ORR rejects new West Coast services over delay concerns
Capacity constraints risk worsening passenger delays
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has rejected proposals for new train services between London and Wrexham, Rochdale, and Blackpool due to concerns over capacity constraints and the risk of worsening delays for passengers.
Applications were dismissed from Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway Company (WSMR) for four return Wrexham-London Euston services, Lumo for up to four return Rochdale-Euston services, and Avanti West Coast for additional Blackpool-Euston services.
Despite the rejection of new services, ORR has approved Avanti's weekday 19:29 Chester to Euston service to carry passengers until December 2030, utilizing an existing empty service.
ORR's assessment concludes that the capacity and performance of the southern section of the West Coast Main Line has not changed materially since previous rejections in 2025, with limited resilience impacting potential new services.
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform, highlighted the benefits of new services but emphasized the need for resilience on the heavily used rail network.
"Our detailed analysis has shown that adding more trains to the current timetable would reduce the ability to recover when disruption occurs, increasing the risk of delays spreading," Tobyn stated.
The decision aims to maintain space within the timetable for recovery during disruptions, minimizing delays and maintaining network reliability.