Andy Burnham questions ability of Avanti to put on enough train services to London for those wishing to pay respects to the Queen
14.09.2022 - 19:01
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has questioned whether Avanti West Coast is equipped to deliver services to people wishing to pay their respects to the Queen. His latest attack comes less than two weeks after he said the company was in "the last chance saloon".
In a letter to the firm Mr Burnham and the leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, say they welcome Avanti's decision to add extra trains to the timetable for this weekend. But they say they have "serious concerns about the ability of Avanti West Coast to support people wishing to travel between the North West and London both over the coming days to pay their respects to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and into next month."
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They say that so far this week, there have seen numerous complaints about the quality and availability of services. The decision to add extra trains this weekend "must be accompanied by a significant improvement in customer service if we are to avoid some of the unacceptable scenes we have seen on trains and at stations," says their letter.
The letter adds: "One of the most common concerns being raised is the timely release of seats for people to book. It is extremely disappointing that, this morning, people wishing to travel to London are still unable to book tickets for Saturday 17 September and that tickets for other days around Her Majesty’s funeral have only been released at very short notice. We ask that you urgently make these tickets available for purchase.
"We understand that you are considering chartering services to carry passengers along the West Coast Main Line. Whilst it is clearly regrettable that these services are required, we would ask that information about these additional trains is provided to
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