FirstGroup said the UK government had extended its current contract for its troubled West Coast rail contract to October 15.
The contract comprises the operation of Avanti West Coast and acting as shadow operator to the HS2 programme. Discussions are ongoing with the Department for Transport regarding the longer-term National Rail Contract for (the) West Coast Partnership, the transport operator said on Monday.
Avanti West Coast has come under severe criticism over the unreliability of its service, with about a quarter of its trains cancelled in the first two months of 2023.
Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com
