Sir Gavin Williamson joined representatives from Avanti West Coast, alongside Rail Minister Huw Merriman, to discuss the company’s plans for the future.
Sir Gavin met with the Managing Director of the company, Andy Mellors, who was keen to inform him of the improvements that Avanti are making to their services. The company announced a £117m investment to refurbish their Pendolino trains, electric high-speed passenger trains designed with tilting technology to provide a faster and smoother journey. They’ve also invested £350m in sustainable travel with the aim of providing a more consistent and reliable service.
The Rail Minister commended the constant improvements companies like Avanti are making to their services and spoke about further opportunities for development.
Sir Gavin said: “I was glad to meet with Avanti West Coast, a service which I frequently use when travelling to Parliament from my home in Staffordshire. It is exciting to hear that over £100 million will be spent investing in their services, which will no doubt make a big difference for passengers. These are the kinds of improvements that I’m campaigning for; better and more frequent services, whether that be on local, regional, or national lines.”
