Written question WQ92547

I am very concerned and disappointed by the poor reliability of Avant West Coast services in North Wales given the vital connection these services offer across North Wales into North West England, the Midlands and into London.

My officials recently met with Avanti West Coast to raise our concerns about the recent unacceptable number of services being cancelled. 21.3% of Avanti West Coast North Wales services were cancelled between March 2 to March 31 this year, a significantly higher proportion of cancellations than for the rest of their services. In contrast, only 1.3% of TfW’s services across the North Wales Mainline were cancelled in the same period. I have asked my officials to continue to monitor Avanti West Coast's performance and to provide me with regular updates on this matter.