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A train service transporting commuters from Manchester to London is scheduled to run empty for around a five-month period due to a determination by the railway oversight authority.

A ruling by the Office of Rail and Road implies the 07:00 GMT train operated by the rail operator from Manchester's main station to the capital will still operate but will only be used to carry employees starting mid-December.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson stated they were "disappointed" with the decision, which would "clearly impact those passengers who regularly take these trains".

An regulatory official explained the judgment was based on "robust evidence" from Network Rail to guard against potential operational issues on the West Coast Main Line.

The infrastructure company declined to comment.

Details of the Operational Adjustments

The fast service, which reaches the capital in under two hours, will continue to leave from Manchester station at 7:00 AM on weekday mornings, but will not be available to commuters.

It will, instead, ferry Avanti staff from London from Manchester when the new timetable launches on 15 December.

The decision implies the train could run for over a hundred journeys without paying passengers on board.

An operator representative clarified they were displeased with the ORR's determination not to approve access rights from the winter period for several daily trains they presently run, such as the 07:00 fast service from Manchester to London.

The regulatory body also mandated a weekend train which presently operates from London from Holyhead to terminate at Crewe station, they noted.

"This will clearly impact those customers who currently rely on these trains," they stated.

"Nonetheless, we will still be delivering even more services across our route system from the start of the winter schedule, including more extra trains on our Liverpool line."

The representative verified that the trains being withdrawn were:

• 07:00 GMT: Manchester station to Euston station (Monday to Friday)
• 12:52 PM GMT: Blackpool station – London Euston (Weekdays)
• 09:39 GMT: Euston station – Blackpool North (Weekdays)
• 7:32 PM GMT: Chester – Euston station (Monday to Friday)
• 5:53 PM GMT: Holyhead – London Euston ends at Crewe (Sundays)

Oversight Reasoning

An regulatory spokesperson stated: "Our decision on the Manchester-London service was based on robust evidence provided by the infrastructure operator that introducing trains within 'buffer' slots on the West Coast Main Line would have a negative effect on performance.

"We identified that this train would operate within one of those time slots. If the operator runs the train as empty coaching stock (ECS), ECS can be operated with greater flexibility (delayed or re-routed) than a booked passenger service.

"This helps with performance management and service recovery during incidents."

The ORR indicated the operator was previously given the right to operate this train from spring 2025 for the duration of one timetable period only.

This was on the basis that First Lumo's Scottish trains were not running at the moment but the those trains are anticipated to start running during the winter 2025 timetable period.

The regulatory body noted that under the new timetable, additional independent train services, operated by First Lumo to Stirling, were scheduled to commence.