature that has since been copied on designs around the world. The experimental APT-E achieved a new British railway speed record on 10 August 1975 when it reached 152.3 miles per hour (245.1 km/h), only to be bested by the service prototype APT-P at 162.2 miles per hour (261.0 km/h) in December 1979, a record that stood until September 2006.
Development of the service prototypes dragged on, and by the late 1970s the design had been under construction for a decade and the trains were still not ready for service. The election of Margaret Thatcher brought matters to a head and she alluded to funding cuts for the project. Facing the possibility of cancellation, BR management decided to put the prototypes into service, with the first runs along the London-Glasgow route taking place in December 1981. The result was a media circus when every problem large or small received front-page coverage and the entire project derided as an example of BR's incompetence. The trains were withdrawn from service again by the end of the month, to the great amusement of the press.
In spite of the APT's troubled history, the design was highly influential and directly inspired other high speed trains such as the Pendolino. The considerable work on electrification that was carried out hand-in-hand with APT was put to good use with newer non-tilting designs like the British Rail Class 91. The APT's tilt system was returned to the WCML on the British Rail Class 390, based on the Fiat Ferroviaria tilting train design and built by Alstom.
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Cheshire,England,UK,station,train,trains,APT,BREL,WCML,West Coast mainline,370006,Crewe,APT-P,Crewe Heritage Centre,Glasgow,London,Euston,InterCity,InterCityAPT,comfort,second class,2nd,1st,seats,passenger,passengers,information,seat,numbers,historic,history,transport,technology,plan,diagram
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2JX2TAG - The Advanced Passenger Train (APT) was a tilting high speed train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s, for use on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). The WCML contained many curves, and the APT pioneered the concept of active tilting to address these, a feature that has since been copied on designs around the world. The experimental APT-E achieved a new British railway speed record on 10 August 1975 when it reached 152.3 miles per hour (245.1 km/h), only to be bested by the service prototype APT-P at 162.2 miles per hour (261.0 km/h) in December 1979, a record that stood until September 2006.
Development of the service prototypes dragged on, and by the late 1970s the design had been under construction for a decade and the trains were still not ready for service. The election of Margaret Thatcher brought matters to a head and she alluded to funding cuts for the project. Facing the possibility of cancellation, BR management decided to put the prototypes into service, with the first runs along the London-Glasgow route taking place in December 1981. The result was a media circus when every problem large or small received front-page coverage and the entire project derided as an example of BR's incompetence. The trains were withdrawn from service again by the end of the month, to the great amusement of the press.
In spite of the APT's troubled history, the design was highly influential and directly inspired other high speed trains such as the Pendolino. The considerable work on electrification that was carried out hand-in-hand with APT was put to good use with newer non-tilting designs like the British Rail Class 91. The APT's tilt system was returned to the WCML on the British Rail Class 390, based on the Fiat Ferroviaria tilting train design and built by Alstom.
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Cheshire,England,UK,station,train,trains,APT,BREL,WCML,West Coast mainline,370006,Crewe,APT-P,Crewe Heritage Centre,pendolino,passing,1st class,1st,class,carriage,TrenItalia,infrastructure,blue,tartan,Euston,Glasgow,Scotland,HST,high,speed,prototype,prototypes,inside,interior
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2JX2TD7 - The Advanced Passenger Train (APT) was a tilting high speed train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s, for use on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). The WCML contained many curves, and the APT pioneered the concept of active tilting to address these, a feature that has since been copied on designs around the world. The experimental APT-E achieved a new British railway speed record on 10 August 1975 when it reached 152.3 miles per hour (245.1 km/h), only to be bested by the service prototype APT-P at 162.2 miles per hour (261.0 km/h) in December 1979, a record that stood until September 2006.
Development of the service prototypes dragged on, and by the late 1970s the design had been under construction for a decade and the trains were still not ready for service. The election of Margaret Thatcher brought matters to a head and she alluded to funding cuts for the project. Facing the possibility of cancellation, BR management decided to put the prototypes into service, with the first runs along the London-Glasgow route taking place in December 1981. The result was a media circus when every problem large or small received front-page coverage and the entire project derided as an example of BR's incompetence. The trains were withdrawn from service again by the end of the month, to the great amusement of the press.
In spite of the APT's troubled history, the design was highly influential and directly inspired other high speed trains such as the Pendolino. The considerable work on electrification that was carried out hand-in-hand with APT was put to good use with newer non-tilting designs like the British Rail Class 91. The APT's tilt system was returned to the WCML on the British Rail Class 390, based on the Fiat Ferroviaria tilting train design and built by Alstom.
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Cheshire,England,UK,station,train,trains,APT,BREL,WCML,West Coast mainline,370006,Crewe,APT-P,Crewe Heritage Centre,2nd class,standard class,carriage,Red,tartan,Euston,Glasgow,Scotland,HST,high,speed,prototype,prototypes,inside,interior,seats,seating,second,standard
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2JX2TJP - The Advanced Passenger Train (APT) was a tilting high speed train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s, for use on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). The WCML contained many curves, and the APT pioneered the concept of active tilting to address these, a feature that has since been copied on designs around the world. The experimental APT-E achieved a new British railway speed record on 10 August 1975 when it reached 152.3 miles per hour (245.1 km/h), only to be bested by the service prototype APT-P at 162.2 miles per hour (261.0 km/h) in December 1979, a record that stood until September 2006.
Development of the service prototypes dragged on, and by the late 1970s the design had been under construction for a decade and the trains were still not ready for service. The election of Margaret Thatcher brought matters to a head and she alluded to funding cuts for the project. Facing the possibility of cancellation, BR management decided to put the prototypes into service, with the first runs along the London-Glasgow route taking place in December 1981. The result was a media circus when every problem large or small received front-page coverage and the entire project derided as an example of BR's incompetence. The trains were withdrawn from service again by the end of the month, to the great amusement of the press.
In spite of the APT's troubled history, the design was highly influential and directly inspired other high speed trains such as the Pendolino. The considerable work on electrification that was carried out hand-in-hand with APT was put to good use with newer non-tilting designs like the British Rail Class 91. The APT's tilt system was returned to the WCML on the British Rail Class 390, based on the Fiat Ferroviaria tilting train design and built by Alstom.
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,England,stained glass,advert,place,destination,town,city,Lancashire,and,&,Yorkshire,rail,train,network,railway,sign,on,station,Victorian,glass,wrought iron,ironwork,red,black,ornate glass,glasswork,M3,mainline,words,Edwardian,neo-Baroque,style,Euston,St Pancras,Kings Cross
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2JYNXM0 - Architecture and features
The original M&LR single-storey offices facing Hunt's Bank Approach were built in the Italianate style in sandstone ashlar with slate roofs in 1844. They were later enlarged and given a second storey. William Dawes built the station's larger extension for the L&YR in 1909. It is at right-angles to the north end of the old station giving the enlarged station an L-shaped plan. Facing Victoria Station Approach, its façade is in the Edwardian neo-Baroque style, four storeys high and 31 bays to the rounded corner at the south-east end. The ground floor windows have rounded heads and those on the floors above are square. The ornate glass and iron canopy along the façade displays the names of destinations that the station served in Art Nouveau lettering. The canopy was damaged by the Provisional IRA's 1996 bomb placed in a street adjacent to the Arndale Centre and was restored four years later.
Heritage features in the concourse were restored during the 2013-15 renovation, they include the café with its glass dome and mosaic lettering which was originally the first-class dining room, the adjacent bookstall, and the original 1909 wood-panelled booking hall. In the entrance is a large, white glazed tiled map showing the former network of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.
Underneath the map is a bronze World War I war memorial with effigies of Saint George and Saint Michael at each end which was installed in 1923. At the south end of the concourse is the 'soldier's gate' which opened to the former fish docks from where thousands of soldiers departed for World War I and where a bronze plaque was erected to commemorate them. The gateway was restored in 2015 and a steel screen inserted featuring a map of World War I Commonwealth grave cemeteries in Northern France and Belgium.
The station received Grade II listed building status in 1988
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,England,UK,train,WCML,trains,Manchester,Glasgow,Euston,Birmingham,Liverpool,operating,company,TOC,poor,service,overbooked,late,driver,shortage,union,RMT,overtime,ASLEF,excuses,excuse,for a,room for improvement,tickets,peak,travel,emergency,timetable,awful,management,overcrowding,overcrowded,dirty
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2K148W6 - Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had run the franchise since 1997. Originally, the franchise was initially scheduled to run until March 2030, and had also been set to operate the initial High Speed 2 services from 2026. However, during December 2020, it was announced that First Trenitalia and the DfT had agreed to terminate the WCP franchise at the earlier date of 31 March 2026 as part of the abolition of the franchise system. Since then a number of contract changes have taken place due to COVID-19 and then poor performance by the company. As of March 2023, the company's contract will expire in October 2023.
Between 14 August and 18 September 2022, Avanti West Coast reduced its timetable, citing unofficial strike action from its employees. However, this allegation was disputed by Aslef, which accused the company of lying and blamed their lack of recruitment, especially of train drivers, for the problems. Trains were running at one service per hour on the majority of routes, as opposed to the three which would typically occur on the London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly route. Following these changes, Avanti West Coast was subject to public criticism
news stories emerged of numerous train cancellations, overcrowded services, delays, and expensive fares. Many commuters faced difficulties reaching their destinations on the reduced services and some travellers have been left to wait for to two days before travel for tickets to be released for sale
Description
Keywords: @Hotpixuk,HotpixUK,GoTonySmith,UK,England,NW1,Euston Departures Board,Euston road,North London,rail,transport,HS2,digital,board,Euston,station,railway station,terminus,BR,Free WiFi,platform,8 to 11,Preston,Glasgow Central,Birmingham,New Street,Mainline,Manchester,workers,strike,RMT union,RMT,display,info,information,boards,Network Rail,Hotpix.org.uk,HotpixUK.org.uk
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2AE02DJ - Euston railway station (also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railway. Euston is the fifth-busiest station in Britain and the country's busiest inter-city passenger terminal, being the gateway from London to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland. Intercity express passenger services are operated by Avanti West Coast and overnight services to Scotland are provided by the Caledonian Sleeper. London Northwestern Railway and London Overground provide regional and commuter services.
From Euston, trains connect to the major cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is also the mainline station for services to and through to Holyhead for connecting ferries to Dublin. Local suburban services from Euston are run by London Overground via the Watford DC Line which runs parallel to the WCML as far as Watford Junction. There is an escalator link from the concourse down to Euston tube station
The station was controversially rebuilt in the mid-1960s, including the demolition of the Arch and the Great Hall, to accommodate the electrified West Coast Main Line, and the revamped station still attracts criticism over its architecture. Euston is to be the London terminus for the planned High Speed 2 railway and the station is being redeveloped to handle it.
Description
Keywords: HousingITguy,Project365,2nd 365,HotpixUK365,Tone Smith,GoTonySmith,365,2365 one a day,Tony Smith,Hotpix,St Pancras,Euston,Euston Road,Chapel,Church,religion,stained Glass,Poor,art,religious art
Description: Tony Smith image Flickr 4572848028 - 'The ancient parish of St Pancras once stretched almost from Oxford Street to Highgate. By the early 1800s the original parish church had become neglected. The local population had declined, while the population in southern part of the parish had grown rapidly. A new church was needed to serve the newly built up areas surrounding Euston Square
After a competition involving thirty or so tenders, designs by the local architect William Inwood, in collaboration with his son Henry William Inwood, were accepted. The builder was Isaac Seabrook.
The first stone was laid by the Duke of York at a ceremony on 1 July 1819. It was carved with a Greek inscription, of which the English translation is, \u201cMay the light of the blessed Gospel thus ever illuminate the dark temples of the Heathen.\u201d
The church was consecrated by the Bishop of London on 7 May 1822, and the sermon was preached by the vicar of St Pancras, James Moore.
The total cost of the building, including land and furnishings, was \u00a376,679, making it the most expensive church to be built in London since the rebuilding of St Paul\u2019s Cathedral. It was designed to seat 2,500 people.
The church has a Grade I listing from English Heritage, as an important early example of the Greek Revival architecture. It is mostly built from brick, faced with Portland stone. The portico and the tower are entirely of stone. All the external decoration, including the capitals of the columns, is of terracotta.
If you are on Twitter, do add a follow there and I will follow back in return mobile.twitter.com/HotpixUK
Have a look at my archived photography, from ten years back at www.flickr.com/photos/hotpixuk/
Checkout the rest of this 365 set at www.flickr.com/photos/167831053@N02/albums/72157703214420874
All images (c) Tony Smith - @HotpixUK - No images to be used without express permission',
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,leaving,speed,speeding,blur,tube,train,at,Euston,Euston station,station,interchange,underground,metro,north,London,tunnel,warm,hot,not,crowded,line,travelcard,zone1,moves,speeds,though,a,stations,speedy,carriage,carriages,platform,platforms
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2JHB6TA - Euston is a London Underground station served by the Victoria line and both central branches of the Northern line. It directly connects with Euston main line station above it. The station is in Travelcard Zone 1.
Euston was constructed as two separate underground stations. Three of the four Northern line platforms date from the station's opening in 1907. The fourth Northern line platform and the two Victoria line platforms were constructed in the 1960s when the station was significantly altered to accommodate the Victoria line. Plans for High Speed 2 and Crossrail 2 both include proposals to modify the station to provide interchanges with the new services.
On the Northern line's Bank branch the station is between Camden Town and King's Cross St Pancras. On the Charing Cross branch it is between Mornington Crescent and Warren Street. On the Victoria line it is between Warren Street and King's Cross St. Pancras. The station is near Euston Square station allowing connections at street level to the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.
Description
Keywords: transport,rail,train,passenger,journey,traveller,passengers,infrasructure,infrastructure,Network,transit,TOC,privatised,public,public,building,Victorian,platform,Scotrail,Euston,Passengers boarding,West Coast Main Line,GoTonySmith,@HotpixUK,Tony,Smith,UK,GB,Great,Britain,United,Kingdom,Scottish,British,Scotland,Street,Glasgow,G1,3SL,at,dusk,evening,red,lights,dawn,travel,tourism,light,daytime,Virgin,trains,WCML,West,Coast,Main,Line,Intercity,Inter-City,City,Centre,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of,Images of,Stock Images,Tony Smith,United Kingdom,Great Britain,British Isles,Gordon St,G1 3SL,Gordon Street,Gordon St,Platform passengers,In The Evening,On the platform,Dawn Train,Network Rail,walking down the platform,Virgin Trains,Main Line,City Centre
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy H9PM3F -
Description
Keywords: Euston,Camden,London,city,centre,building,historic,ale,ales,stout,and,Somers Town,Ales and stout,Ales & Stout,GoTonySmith,@HotpixUK,Tony,Smith,pubs,bars,of,London,classic,tourist,attraction,travel,vacation,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of,Images of,Stock Images,Tony Smith,Pubs Of London,must see,the,ornate,Victorian
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy H04G17 -
Description
Keywords: Euston,Camden,London,city,centre,building,historic,ale,ales,stout,and,Somers Town,Ales and stout,Ales & Stout,GoTonySmith,@HotpixUK,Tony,Smith,pubs,bars,of,London,classic,tourist,attraction,travel,vacation,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of,Images of,Stock Images,Tony Smith,Pubs Of London,must see,the,ornate,Victorian
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy H04G2G -
Description
Keywords: Euston,Camden,London,city,centre,building,historic,ale,ales,stout,and,Somers Town,Ales and stout,Ales & Stout,GoTonySmith,@HotpixUK,Tony,Smith,pubs,bars,of,London,classic,tourist,attraction,travel,vacation,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of,Images of,Stock Images,Tony Smith,Pubs Of London,must see,the,ornate,Victorian
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy H04G6A -
Description
Keywords: Virgin,Voyager,intercity,train,arrives,at,Warrington,Bank,Quay,Railway,Looking,south,gotonysmith,coast,line,mainline,electrified,first,second,class,red,white,gotonysmith,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of,Station,westcoast,calling,Euston,London,only,busy,passengers,waiting,wait,on,platform
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy CFEFHX - Virgin Voyager intercity train arrives at Warrington Bank Quay Railway Station, bound for Euston. Looking south
Description
Keywords: Virgin,Pendo,Pendolino,train,standing,at,platform,three,3,gotonysmith,Warrington,Bank,Quay,railway,station,Parker,St,Warrington,Cheshire,Voyager,express,west,coast,main,line,mainline,westcoast,Unilever,factory,background,Crossfields,Crossfield,Lever,Bros,Brothers,local,intercity,arrived,arriving,Glasgow,Euston,Birmingham,Crewe,depart,departing,looking,up,the,platform,toward,towards,north,NW,no,kissing,nokissing,gotonysmith,Warringtonians,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy CFEFJ3 - Virgin Pendo Pendolino train standing at platform three, Warrington Bank Quay railway station, Parker St, Warrington, Cheshire
Description
Keywords: Euston tube Station,Euston,Square,Camden,London,UK,gotonysmith,wide,landscape,image,TFL,LU,transport,for,Underground,I,kill,for,love,poster,platform,passengers,passenger,waiting,woman,face,faces,transport,system,train,trains,interchange,pano,panorama,joiner,joined,images,unique,stitched,stitcher,gotonysmith,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy CF7D94 - Panorama of Euston tube Station, Euston Square, Camden, London, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Merseyside,city,centre,platform,dusk,night,service,WCML,poor,Alstom,Pendolino,390112,EMU,Electric,trains,train,at,unreliable,renewed,failed,intercity,to,Euston,London,stopped selling,advance,tickets,Richard Scott,First Group,Trenitalia,worst performing,drivers,overtime,strikes,timetable,off-peak,hotpix.org.uk
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2M1F5T4 - Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had run the franchise since 1997. Originally, the franchise was initially scheduled to run until March 2030, and had also been set to operate the initial High Speed 2 services from 2026. However, during December 2020, it was announced that First Trenitalia and the DfT had agreed to terminate the WCP franchise at the earlier date of 31 March 2026 as part of the abolition of the franchise system. Since then a number of contract changes have taken place due to COVID-19 and then poor performance by the company. As of March 2023, the company's contract will expire in October 2023.
Between 14 August and 18 September 2022, Avanti West Coast reduced its timetable, citing unofficial strike action from its employees. However, this allegation was disputed by Aslef, which accused the company of lying and blamed their lack of recruitment, especially of train drivers, for the problems. Trains were running at one service per hour on the majority of routes, as opposed to the three which would typically occur on the London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly route. Following these changes, Avanti West Coast was subject to public criticism
news stories emerged of numerous train cancellations, overcrowded services, delays, and expensive fares. Many commuters faced difficulties reaching their destinations on the reduced services and some travellers have been left to wait for to two days before travel for tickets to be released for sale
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Merseyside,city,centre,platform,dusk,night,service,WCML,poor,Alstom,Pendolino,390112,EMU,Electric,trains,train,at,unreliable,renewed,failed,intercity,to,Euston,London,stopped selling,advance,tickets,Richard Scott,First Group,Trenitalia,worst performing,drivers,overtime,strike,discount,expensive,dirty
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2M1F5RY - Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership.
During November 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the InterCity West Coast franchise would be replaced by the West Coast Partnership (WCP). In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had run the franchise since 1997. Originally, the franchise was initially scheduled to run until March 2030, and had also been set to operate the initial High Speed 2 services from 2026. However, during December 2020, it was announced that First Trenitalia and the DfT had agreed to terminate the WCP franchise at the earlier date of 31 March 2026 as part of the abolition of the franchise system. Since then a number of contract changes have taken place due to COVID-19 and then poor performance by the company. As of March 2023, the company's contract will expire in October 2023.
Between 14 August and 18 September 2022, Avanti West Coast reduced its timetable, citing unofficial strike action from its employees. However, this allegation was disputed by Aslef, which accused the company of lying and blamed their lack of recruitment, especially of train drivers, for the problems. Trains were running at one service per hour on the majority of routes, as opposed to the three which would typically occur on the London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly route. Following these changes, Avanti West Coast was subject to public criticism
news stories emerged of numerous train cancellations, overcrowded services, delays, and expensive fares. Many commuters faced difficulties reaching their destinations on the reduced services and some travellers have been left to wait for to two days before travel for tickets to be released for sale
