Avanti West Coast and WCPD Managing Directors set out their visions for rail

• West Coast Partnership Stakeholder Conference held in Birmingham
• Avanti West Coast MD, Andy Mellors, spoke of importance in working closely with industry partners
• Shamit Gaiger OBE, WCPD MD, talked about the vital role of the railway in generating growth

The Managing Directors for Avanti West Coast and West Coast Partnership Development (WCPD) have reiterated their commitment in keeping customers at the heart of collaborative working whilst speaking at this year’s Stakeholder Conference.

Addressing over 100 delegates in Birmingham, Andy Mellors, Avanti West Coast’s Managing Director, highlighted the improvements the company has made to train performance in the last year and reiterated the importance of the operator’s collaborative work with Network Rail to deliver a reliable service for customers.

He also celebrated the milestones that Avanti West Coast has delivered in the past year, such as completing the introduction of its new Evero trains, creating over £1bn in social value and, as of this September, running more services across the network for the first time than in December 2019.

The Managing Director of WCPD, Shamit Gaiger, spoke about the High Speed 2 project reset and outlined what putting the customer front and centre of WCPD’s work means in practice. She also spoke about the vital role of the railway in generating growth, jobs, and housing.

As part of the event there were in-depth panel discussions with industry leaders on topics around train performance, customer experience and regional economic growth.

Furthermore, to mark the 200^th anniversary of the modern railway this month, there was a performance of a unique show written and produced by an Avanti West Coast employee Geoff Baker, a Customer Service Assistant and Community Champion. The show is part of the intercity operator’s activities to support Railway 200 and has been touring the UK all year.

Speaking after the conference Andy said: “I’m really proud of the progress that we have made as a rail operator over the past 12 months, and it was great to share these achievements with our stakeholders at this year’s conference in Birmingham.

“By working together, as an industry and alongside our stakeholders, rail can make a real difference for growth across the regions and communities we serve. We want to be the transport of choice, and this can only be achieved in collaboration with our partners to ensure that we are giving our customers the best train service experience we can.”

Shamit said: “Our annual stakeholder conference is an important opportunity to bring together partners from across our network to share ideas and strengthen collaboration. These conversations help ensure we remain focused on what matters most – delivering a reliable, customer-first experience.

“Looking ahead, our priority is clear: to provide high-capacity, value-for-money services that support economic growth, new housing and job creation. By working closely with our stakeholders, we can turn shared ambitions into real benefits for the regions we serve."

ENDS