A fast train service from Manchester to London will run empty over the coming months due to operational constraints.
The 7am Avanti West Coast departure from Manchester Piccadilly to Euston was a favourite with business travellers, but will carry only staff from December.
As many as 100 services could run without a single passenger being allowed to board them over the next six months following a decision by the rail regulator, the Guardian reported.
The trip between the two cities, which can cost up to £195 in standard class, arrives in the capital in just one hour and 59 minutes.
Passengers branded the move ‘absolutely bonkers’ and questioned whether it would save any money given that the train would still make the journey albeit with empty carriages.
One user wrote: ‘Totally ridiculous. If no fares are taken will it not need a crew and use the same amount of electricity for this negative journey?’
Tony Miles, a rail expert, said that passengers would be able to ‘see it, touch it, watch it’ leave the station but not actually get onboard.
Changes imposed by the Office for Road and Rail (ORR) also mean that a service to Holyhead on Sunday will now terminate at Crewe.
The ORR said that operating the service with crew only would make it more flexible and could better assist with ‘service recovery’ in the event of disruption.
It said it had made the decision on the basis of ‘robust evidence’ of the need for ‘firebreak’ paths to improve performance.
The ORR added that the total number of services operated by Avanti to the North West would increase under the new schedule, while disclosing it had rejected some applications from some ‘open access’ operators to use the line.
From next year, low-cost operator Lumo is to start services to Stirling in Scotland from Euston.
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The new service will add to the First owned firm’s existing network at neighbouring King’s Cross.
However other would-be competitors have been blocked from starting rival west coast mainline services.
Richard Branson’s Virgin group, which previously held the west coast franchise, applied to run open-access services from Euston to Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow last year.
However the bid was refused by the ORR due to a shortage of capacity on the line, with the regulator saying further services would risk a ‘serious negative impact’ on performance.
A spokesperson for Avanti said it was ‘disappointed’ by the decision to scrap the 7am service.
‘This will clearly impact those customers who already use these services’, they said.
West coast services operated by Avanti are expected to be brought under public ownership by spring 2027.
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