Avanti West Coast Reviews 

You would imagine in a first world country like the uk we would have a rail line linking our 2 major cities (London and Manchester) which works. It is impossible to rely on these trains, to the extent if I have an engagement I have to travel the day before. It can often take 4-8 hours to do a 2 hour journey. Just shocking. An embarrassment to the country

So it gets even better 9.36 Coventry to Edinburgh cancelled at Birmingham international - everyone off - struggled with bags upstairs to Avanti info - told go get train on platform 2 - boarded the train - rammed / when quiet walked the length of the train to my carriage - and it’s the same train I was chucked off because it’s going no further than Birmingham - low and behold it did we are now getting to Preston on the same rain - sh£t show!!! 3.5 hours late to Glasgow 2 weeks ago and looking to be the same for Edinburgh today.

Now stopping at Preston then I have to travel to Glasgow then Edinburgh - if it was a one off fair enough things happen but this is every single time I get the train they are cancelled - I feel sorry for the staff on the train who are great - whose however organising this sh£t show - do better the timetable should just have destinations and a series of question marks - times are pointless - I am struggling to convey my anger and disappointment

Over an hour late while suffering for near 5 hours on a train with no air-con on one of the hottest days in the UK.

Absolutely fed up with the continuous poor service Avanti!! Every single time I have travelled in the past year there have been delays. Missed connections and worst staff I have ever experienced.
No updates whatsoever and absolutely appalling customer service from station staff. They seem so stressed they take it out on customers. This is not acceptable.
I am a customer service experience manager and have been for many years! I have never experienced such poor attitude from so many members of staff😡. they actually argue with you are very defensive and have no answers whatsoever. Instead of apologising and admitting they know nothing they should not take it out on already stressed customers.
I will definitely never use this service again as this is the final time I can take this stress and poor service. Get your act together and get a team in that can train these so called customer service reps 😡

Two trains from Euston to chester cancelled at peak time (between 5pm and 6pm) due to lack of train staff. Final got a train at 7pm and was due in at 9:07pm, however now sat at Crewe station for over 20mins because they need to swap carriages around from back to the front???? No idea on how long this will take. All we get from the train manage is sorry for inconvenience.

No air-con, no power for chargers or usb slots. Incredibly poor service for what we pay for, it costs as much a plane ticket but inside the carriage it was 35 Celsius degree and they claim it is due to hot weather but outside is 29 Celsius degree, no power on the sockets and again they said because of hot weather, wth? And this is not enough, on the train from Glasgow to London we were asked to change to another train at Preston, first they announced you need to go to platform 3, and while everyone was trying to get there, they said platform 6, people piled up on the bridge caused a stampede, it was an absolut joke. I don't want to say too much but if this is extreme weather I must say I am from a country where this weather is a normal summer and lasts months, yet we do have fast trains and air-con, power slots always work. Only explanation is this situation happening because of incompetence.

Train was delayed by 40 minutes with zero explanation from the staff. Ticket prices keep going up but the service just gets worse. At least the carriage was fairly clean this time.

I had to go from Abergele to Wrexham for a hospital appointment. There were no direct trains but there were from Rhyl. I booked an open return online and was impressed with the price. My trains arrived on time both ways and the seats comfortable. Previous passengers had left a bag of rubbish on the seat and it was good to see a collector with a bag calling for a rubbish. Would definitely use this service again. Thank ypu

The wifi is dogwater. Never use again. Even my iPhone 1s hotspot is better

Booked via Avanti App Glasgow to Blackpool Pleasure Beach - changing at Preston and travelling with Northern Rail to Blackpool. The train was very cramped and claustrophobic. The return journey was a nightmare. 40 minutes before catching the train at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, I received a text via Avanti App saying your train at Blackpool Pleasure Beach is cancelled. Now we would miss our connecting train at Preston to Glasgow. As this station is unmanned we were had no one to advise on how to get to Preston in time to catch our train, we took a quick decision that we had no alternative but get a Taxi to Preston at the cost of £45
We contacted Avanti at Preston & Glasgow ‘ Not our fault contact Northern Rail’
Customer service is diabolical, leaving people stranded is not acceptable
I will think twice before using this company again

There is no a/c on the train - an issue staff acknowledged as known before embarking.
There is no food or drinks service - again known beforehand with no warning to buy anything before embarking.
There is no inseat power.
No way to get a refund under these circumstances on the website

Absolutely appalling service. Treat their customers with utter contempt. Trying to get home from Glasgow to London on a Friday afternoon.
Two toilets broken, No water, hot drinks or food available on the train anywhere, not even in 1st class, the train stank and was overcrowded to the extent the first class restrictions were lifted.
The fat controller then decided the customers who had already endured five hours of this hell could then be dumped at Warrington Bank Quay where they could endure a further three hours of hell on another overcrowded train.
The staff of Avanti don't care, the bosses certainly don't, the whole lot of the overpaid uncaring lot of them are holding the travelling public to ransom. Zero stars.

I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN COACH ESEAT 75 ON THE 10 am TRAIN FROM PRESTON TO EUSTON LONDONON THE 22nd June instead of 11 COACHS ONLY 9 ALL SEAT RESERVATIONS CANCELLED ALL SEAT TAKEN BY RUDE STUDENTS WHO WOULD NOT GIVE AN 88 YEAR OLD MAN ME A SEAT DISGUSTING

My train was cancelled so Avanti staff put me on the train directly before with a group of others. I then was told I had to buy a full new ticket by the manager and she’s not accepting it. She called the police said that there were aggressive passengers and had me kicked off. Avanti admitted it was a mistake and offered me £250. Then the same woman came up to me on my next journey and told me I’m a serial ticket evader and she wants my ticket, I explained that I’m not and can show evidence of this. So she called the police and said I attacked her. I was escorted off and she dropped the charges. Avanti offered me a meeting and cancelled with short notice and called the police on me claiming I’m a trespasser. I showed the police I was there for a meeting and then they told me to leave and I’m now banned from the station because Avanti have said so

London to Liverpool and back on 22 June, no first class catering in either direction. Was told on the outward journey to get a coffee and a bacon roll from the shop, I don't eat meat and the guy refused me even a piece of fruit cake "as it was not on the first class menu". The proper coffee machine at the shop was out of order and I was given a very weak instant coffee. On the way back 6 hours later not even told to go to the shop. I went, and asked for an espresso coffee, and was moaned at by the female shop person who very grudgingly banged it down on the counter. On the way back both of the toilets at the 1st class end were out of use, the next one not surprisingly had a long queue and the one after that had no soap. And these are very new trains. But at least the a/c was working and both journeys were fairly punctual, 4 mins late out and 6 mins late back. Certainly the staff I encountered were not an asset to the Company.

Travelled up from euston to preston on the 10.30 am with Avanti from platform 16 on monday the 22nd. The train was packed, with luggage, cases and small rucksacks strewn about blocking the isle and having to be put under tables restricting leg room, the reason for all this was the practically useless over head laughingly called a 'luggage' rack.
Which at about 10 inches high could just about accommodate a coat or jacket. What idiot designed this. Certainly not looking forward to my return journey on avanti trains.

Utter garbage! Late trains, slow trains, filthy toilets, filthy trains, ignorant, unfriendly staff. Crashes, signaling failure, every journey, every time, dangerous. They do NOT even deserve 1 star. The worst railway in the world!

The train manager from Chester to London Euston on 17/6 at 11.02am named John is to be commended and given 5 stars. He was cheerful & professional and stated info v clearly over speaker. Then when checking tickets his manner was so nice. He really deserves praise.
The train though on that journey and the return journey on 18/6 at around 2pm from Euston was stupidly hot!!! Very uncomfortable - please take note and stop saving money Avanti! Make your customers comfortable with air con and it would be 5 stars! For John though 5 stars!

Booked two First Class tickets on Avanti West Coast from London Euston to Glasgow Central on 19 June 2026.

Shortly after departure, passengers in Coach K were informed that there would be no First Class service due to staffing shortages and that refreshments would need to be purchased from the onboard shop. As customers who paid a premium for First Class travel, this was disappointing.

What was particularly concerning was being told by the conductor that he routinely advises people not to book First Class on weekends because it is “not worth it” and that Premium Class offers better value. We were also told there was little point in complaining as compensation would be limited.

While staffing issues can occur, I would have expected a more professional and customer-focused approach. Paying a premium fare and then not receiving the advertised service, coupled with a dismissive attitude towards customer concerns, left a very poor impression.

I have submitted a formal complaint and am awaiting a response.

The staff is extremely rude, a guy named Paul was shouting on us, compared to the white lady sitting next to us we could barely listen to what he was saying to her. He was being completely racist towards us, I communicated this multiple times that lower your voice, he was still very aggravated and said we are doing a fraud or something, a person not being aware and travelling for the first time is a fraud and if the white person does the same thing, its a mistake. Very disappointing
charged her less amount and charged us more. Worst experience ever