The Anonymous Widower

Manchester To London Train To Run Without Passengers

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

A train service taking commuters from Manchester to London is to run empty for around five months following a decision by the rail regulator.

These three paragraphs add more detail.

A decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), means the 07:00 GMT service operated by Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London will still run but will only be used to carry staff from mid-December.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said they were “disappointed” with the decision, which would “clearly impact those customers who already use these services”.

An ORR spokesperson said the decision was made on “robust evidence” from Network Rail to guard against possible service disruption on the West Coast Main Line.

It is a long article on the BBC and I suspect, it is one of those, that should be fully-read before commenting.

I looked up last Friday’s service and found this.

• It was an eleven-coach Class 390 train.
• The train goes via Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, but only stops to pick up passengers at Stockport.
• It left on time at 07:00.
• It arrived in London at 09:20, which was twenty-one minutes late.

I think, I’ll see this train arrive on Monday.

Could Avanti West Coast Be Planning A Fast Service From Both Liverpool and Manchester?

Consider.

• Manchester Piccadilly has a 07:00 train to Euston, that takes two hours via Stoke-on-Trent.
• The train also stops at Stockport.
• The Manchester Piccadilly train is an eleven-car Class 390 train, that is 265.3 metres long.
• Liverpool Lime Street has a 06:43 train to Euston, that takes two hours and 11 minutes via Crewe, that stops at Runcorn.
• The Liverpool Lime Street train is a seven-car Class 807 train, that is 182 metres long.

Note.

1. I wonder, if at some time in the future, these two services could both be run by seven-car Class 807 trains, that joined at Crewe.
2. This might not have been possible with Class 390 trains, as the pair of trains would have been very long.
3. Class 390 trains may not be able to split and join.
4. I don’t think any extra paths would be needed.

This would give Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester, Runcorn and Stockport, a fast early train to Euston.

November 29, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Automatic Splitting And Joining Of Trains, Avanti West Coast, Class 390 Train, Crewe Station, Euston Station, Liverpool Lime Street Station, Manchester Piccadilly Station, Network Rail, Office Of Rail And Road, Runcorn Station, Stockport Station, West Coast Main Line