The Office of Rail and Road has blamed the unpopular cancellation of an early morning train from Manchester to London, which was hastily reinstated, on a lack of information and pressure of work. A controversy blew up when it was revealed that the 07.00 Avanti West Coast service from Manchester to London would become a ‘ghost train’ without passengers, even though it would still depart from Piccadilly as before and carry a full crew. Critics pointed out that the 07.00 was well-used and also the fastest service on the line.

Two train operators in the north of England are continuing to see their passenger figures recover in the wake of the Covid lockdowns, which began almost six years ago.