The Newshound

Taxpayers foot the bill as Avanti West Coast pays out £20m in delay refunds in just three months

Fewer than half of Avanti West Coast's services ran on time in July, as UK-wide train cancellations climbed by a third between April and July.
Fewer than half of Avanti West Coast's services ran on time in July, as UK-wide train cancellations climbed by a third between April and July.

Avanti West Coast looks set to exceed £70m in delay compensation for the financial year after returning £20m to passengers over the three summer months alone — and under post-pandemic contracts, the entire cost falls on the taxpayer rather than the operator. Avanti's punctuality sank to below 50 per cent in July, and official figures reveal that between April and July, 3.8 million compensation claims were successfully processed across the rail network, a 55 per cent rise on the equivalent period the previous year.

The industry's total delay repay bill reached £150m in 2024-25, an 8% year-on-year increase, with Avanti alone responsible for 27% of that figure.

Train cancellations across the UK rose by a third between April and July, with heat-warped tracks and trespassing incidents among the causes cited.

Birmingham New Street and London Paddington are both facing multi-day closures over the Christmas period, adding to the disruption for long-distance travellers.

Moretradersunion.comAvanti West Coast delay compensation bill rises as summer refunds top £20m - Traders UnioniNewsAvanti West Coast’s £70m delay repay boom shows how broken Britain’s trains areThe GuardianAvanti West Coast paid out £20m in ‘delay repay’ passenger refunds this summerMagzterAvanti paid out £20m in three months because of train delays | The Guardian - newspaper - Magzter
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