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A train service transporting commuters from London from Manchester is set to run empty for approximately five months following a decision by the railway oversight authority.

A verdict by the rail regulatory body implies the 7:00 AM GMT train operated by the rail operator from Manchester's main station to the capital will still operate but will exclusively serve to transport staff starting the middle of December.

An operator representative expressed they were "disappointed" with the outcome, which would "definitely affect those passengers who regularly take these trains".

An regulatory official indicated the decision was founded on "solid data" from Network Rail to guard against possible service disruption on the West Coast Main Line.

Network Rail declined to comment.

Details of the Operational Adjustments

The fast service, which reaches London in less than 120 minutes, will continue to leave from Manchester station at 7:00 AM on weekday mornings, but will not open to commuters.

It will, instead, ferry company employees from Manchester to London when the updated schedule takes effect on December 15th.

The decision means the train could run for over a hundred trips without paying passengers on the train.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson confirmed they were displeased with the ORR's determination not to approve access rights from December for four weekday services they presently run, including the 7:00 AM express train from Manchester to London.

The regulatory body also required a Sunday service which currently runs from Holyhead to London to terminate at Crewe, they added.

"This will clearly impact those passengers who currently rely on these trains," they said.

"However, we will still be delivering additional services across our network from the start of the winter schedule, including further additional trains on our Liverpool route."

The spokesperson verified that the services being withdrawn were:

• 07:00 GMT: Manchester station to Euston station (Weekdays)
• 12:52 GMT: Blackpool North – London Euston (Monday to Friday)
• 09:39 GMT: Euston station – Blackpool North (Monday to Friday)
• 7:32 PM GMT: Chester – Euston station (Weekdays)
• 17:53 GMT: Holyhead – London Euston ends at Crewe (Sunday)

Regulatory Rationale

An ORR official explained: "Our decision on the Manchester-London train was grounded in comprehensive data provided by the infrastructure operator that introducing trains within 'firebreak' slots on the main rail line would have a detrimental impact on reliability.

"It was determined that this train would run in one of those paths. If the operator runs the service as unoccupied train cars (ECS), ECS can be run more flexibly (held back or redirected) than a booked passenger service.

"This helps with service reliability and operational restoration during disruption."

The regulator said Avanti was earlier granted the right to operate this train from May 2025 for the duration of one timetable period exclusively.

This was on the basis that another operator's Scottish trains were not operating at the time but the First Lumo services are expected to begin running during the winter 2025 schedule update.

The regulatory body noted that under the updated schedule, new open access train services, run by the competing operator to Stirling, Scotland, were scheduled to commence.