The Latest Breaking News from Avanti

As I write this, I am sitting on an Avanti West Coast train from Edinburgh to London listening to arguments break out between the passengers. People are arriving at seats thinking they had reserved them weeks ago, only to find someone else sitting there also holding a valid reservation.

The prominent politician took aim at Avanti West Coast after travelling from the Greater Manchester town to the Scottish capital and noticing the lack of seating.

Read the Mancunian Way newsletter for Monday August 22, 2022

Train operator under fire for dividend payment amid severe cuts on its west coast main line

Rail operator Avanti has paid out out millions to investors despite forcing passengers to endure severe overcrowding, axed services, soaring prices and the worst train delays in the country

Northern, GWR and Avanti West Coast are among the worst-affected operators

The chief executive will be able to cash in on his shares within five years

Andy Burnham said: "If these bosses had any decency they would read the room and hand these bonuses back."

The 'luxurious' new service has been introduced to help passengers frustrated by a wave of disruption and cancellations

FirstGroup owns chaos-stricken Avanti West Coast whose passengers scaled a spiked fence on Tuesday - and it awarded boss Graham Sutherland nearly a million shares on Thursday. They take five years to cash in, subject to performance

Locomotive Intercity promises cheaper tickets and comfier seats on its Friday service between London and Manchester