Avanti West Coast Reviews 

Travelling on the 10.52am edinburgh to london euston train 1st class. I appreciate that there is no meal service on at the weekend, but there is also, no staff, no beveridges. This is a long journey without having something to drink at the very least. Paid alot of money just to sit in another part of the train! The shop in carriage C was not even open. Shocking!

Mike the train manager displayed amazing customer service and was extremely knowledgeable while I was on the train, great experience! This was on my way to Milton Keynes

I have made numerous trips from Birmingham to Euston on Avanti during May 2026. Due to the following 3 star awarded. Wifi is non existent / several occasions charging point not working. Train late arrival Euston by 20 mins.
However I missed my connection. Unfortunately compensation doesn't take that into consideration.
I appealed but was rejected only received 25%.

But other than that Service has been very good

I booked assistance travel from Euston to Manchester. I could not fault the service. Excellent. Unfortunately as a semi disabled 75 year old I found the train extremely cold for the whole journey. I could hear other people commenting also. Also it was too far to coach C for a coffee which is only click and collect. Should offer a seat service for disabled.

Having had a few negative experiences recently with other companies, I thought I’d redress the balance. Firstly my train was late so that’s a negative. However, whilst not ideal, once it had occurred, they assessed and paid delay compensation promptly. It appears I had made an error in submission and “Sam” on the team on X informed the delay team. Problem was rectified and more delay compensation paid. All expedited rapidly , so credit where it’s due.

Never again. From Manchester to London. No wifi at all. No reception. Wery bad expierance.

I have used the West Coast many times every year for business. Whilst the service is reliable most of the time, the actual onboard experience is inconsistent and poor. Some Examples: power sockets regularly out of service (240v Power, USB & Wireless), Wi-Fi is a joke/Waste Of Time thats if its working in the forst place! The onboard catering shop is a farce too, being regularly closed or without hot water for drnks.
Can’t wsit to see this service Nationalised snd transitioned to GBR.

What was the reason the Avanti train from Crewe to Edinburgh was delayed on 29/05/26.
The original delay was supposed to be half a hour.My daughter's partner arrived home at 7.30 pm.He was over 3 hrs late.He was travelling with their cat.By which time the poor cat,had be in his carrier for over 8 +hrs without food & water!
The last time we had the pleasure of an Avanti journey the 10.10 train was cancelled, we were late for my husband's brother in laws funeral,what an awful experience.
looking at the reviews on truspilot, I am not alone!

My friend and I travelled on the 14.34pm train from Glasgow Central on Friday 15th May 2026, to return home to Morecambe.
We had paid to travel 1st Class.
This was an extremely enjoyable experience, especially with the two very professional, friendly and courteous gentlemen who were working that day. Mark and Andrew.
They couldn't have been any more helpful, always had a smile and we were made to feel that nothing was too much trouble. They are an absolute credit to the company and I will definitely pay again to travel this way.
I just wish we had requested their surnames to ensure their managers etc know exactly who they are.
Once again, thank you so much for a very smooth, relaxing and as I say totally enjoyable experience.
Kind regards,
Elaine Stewart and Orla Cottingham.

The Delay Repay section on their website is nearly impossible to use. I wonder why?
Took me over an hour to claim just over £10 but I was determined.
I consider myself to be reasonably tech savvy.

UPDATE
Give credit where it’s due - payment received within 24hours of submitting claim. Upgraded to 3*

Their admin policy of £20 to change the return portion is a rip off adding that to any difference in cost.
As I have done it was half as much than the admin fee to book a new ticket with Chiltern Railways!

Shout out to Richard the chef and the team on a 13/05/26 at 06.14am train from Piccadilly Manchester to Euston.

Was kind, helpful and went above and beyond for the customer!

Used avanti for long trips several times and the delays are very frequent, exceeding 50% rate. Very incompetent.

As usual, late running - no power to sockets in carriage - boiling like a dirty sauna - rectification promised and never delivered.

Price is obscene for the level of service. Nationalisation needed.

Don't believe I've ever been moved to write anything on trust pilot but this is my second adverse experience with this company. They notified me via email that they had cancelled my train. I asked for a refund via the link sent. I made alternative travel arrangements. The following day they emailed to say they had reinstated the train they had previously cancelled - Now they won't give me my refund (!?) They are asking for pictures of a paper ticket I never had cut up (!?) Unbelievable. I ended up travelling with LNER who were pretty decent. In my opinion I would avoid using Avanti if at all practical and possible.

The worse service, most expensive, always late, no customer service, terrible terrible company … how can they get away with it?

The government should seriously encourage more competition on the London to Manchester route instead of allowing passengers to depend so heavily on what feels like a monopoly operator. When one company dominates such an important route, passengers are left with little choice despite extremely high fares, repeated disruptions, cancellations, and restrictive refund policies.

Yesterday’s disruption showed exactly why competition is needed. Thousands of passengers were left struggling while still paying premium prices for unreliable services. In any competitive market, companies would be forced to improve reliability, customer service, pricing, and compensation policies to retain customers.

At the moment, passengers often feel trapped paying very high prices while receiving a level of service that does not justify the cost. Essential intercity travel should not become a stressful experience where customers are expected to simply tolerate cancellations and poor communication because there are limited alternatives.

More operators and stronger competition on the route would likely:

- Improve reliability and accountability
- Reduce excessive ticket prices
- Improve refund and compensation policies
- Encourage better customer service
- Give passengers meaningful alternatives during disruption

Passengers deserve a rail network that works in their interest, not one where they feel powerless due to lack of competition.

Went to have a nice day out train cancelled. Absolute shambles. 1 star reviews everywhere. Embarrassing

We can't remember when we last had such a smooth train journey; in both directions. The trains ran on time, were extremely clean and comfortable, and the staff kept passengers well informed.