Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast is the high-speed intercity operator from London Euston, running 125 mph Pendolino and new Hitachi trains up the West Coast Main Line to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
About Avanti West Coast
Avanti took over the West Coast franchise in 2019 from Virgin Trains, inheriting the iconic Class 390 Pendolino fleet — 11-car tilting trains that maintain 125 mph through the Lake District curves.
The new Hitachi-built Class 805 bi-mode and Class 807 electric units are entering service on the North Wales and Birmingham routes, freeing up Pendolinos for the Manchester and Glasgow services.
London Euston handles all Avanti, plus Caledonian Sleeper, London Northwestern and (from the late 2020s) HS2 — making it the future hub of Britain's high-speed rail network.
Key Avanti West Coast routes
- Euston → Manchester PiccadillyHourly Pendolino, ~2h 7m fastest
- Euston → Glasgow Central~4h 30m via West Coast Main Line
- Euston → Liverpool Lime StreetHourly, ~2h 15m
- Euston → Birmingham New StreetHalf-hourly, 1h 20m
Major destinations
- Birmingham New Street
- Manchester Piccadilly
- Liverpool Lime Street
- Glasgow Central
- Edinburgh
- Preston
- Crewe
- North Wales (Holyhead)
FAQs about Avanti West Coast
What's the fastest Avanti train to Manchester?
About 2 hours 7 minutes from London Euston, hourly throughout the day on Class 390 Pendolino trains.
Are Avanti and Virgin Trains the same?
No. Virgin Trains West Coast ran the franchise from 1997 to 2019; Avanti West Coast (FirstGroup/Trenitalia) took over in December 2019.
Does Avanti go to Edinburgh?
Yes — a small number of daily Pendolino services extend beyond Glasgow Central to Edinburgh, taking about 4h 30m from Euston.