UPDATE: RMT strike action called off for next three weekends

• Avanti West Coast will operate reduced timetable due to strike action and engineering work on Sunday 9 February
• Customers are reminded to travel either side of strike day or claim a full refund
• Less frequent service and shorter hours of operation could result in busy trains

UPDATED Thursday 13 February 2025

Avanti West Coast will be running its normal Sunday timetable after the RMT announced that strike action for the 16 and 23 February, and 2 March has been called off.

Tickets will be back on sale on Friday 14 February, and customers who prebooked to travel on 16 or 23 February before the strikes were announced and called off can still claim a refund or travel flexibly.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “We are pleased the RMT has suspended strike action for the next three weekends. We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve this dispute and will continue to work together to find a resolution.

“This means that tickets will be back on sale for the dates concerned and we will be able to operate our normal Sunday timetable.”

For more information see: www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/strike 

UPDATED Thursday 6 February 2025

Avanti West Coast is warning customers that its services will be significantly disrupted this Sunday due to the latest strike action by RMT.

Customers are strongly advised to travel either side of Sunday 9 February when members of the RMT union, who work as Train Managers at Avanti West Coast, will walk out.

A reduced timetable will be in place on the strike day – with fewer services running during limited operating hours. Planned engineering work between Nuneaton and Stafford will also mean a limited service will operate on some routes and journey times will be longer, as trains will be diverted.

On Sunday 9 February, Avanti West Coast will run one train per hour to and from London Euston to Birmingham and Manchester. One train every two hours will also operate to and from London Euston to Liverpool and Glasgow.

These trains will operate during limited hours – with the first service of the day departing Euston after 8am and the last of the day from Euston departing around 5pm.

The reduced timetable will mean North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh will have no Avanti West Coast services. In addition, rail replacement buses will run between Coventry and Nuneaton due to planned engineering work.

With fewer services running during shorter hours of operation and football fixtures taking place at destinations on the West Coast Main Line, trains are expected to be busy, and customers are strongly advised to travel either side of the strike day. Customers who do travel should plan ahead, expect disruption, and check the details of their last train home.

Customers with existing tickets for 9 February can travel any time from Saturday 8 February up to and including Tuesday 11 February. Alternatively, if customers who booked tickets to travel on the strike day before industrial action was announced (17 December) would rather not travel, they can claim a full, fee-free refund from their point of purchase.

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re disappointed by the RMT calling strike action when our customers may be working, visiting family and friends, or enjoying days out. As a result, they will face significantly disrupted journeys. I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.

“During this latest strike action on 9 February, we’ll have a reduced service which is also impacted by planned engineering work, so customers with tickets for this day are strongly advised to travel on alternative dates or claim a full fee-free refund. We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”

ENDS

UPDATED Wednesday 29 January 2025

Avanti West Coast is advising customers to check before they travel ahead of the RMT strike action which resumes on Sunday 2 February.

A reduced timetable will be in operation, with fewer services running during limited operating hours. As a result, the trains which will run are expected to be busy.

Furthermore, Network Rail will be carrying out planned engineering work in the Crewe area, which means some services will be diverted and there will be no direct Avanti West Coast trains between London and Liverpool.

The intercity operator will be running one train per hour between London Euston and each of Birmingham, Manchester and Preston - with a limited service extending to Glasgow. There will also be an hourly shuttle service between Liverpool and Crewe.

Trains will run during limited hours, with the first train of the day departing Euston just before 09.00 and the last train of the day from Euston departing around 17.00. The significantly reduced timetable on Sunday 2 February means North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh will have no Avanti West Coast services.

Customers with tickets already booked for Sunday 2 February, can use them to travel on alternative travel dates between Saturday 1 and Tuesday 4 February. Alternatively, those who no longer wish to travel due to the strike action, can claim a full refund on their pre-booked tickets from the point of purchase.

Travel information is available here: Strike action | Travel Information | Avanti West Coast

UPDATED Friday 17 January, 2025:

RMT strike action on Avanti West Coast services planned for Sunday 19 and Sunday 26 January has been suspended. 

The intercity operator will still be running a reduced timetable on Sunday 19 January as it cannot be reversed with 48 hour's notice, however some extra services may now be able to run. Avanti West Coast is advising customers to check on the day of travel.

On Sunday 26 January, a reduced Avanti West Coast service, as originally planned, will be running due to there being engineering works on the West Coast Main Line. Customers travelling over that weekend are being encouraged to plan their journeys in advance.

Strike action between Sunday 2 February and Sunday 25 May is still planned to go ahead.

Wednesday 8 January, 2025:

Avanti West Coast is warning customers that its services will be significantly disrupted on Sunday 12 January due to the latest round of strike action by RMT targeting Sundays for the next four months.

Customers are strongly advised to travel either side of Sunday 12 January when members of the RMT union, who work as Train Managers at Avanti West Coast, will walk out.

The weekend marks the start of strike action every Sunday until 25 May, which will affect the intercity operator’s services across the west coast.

A reduced timetable will be in place on the strike days – with fewer services running during limited operating hours. As a result, the trains which will run are expected to be busy. With planned engineering works taking place on most of these Sundays, timetables for each strike date may vary and take longer to be finalised.

On Sunday 12 January, Avanti West Coast will run one train per hour between Euston and each of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Preston. A limited service will operate between Glasgow and Carlisle. In addition, rail replacement buses will run between Carlisle and Preston due to planned engineering work.

These trains will operate during limited hours – with the first train of the day departing Euston after 8am and the last train of the day from Euston departing before 5pm.

The significantly reduced timetable will mean North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh, Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield will have no Avanti West Coast services. Lancaster and destinations in the Lake District (Oxenholme and Penrith) will not be served by Avanti West Coast on 12 January due to planned engineering work.

With fewer services running during shorter hours of operation, trains are expected to be busy, and customers are strongly advised to travel either side of the strike day. Customers who do travel should plan ahead, expect disruption, and check the details of their last train home.

Customers with existing tickets for 12 January can travel any time from Saturday 11 January up to and including Tuesday 14 January. Alternatively, if customers who booked tickets to travel on the strike day before industrial action was announced (17 December) would rather not travel, they can claim a full, fee-free refund from their point of purchase.

Kathryn O’Brien, Executive Director of Customer Experience at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re disappointed by the RMT calling strike action for an extended period when our customers may be working, visiting family and friends, or enjoying days out. As a result, they will face significantly disrupted journeys during this time. I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.

“On the strike days we’ll have a reduced service, so customers with tickets for those days are strongly advised to travel on alternative dates or claim a full fee-free refund. We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”

ENDS