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Avanti's new rail contract criticised by north Wales MP

BBC Avanti West Coast trainBBC

The UK government decision to award Avanti West Coast a new rail contract will be "very badly received in north Wales", a local Tory MP has predicted.

Clwyd West MP David Jones said passengers had endured "substandard service from Avanti for too long".

Speaking in the Commons, he urged ministers to "terminate the franchise" if poor performance continued.

Transport Minister Jesse Norman said his department would be "very focused" on holding the company to account.

Rail firm Avanti West Coast, along with CrossCountry, have both been awarded contract renewals.

Avanti West Coast runs services between stations including Holyhead, Bangor, Llandudno Junction and Wrexham to London and Birmingham, with connecting services to Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Its new contract, which starts on 15 October, has a maximum term of nine years but can be terminated at any point after three years with three months' notice.

It comes after Avanti West Coast was handed two consecutive six-month contracts and ordered to develop a recovery plan, aimed at addressing poor performance on vital routes.

In September last year, David Jones was one of five north Wales Conservative MPs to write to the UK rail minister calling for Avanti West Coast to lose its rail franchise.

Mr Jones said "the decision that his department has made today will be very badly received in north Wales".

"North Wales passengers have had to endure a substandard service from Avanti for too long.

"A prime example of that was this summer, at the height of the holiday season, which is so important to north Wales, Avanti decided to cut four services and provided virtually no through services from London to the region."

Mr Jones went on to ask for assurances that the transport department would "be keeping a very close eye one Avanti's performance in north Wales over coming months and years and, if necessary, will terminate the franchise that has been confirmed today?"

Transport Minister Jesse Norman said he did "completely understand the concern he describes" and said that his department "has been, and will be, very focused on continuing to hold this company to account for the delivery of services and the continuing improvement of those services".