🔗 Share this article London-bound Manchester Train to Run Devoid of Passengers Train company describes the regulator's decision as "unsatisfactory" A rail route transporting daily travelers from London from Manchester is scheduled to operate without passengers for around five months following a determination by the rail regulator. A verdict by the rail regulatory body means the 7:00 AM GMT train operated by Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to the capital will still operate but will exclusively serve to carry employees starting mid-December. An operator spokesperson expressed they were "let down" with the outcome, which would "definitely affect those customers who already use these trains". An regulatory spokesperson indicated the judgment was based on "solid data" from the infrastructure manager to guard against potential service disruption on the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail did not provide a statement. Details of the Service Changes The fast service, which reaches the capital in less than 120 minutes, will continue to leave from Manchester Piccadilly at 07:00 on weekday mornings, but will not open to the public. It will, alternatively, ferry Avanti staff from Manchester to London when the new timetable takes effect on 15 December. The decision means the service could operate for over a hundred journeys without fare-paying customers on the train. An Avanti West Coast representative confirmed they were disappointed with the regulator's decision not to approve operational permissions from December for four weekday services they presently run, including the 07:00 fast service from Manchester to London. The ORR also required a Sunday service which presently operates from Holyhead to London to end at Crewe, they noted. "It will significantly affect those customers who already use these services," they said. "However, we will still be delivering additional trains across our network from the start of the winter schedule, featuring more extra trains on our Liverpool route." The spokesperson confirmed that the services being removed were: 07:00 GMT: Manchester Piccadilly to Euston station (Monday to Friday) 12:52 GMT: Blackpool station – Euston station (Monday to Friday) 09:39 GMT: Euston station – Blackpool North (Monday to Friday) 7:32 PM GMT: Chester station – Euston station (Weekdays) 5:53 PM GMT: Holyhead – London Euston ends at Crewe (Sunday) Regulatory Rationale An regulatory spokesperson explained: "Our decision on the Manchester-London service was based on comprehensive data submitted by Network Rail that introducing trains within 'firebreak' paths on the main rail line would have a detrimental impact on performance. "It was determined that this train would run in one of those paths. If the operator runs the service as empty coaching stock (ECS), ECS can be run more flexibly (held back or re-routed) than a booked passenger service. "This helps with service reliability and service recovery during disruption." The regulator said Avanti was earlier granted the permission to run this train from May 2025 for the period of a single schedule cycle only. This was on the basis that First Lumo's Stirling services were not running at the moment but the First Lumo services are expected to begin running during the December 2025 schedule update. The ORR added that under the updated schedule, new open access rail operations, operated by First Lumo to Stirling, Scotland, were due to start.