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A train service that carries commuters from London from Manchester is set to operate without passengers for around five months following a decision by the rail regulator.

A verdict by the Office of Rail and Road means the 7:00 AM GMT train run by the rail operator from Manchester Piccadilly to the capital will continue to run but will exclusively serve to carry employees starting the middle of December.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson stated they were "disappointed" with the decision, which would "definitely affect those passengers who already use these trains".

An ORR official indicated the judgment was founded on "solid data" from the infrastructure manager to prevent possible service disruption on the West Coast Main Line.

Network Rail did not provide a statement.

Details of the Service Changes

The fast service, which reaches London in under two hours, will continue to leave from Manchester Piccadilly at 07:00 on four weekdays, but will not open to commuters.

It will, alternatively, transport company employees from Manchester to London when the new timetable takes effect on 15 December.

The decision means the train could operate for more than 100 trips without fare-paying customers on board.

An operator spokesperson clarified they were displeased with the regulator's determination not to grant access rights from the winter period for four weekday services they currently operated, such as the 07:00 express train from London from Manchester.

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

"This will significantly affect those passengers who currently rely on these trains," they said.

"However, we will still be delivering even more services across our route system from the beginning of the December timetable, including more extra trains on our Liverpool line."

The representative confirmed that the trains being removed were:

• 07:00 GMT: Manchester station to London Euston (Weekdays)
• 12:52 PM GMT: Blackpool station – Euston station (Weekdays)
• 9:39 AM GMT: London Euston – Blackpool station (Monday to Friday)
• 7:32 PM GMT: Chester station – Euston station (Monday to Friday)
• 17:53 GMT: Holyhead station – London Euston ends at Crewe (Sunday)

Oversight Reasoning

An regulatory official stated: "Our decision on the Manchester-London train was based on comprehensive data provided by Network Rail that adding services within 'firebreak' slots on the main rail line would have a negative effect on performance.

"It was determined that this train would operate within one of those paths. If Avanti runs the train as unoccupied train cars (ECS), ECS can be run more flexibly (held back or re-routed) than a scheduled public train.

"This can assist with service reliability and service recovery during disruption."

The ORR said the operator was earlier granted the right to operate this train from spring 2025 for the period of one timetable period only.

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

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