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A train service that carries commuters from Manchester to London is scheduled to run empty for around five months following a determination by the rail regulator.

A verdict by the Office of Rail and Road means the 7:00 AM GMT train run by Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London will continue to run but will only be used to transport employees from mid-December.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson stated they were "disappointed" with the outcome, which would "definitely affect those customers who regularly take these trains".

An regulatory official explained the judgment was based on "robust evidence" from the infrastructure manager to guard against possible service disruption on the West Coast Main Line.

Network Rail declined to comment.

Details of the Operational Adjustments

The express train, which arrives in the capital in less than 120 minutes, will still depart from Manchester Piccadilly at 07:00 on four weekdays, but will not be available to the public.

It will, alternatively, transport Avanti staff from London from Manchester when the new timetable takes effect on 15 December.

The decision implies the service could run for more than 100 journeys without paying passengers on the train.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson confirmed they were displeased with the regulator's determination not to approve operational permissions from December for several daily trains they presently run, such as the 7:00 AM express train from London from Manchester.

The ORR also required a Sunday service which currently runs from London from Holyhead to terminate at Crewe, they noted.

"This will significantly affect those customers who currently rely on these trains," they stated.

"Nonetheless, we will still be delivering additional trains across our network from the beginning of the winter schedule, including more extra trains on our Liverpool line."

The representative verified that the services being withdrawn were:

• 7:00 AM GMT: Manchester station to London Euston (Monday to Friday)
• 12:52 PM GMT: Blackpool station – Euston station (Weekdays)
• 9:39 AM GMT: London Euston – Blackpool North (Weekdays)
• 19:32 GMT: Chester station – London Euston (Weekdays)
• 5:53 PM GMT: Holyhead station – London Euston terminates at Crewe (Sunday)

Oversight Rationale

An regulatory spokesperson explained: "Our decision on the Manchester-London train was based on comprehensive data submitted by the infrastructure operator that adding services within 'buffer' paths on the West Coast Main Line would have a negative effect on performance.

"It was determined that this service would operate within one of those time slots. If Avanti operates the train as unoccupied train cars (ECS), ECS can be run more flexibly (delayed or re-routed) than a booked passenger service.

"This can assist with service reliability and service recovery during incidents."

The ORR said the operator was previously given the permission to operate this service from May 2025 for the duration of a single schedule cycle only.

This was on the condition that another operator's Scottish trains were not running at the moment but the those trains are anticipated to start running during the winter 2025 timetable period.

The ORR noted that under the new timetable, new open access rail operations, run by the competing operator to Stirling, were scheduled to commence.