Avanti West Coast services to return to public ownership in March 2027

Avanti West Coast services, including trains serving Stafford, will move into public ownership from 7 March 2027 after the Government confirmed it will take control of the operator when its current contract expires.

The Department for Transport announced the decision on 28 September, making Avanti the latest operator set to move from private operation into the publicly owned rail network ahead of the creation of Great British Railways.

Avanti West Coast currently operates services along the West Coast Main Line, connecting Stafford directly with destinations including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and stations further north.

What will happen to Avanti West Coast?

Avanti West Coast is currently a trading name of First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited, a company jointly owned by FirstGroup and Trenitalia. Its passenger services will transfer into public ownership when the existing contract ends on 7 March 2027.

The publicly owned operation will sit under DfT Operator Limited, the government-owned group responsible for train companies as they transfer out of private operation.

The Government says the move will allow closer working between the companies running trains and those responsible for railway infrastructure. It has also announced an improvement programme for the West Coast Main Line, including additional spending on power and signalling maintenance, timetable changes and improvements at stations.

The Department for Transport has said Avanti’s performance remains below the industry average and has pointed to delays and cancellations, as well as infrastructure problems on the West Coast Main Line, as reasons for further changes.

Which other train operators are publicly owned?

Avanti will join a growing number of train operators already managed through DfT Operator Limited.

Several operators had already been brought under government control before the current programme, including London North Eastern Railway, Northern, Southeastern and TransPennine Express.

Since the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act became law in November 2024, a further six operators have transferred into public ownership:

• South Western Railway on 25 May 2025
• c2c on 20 July 2025
• Greater Anglia on 12 October 2025
• West Midlands Trains on 1 February 2026
• Govia Thameslink Railway on 31 May 2026
• Chiltern Railways on 20 September 2026

West Midlands Trains operates services under the London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway brands, meaning another operator serving Stafford is already publicly owned.

Great Western Railway is scheduled to transfer next, on 13 December 2026, followed by Avanti West Coast in March 2027. The Government expects the transfer of all Department for Transport-contracted passenger services to be completed by the end of 2027.

Stafford MP welcomes announcement

Stafford MP Leigh Ingham welcomed the announcement, highlighting the importance of Stafford station for people travelling from Stafford, Eccleshall and surrounding villages.

In a Facebook post following the announcement, the Labour MP said passengers had experienced delays, cancellations and disruption and argued that public ownership should lead to greater reliability and accountability.

She said: “Public ownership must mean more reliable services, greater accountability and passengers put first.”

Ingham added that she would continue to press for the rail services needed by communities across her constituency.

Wider plans for Great British Railways

The transfers form part of plans to establish Great British Railways, which is intended to bring responsibility for passenger services and railway infrastructure under a more unified structure.

Legislation to establish Great British Railways is currently going through Parliament. The Government says the organisation is expected to become operational around 12 months after the legislation receives Royal Assent.

Stafford station itself is currently one of 16 stations managed by Avanti West Coast.