‘Rewarding failure’ – MP blasts Avanti contract extension

Commenting on this morning’s breaking news that the Department for Transport has extended Avanti West Coast’s contract for another three years, Cumbrian MP Tim Farron said: “The Government have today rewarded failure.

“They talk of ‘significant improvements’ and yet my experience – and the experience of many of my constituents - using Avanti trains these past few weeks has been cancellations, delays and packed trains with too few carriages.

“A reliable West Coast Main Line is vital to our visitor economy here in the Lake District but that has simply not existed since Avanti took over from Virgin almost three years ago now.

“The Government have shown they are on the side of a big failing rail company, rather than long-suffering passengers.”