This note provides an update on changes to Avanti West Coast services taking place this winter. It includes the December Timetable Change, Christmas Engineering and Winter Customer Led Timetable.
December 2026 Timetable Change
In preparation for the industry timetable change taking effect from Sunday 13 December 2026, we have been working closely with Network Rail and other operators to identify opportunities to improve performance on the West Coast Main Line.
In particular, we will be implementing changes to increase the spacing between certain trains leaving Euston. Performance modelling indicates these changes will improve punctuality across Avanti West Coast’s Manchester, Liverpool and North Wales routes.
The following timetable changes will apply Monday to Saturday:
- The xx40 London Euston to Birmingham and Scotland service will depart Euston at xx38, operating as per the current timetable from Coventry onwards.
- The xx43 London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street service will depart Euston at xx41, operating as per the current timetable from Crewe onwards.
- This change will enable the West Midlands Trains xx46 London Euston to Crewe service to depart at xx45.
These timetable amendments are intended to improve overall network performance and support a more reliable service for customers travelling on the West Coast Main Line.
Christmas Engineering Works
There will be significant planned engineering and upgrade work taking place across the railway over the Christmas period as Network Rail continues to invest in a more reliable railway. As part of this programme, major engineering work will be undertaken at Birmingham New Street from Thursday 24 to Monday 28 December 2026. Detailed service plans for this period are currently being finalised, and we will share further information on the impact to Avanti West Coast services as soon as it becomes available.
Winter Customer Led Timetable
This winter, we will be removing a small number of trains from the Avanti West Coast timetable to reflect low demand for these services. The removal of a small number of trains for a limited time when demand is lower provides better value for money for the taxpayer. It saves operational costs, creates no negative impact on revenue and with minimum disruption to customer journeys. 2
A total of 22 trains will be removed on a daily basis between 7 and 23 December 2026 and 4 and 7 January 2027 on our Liverpool, Birmingham and Crewe routes. This impacts services between Monday and Thursday only. Fridays to Sundays, when demand for festive travel is higher, will not be impacted. We have listened to feedback regarding our changes this summer and, as a result, have included additional calls at Rugby to improve connectivity.
We will keep the services under review throughout the period and retain the ability to add trains back in if we see demand levels rise and there are risks of overcrowding identified.
To reduce the impact to customers, services no longer running as part of the amended timetable have been removed before tickets for the affected dates are available for purchase on Avanti West Coast’s website and via third party retailers.
This demand-led approach helps us explore opportunities to deliver greater value for money on the network and ensure the best outcome for taxpayers and customers, including to boost services where demand is greater. For example, in July we provided additional capacity to support the Commonwealth Games utilising train paths and resources freed-up by the temporary timetable changes.
A full list of the services affected is outlined below.
| Liverpool Route Dep | From | To | Arr |
| 07:07 | Liverpool Lime Street | London Euston | 09:34 |
| 11:08 | Liverpool Lime Street | London Euston | 13:30 |
| 13:08 | Liverpool Lime Street | London Euston | 15:30 |
| 16:08 | Liverpool Lime Street | London Euston | 18:31 |
| 18:08 | Liverpool Lime Street | London Euston | 20:30 |
| 08:07 | London Euston | Liverpool Lime Street | 10:23 |
| 10:07 | London Euston | Liverpool Lime Street | 12:23 |
| 16:07 | London Euston | Liverpool Lime Street | 18:35 |
| 18:07 | London Euston | Liverpool Lime Street | 20:23 |
| 20:07 | London Euston | Liverpool Lime Street | 22:33 |
