Bring our West Coast rail services back into public ownership

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FrqU2NAWYAM58-l?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

This morning the Department for Transport <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/avanti-west-coast-contract-extended-for-a-further-6-months-following-recent-service-improvements">announced</a> they were extending Avanti's contract (again!) by another 6 months until 15 October 2023.

We organised our <a href="https://www.bringbackbritishrail.org/2023/02/kickfirstout/">Kick First Out! Avanti & TransPennine Passenger Rally</a> outside their building in London and submitted this petition to Transport Secretary Mark Harper MP, then signed by 13,765 people.

We will continue to collect signatures over the next 6 months to keep the pressure up to <a href="http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/westcoast">Make West Coast Public</a>.

<a href="https://kickfirstout.eventbrite.com/"><img src="https://www.bringbackbritishrail.org/newsletters/images/kick-first-out.png"></a>

Avanti's contract is due to expire at the end of this month, so we are ramping up the pressure to <a href="http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/westcoast">Make West Coast Public</a>.

We're planning to hand-in our petition to Transport Secretary Mark Harper MP on <strong>Monday 20 March 2023, 10am</strong> as part of the <a href="https://kickfirstout.eventbrite.com">Kick First Out! Avanti &amp; TransPennine Passenger Rally</a> at the Department for Transport in London.

Please come and join us and help spread the word by sharing details on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringbackbritishrail/posts/pfbid0KrR77k2ybxkzf7yMFcgMyvN7PvYegmffsNoTbLVtdF1K5thyZcjLJQz5ZoScqdn4l">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/bringbackBR/status/1633813839174148096">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpka7yTIFIl/">Instagram</a>.

On 7 October 2022, the Department for Transport <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/avanti-west-coast-placed-on-short-term-contract-to-drastically-improve-services">announced</a> that they had awarded a 6-month contract extension to Avanti West Coast and told them to "drastically improve services".

<strong>This is not great news</strong>. But it could be worse. It gives us until 1 April 2023 to really step-up our campaign to <a href="https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/westcoast">Make West Coast Public</a>. Please continue to sign and share our petition on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bringbackbritishrail/posts/pfbid0mpzWxgeXkiPSgQzr2wHkRpqdeQAMrMCashvxYdPG2txy5ACYGZ61KCX2J1BULHW7l">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/bringbackBR/status/1578299292590100481">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaNljrhICso/">Instagram</a>.

<strong>The crisis on Avanti West Coast is escalating.</strong>

On 14 August 2022, <a href="https://www.bringbackbritishrail.org/2022/09/the-crisis-on-avanti-west-coast-is-escalating/" target="_blank">Avanti West Coast</a> - part-owned by FirstGroup and Trenitalia (Italy's state-owned rail operator!) - drastically reduced the timetable on our West Coast Main Line, causing misery for millions of travellers over the last month.

Meanwhile, on 4 September it was <a href="https://archive.ph/A5kdb" target="_blank">reported</a> that the Department for Transport (DfT) is still planning to renew Avanti's contract (which expires on 16 October) for another 10-years. <strong>This must be stopped.</strong>

Today our lawyers have <a href="https://www.bringbackbritishrail.org/westcoast/20220906letter_to_DfT.pdf" target="_blank">written to the DfT</a> to demand they act urgently to bring our West Coast Main Line back into public ownership (like LNER, Northern and Southeastern already are).