In August 2019, the DfT awarded the WCP franchise to the First Trenitalia consortium. On 8 December 2019, Avanti West Coast took over operations from the prior operating company Virgin Trains, which had run the franchise since 1997.
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Avanti West Coast is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership.
The end of the franchise comes after Virgin Group and Stagecoach had their bid to continue running trains on the line disqualified by the Department for Transport (DfT) in April because they did not meet pension rules.
Avanti West Coast has been unveiled as the name of the operator replacing Virgin Trains. Aberdeen-based transport company FirstGroup and Italian firm Trenitalia announced the brand name for their partnership which will run services on the west coast route from December 8.
Avanti West Coast reduced its timetable in August 2022 - citing unofficial strike action from its employees. In that month, cancellations were as high as 25%.
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