Transport Minister Trudy Harrison has said ‘all options remain on the table’ regarding the future of Avanti West Coast’s contract when its Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (ERMA) expires on 16 October. It is due to move to a National Rail Contract (NRC) at this point. However, it is understood the most likely option will be an extension of the ERMA.
Ms Harrison was answering an urgent question in the House of Commons on 7 September. Discussing the operator’s issues with driver availability which have forced it to implement a reduced timetable, the Minister said: ‘We are considering all options, and all options remain on the table. Withdrawing Avanti’s contract is one of those options, but we must bear in mind all the implications of that. As I said earlier, we can cut this cake however we want, but ultimately we need the drivers to be driving the trains. That must be the absolute priority.’
A row broke out at the end of July when the operator accused its staff of ‘unofficial strike action’ after it saw a significant fall in the numbers of drivers willing to work rest days. A reduced timetable of four trains per hour (tph) out of Euston was introduced; pre-Covid the operator ran 9tph for most of the day.
