18 / AVANTI
Rail's new dawn? Avanti West Coast is a joint venture between First Group and Trenitalia, operating the UK’s west coast intercity service, Roger Williams, examines how it is raising the onboard bar post-pandemic
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vanti West Coast’s customer base shrank dramatically during the pandemic but that hasn’t dampened their enthusiasm for fresh onboard concepts. It has launched service enhancements just as passenger confidence in train travel is increasing, perhaps a sign of a new dawn for rail. The new Standard Premium class offers roomier seats and a guaranteed tabletop, and all passengers get free wifi access to Avanti media and at-seat ordering. Plus, an overhaul of the premium catering aims to rebuild First Class ticket sales with a more personalised dining service. Hot breakfasts, cooked freshly onboard, new sustainable options from artisan suppliers, and a return to door-side welcomes all help raise the bar. All are designed to set Avanti apart from its competitors in both air, rail and road, and reflect a successful strategy used on many European intercity routes. Business traveller numbers are low, so the changes are designed to appeal to leisure customers too.
SUSTAINABLE FOCUS Branded place mat and menu are laid after seating as research showed Avanti passengers prefer the table clear for boarding, and welcome drinks – fresh juice and tea – arrive soon after. A host explains the menu choices with products from along the route shown on a menu map. Full ingredients and allergen data is available online. To minimise their environmental footprint, the team has focused on sustainable sourcing of products such as Change Please coffee, Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese, cakes and desserts from The Pudding Compartment, plus a range of accompaniments such as West Coast chutney from Rubies in the Rubble and salted butter from Netherend Farm in Gloucestershire. On my day of travel the popular Great British Breakfast took pride of place, with smoked British bacon, pork and parsley sausage and Lancashire black pudding served with portobello mushroom, roasted tomato, potato scone and a free-range fried egg (or scrambled). All food is served on onboardhospitality.com
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