Avanti bids to revive lunchtime weekday train from Blackpool to London

Train operator Avanti West Coast has made a new bid to bring back an extra weekday London service for Blackpool after controversial cuts to the operation.

It brings some hope to commuters from Blackpool who rely on train services to the capital in the week, that the extra train service will be added when the next timetables changes are implemented in May.

However, despite appearing on a proposed timetable plan for May, Avanti stresses the bid has not yet been approved.

It follows Avanti’s confirmation last month that its four daily weekday services to and from the resort were being cut to just two a day, starting from early December.

The reductions, part of new timetable changes, were blasted by commuters, with many Blackpool residents saying they were unhappy about the cuts and stating that the move was detrimental to the town.

But Avanti said the action was not its own decision but was made by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) an independent, non-ministerial government department.

ORR decided not to grant access rights from December for three weekday Avanti services, including the 09:39 London to Blackpool North service, and the 12:52 Blackpool North to London service.

The department said it took the action because it was advised by Network Rail that there were serious capacity issues on the south end of the West Coast Main Line, which Network Rail has declared as “congested infrastructure” since 2020.

ORR also said there were reliability issues over Avanti’s service. Avanti said it was frustrated by ORR’s decision.

What’s happening now?

This week a sharp-eyed rail user spotted that Avanti appeared to have reinstated the 12.52 to London – (one of the services pulled by ORR) to its revised timetable for May, suggesting it was coming back.

He said: “From the next timetable change Blackpool is getting an extra London return journey. The lunchtime one which was taken down is now back. It’s great news.”

However, despite appearing on the May schedule, it has not officially been given the green light.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “As with every timetable change, we have bid for the additional services that we wish to run, and these are subject to approval by the Office of Rail and Road.”

He added: ”These services, which may be showing in some online rail systems, are not confirmed.”

In the meantime, Blackpool South MP Chris Webb confirmed he will meet Transport Minister Lord Peter Hendy after raising concerns in the House of Commons about the scale of recent cuts to the resort’s rail links.

The meeting follows questions put to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, during transport questions earlier this month.

Mr Webb told MPs that the loss of direct rail services risked damaging Blackpool’s tourism-based economy and could have a knock-on impact on jobs and visitor numbers in a town already facing significant challenges linked to deprivation.