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A train service transporting daily travelers from Manchester to London is scheduled to run empty for around five months following a decision by the rail regulator.

A verdict by the Office of Rail and Road implies the 07:00 GMT service run by the rail operator from Manchester Piccadilly to the capital will still operate but will exclusively serve to transport employees starting mid-December.

An Avanti West Coast representative expressed they were "disappointed" with the outcome, which would "clearly impact those passengers who regularly take these services".

An regulatory spokesperson explained the decision was based on "robust evidence" from Network Rail to prevent potential service disruption on the West Coast Main Line.

The infrastructure company declined to comment.

Details of the Operational Adjustments

The express train, which reaches London in under two hours, will continue to leave from Manchester Piccadilly at 7:00 AM on weekday mornings, but will not open to the public.

It will, alternatively, ferry company employees from London from Manchester when the new timetable launches on December 15th.

The decision implies the service could operate for more than 100 trips without fare-paying customers on the train.

An operator representative confirmed they were displeased with the regulator's determination not to grant operational permissions from December for several daily trains they currently operated, including the 7:00 AM fast service from Manchester to London.

The ORR also mandated a weekend train which currently runs from Holyhead to London to end at Crewe, they added.

"This will clearly impact those passengers who currently rely on these services," they stated.

"However, we will still be delivering even more services across our network from the start of the December timetable, including further additional trains on our Liverpool line."

The representative confirmed that the trains being removed were:

• 07:00 GMT: Manchester station to Euston station (Monday to Friday)
• 12:52 PM GMT: Blackpool station – Euston station (Weekdays)
• 9:39 AM GMT: London Euston – Blackpool North (Monday to Friday)
• 19:32 GMT: Chester station – London Euston (Weekdays)
• 5:53 PM GMT: Holyhead station – Euston station terminates at Crewe station (Sunday)

Regulatory Reasoning

An regulatory spokesperson stated: "Our decision on the Manchester-London train was grounded in comprehensive data provided by Network Rail that adding services within 'firebreak' slots on the main rail line would have a negative effect on performance.

"It was determined that this service would run in one of those paths. If Avanti operates the service as unoccupied train cars (ECS), ECS can be run more flexibly (delayed or redirected) than a scheduled public train.

"This helps with performance management and service recovery during disruption."

The ORR indicated the operator was earlier granted the right to operate this train from spring 2025 for the duration of one timetable period exclusively.

This was on the basis that First Lumo's Scottish trains were not operating at the moment but the those trains are expected to begin running during the December 2025 timetable period.

The regulatory body added that under the new timetable, new open access train services, run by the competing operator to Stirling, were due to start.