Alstom: Profit slashed at London Underground trains maker Transport and infrastructure Profit at Alstom, the train manufacturer which supplies the London Underground, has been slashed by almost £100m as its turnover fell significantly during its latest financial year. The Derby-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax profit of £21.9m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, down from the £121m it achieved in the prior year. [...]
Firstgroup: Profit at Avanti West Coast owner beats expectations Transport and infrastructure Transport giant Firstgroup has extended its share buyback program by £50m after annual revenue came in ahead of forecasts. The additional £50m buyback program follows Firstgroup’s return of £92m to shareholders in the 2025 financial year. The group also raised its dividend to 6.5p, up from 5.5p last year. The FTSE 250 company told markets [...]
Avanti West Coast co-owner to launch €1bn Eurostar rival Transport and infrastructure A co-owner of Avanti West Coast has confirmed plans to launch a €1bn (£856.6m) rival Eurostar which would run services between London and Paris. FS Italiane Group is looking to run a high-speed rail service between the two capitals by 2029. The group, which co-owns Avanti West Coast alongside FirstGroup, has put aside €1bn for [...]
Union highlights claims of staff shortages at railway ticket offices March 29, 2025 A rail union is to hold a series of protests highlighting claims of staff shortages at ticket offices. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT ) said there was understaffing at a number of stations on the West Coast mainline served by Avanti. The RMT said plans to close ticket offices across the country were [...]
Firstgroup and Virgin push back against state clampdown on open-access rail firms January 20, 2025 Firstgroup and Virgin are combining to push back against a government clampdown on some of the last private train firms operating the UK’s railway tracks. So-called open access is a lesser-used model in which firms shoulder commercial risk but take the entire share of any profit. It is viewed as a success story by many [...]
Avanti West Coast strikes suspended for next two Sundays amid ‘intensive talks’ January 16, 2025 Strikes by Avanti West Coast train managers have been suspended for the next two weeks to allow time for “intensive talks.” In a statement on Thursday, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said planned industrial action on Sunday 19th January and Sunday 26th January would no longer be going ahead. All other previously announced [...]
Rail strikes: Warning of ‘irreparable fallout’ from train walkouts January 2, 2025 The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has warned of the “irreparable fallout” from the ongoing round of Avanti West Coast rail strikes. Passengers faced disruption after rail managers who are members of the RMT union voted to strike on 31 December and 2 January, with disruption on routes to Glasgow, North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh. [...]
Christmas travel chaos: Train strikes, wind warnings and congestion December 23, 2024 Brits have been warned of significant travel disruption over the Christmas and New Year getaway as record numbers hit the roads.
British rail firms have the most expensive tickets in Europe December 9, 2024 British train companies are the priciest in Europe, new analysis has revealed. A study from campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) listed Great Western Railway (GWR) Eurostar and Avanti West Coast as the top three most expensive European train firms by ticket price. GWR fares are around two and a half times greater than the [...]
Avanti West Coast: Ticket sales pass £1bn despite operating troubles December 3, 2024 Turnover at Avanti West Coast jumped past £1bn last year, even as it was named as one of the least reliable rail operators in Britain, it has been revealed. The train operator, which is jointly owned by Firstgroup and Italian rail firm, Trenitalia, has posted a turnover of £1.01bn for the 12 months to 31 [...]