Manchester–London’s 7am Fast Train to Run Empty After ORR Cuts Passenger Service

A flagship morning rail link between Manchester and London will keep operating—yet without a single passenger onboard. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has removed Avanti West Coast’s 7am Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston service from the December timetable, despite the train still needing to make the journey for operational reasons.

The now-ghost service, one of Britain’s fastest intercity routes, will depart Manchester fully staffed at 7am each weekday but travel entirely empty. The train and crew must reach London to operate subsequent services under the new timetable, creating a bizarre scenario that could last until May, the next possible schedule update. Industry insiders estimate the train may run empty more than 100 times.

The decision has sparked criticism from business leaders and rail experts, who say the loss of the under-two-hour service will hit northern travellers and taxpayers alike. The express was particularly popular with business passengers aiming to reach London before 9am, with peak fares priced at £193 and first-class seats reaching £290.

Tony Miles, a rail analyst, highlighted the absurdity of the situation: “The train will be on the platform—people can see it and watch it depart—but they won’t be allowed to board. Taxpayers will be funding empty trains five days a week.”

The ORR argues that adding the service to the new timetable would disrupt performance on the West Coast Main Line, especially as new open-access services from Lumo to Stirling are being introduced. Running the train as empty coaching stock allows greater flexibility to delay or reroute it during network disruption, the regulator says.

Network Rail and Avanti had pushed to keep the service open to passengers, noting that the train would consume the same network capacity regardless. But the request was rejected amid concerns over timetable resilience.

As a result, the fastest remaining Manchester–London services will take around 2 hours 15 minutes, forcing commuters who need to reach the capital by 9am to catch a 6:29am train instead.

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, condemned the decision, warning that it “denies Manchester’s business community a vital fast peak service” and undermines taxpayer-funded rail finances.

Despite the backlash, Avanti will run additional services elsewhere on the network under the new timetable, though the absence of its fastest Manchester–London link is expected to be keenly felt by passengers and the business sector.