Plaid Cymru Dwyfor Meirionnydd The Rt Hon. Liz Saville Roberts MP and Mabon ap Gwynfor MS

Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Liz Saville Roberts has been told that North Wales Main Line operator Avanti West Coast may be stripped of its franchise sooner than expected if services along the north Wales coast don’t improve.

Raising Avanti’s performance in Parliament, Liz Saville Roberts MP called on the Secretary of State for Transport to address consistent cancellations which was punishing commuters and the local economy in north Wales.

Figures released by Avanti West Coast reveal that the North Wales to London route tops the table when it comes to service cancelations, with on-the-day cancelations for north Wales recorded at 20% earlier this year, the highest across the network.

In response, Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh MP said that if Avanti West Coast defaults on its improvement plan it will be immediately brought into public ownership. The current franchise runs until 2026.

Raising the mater in the House of Commons, Liz Saville Roberts MP said:

Earlier this year, Avanti West Coast services on the north Wales main line had on-the-day cancellations of more than 20%. Its timetable is yet to return to pre-covid standards, and there were no direct connections with London on Saturday. Given that the Avanti West Coast contract runs to 2026, what is the Secretary of State doing to ensure a reliable mainline service for the people of north Wales?

In reply, the Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh MP said:

My views on Avanti’s performance are well known, I think. The right hon. Lady is right that it has not been acceptable. Shockingly, the way that national rail contracts were written under the previous Government means that Avanti has not defaulted. It is on a remedial plan to drive improvements, and we have seen a small increase in punctuality, but it still has a long way to go. We are watching over Avanti like a hawk to make sure that if it does default, it can be immediately brought into public ownership. 

Liz Saville Roberts MP added: 

Rail-users in north Wales remain greatly inconvenienced by the continued cancellation of rail services between north Wales and London, with perennial delays to journeys compounding the situation. The north Wales Main Line is an economically important route, serving to connect the port of Holyhead with the rest of the UK rail network. It also serves Bangor University, conveying students from across the UK to study in northwest Wales. It is a disgrace that this route is being run to the ground by an inept operator. People deserve certainty and confidence that their train will run on time or at the very least turn up. Without a reliable timetable and the ability to book tickets with confidence - it is very difficult for people to plan. Whilst I recognise the recent and long overdue investment in a fleet of new and improved trains on the Holyhead to London route, commuters across north Wales continue to suffer increased journey times, poor communication and overcrowding. This ongoing disruption is both bad for business and bad for the north Wales visitor economy. This begs the question why North Wales services are so bad and whether Welsh Government is doing a decent job in holding Avanti to account on behalf of residents and businesses, and why Transport for Wales cannot provide more efficient links with Crewe and Chester.