Avanti West Coast has removed all peak-time restrictions over the festive season and is urging its passengers to book in advance.

The operator expects services expected to be at their busiest on Saturday 23 December and Wednesday 27 December.

For two weeks, from today (Friday 22 December) until Sunday 7 January, the Avanti West Coast Main Line will not charge peak fares. It explains that it is doing this in order to give passengers greater flexibility when planning to travel, but the decision is also likely to be influenced by the change in travel patterns over the holiday season which mean that passenger numbers do not peak during ‘rush hours’ to the degree that they usually do.

Passengers can now buy all Avanti’s ticket types, including cheaper Advance tickets and the new Superfare, for travel dates until the New Year. The operator is strongly advising them to book in advance and to reserve a seat.

Services will finish earlier on Christmas Eve (Sunday 24 December) and New Year’s Eve and start later on Wednesday 27 December and New Year’s Day. No trains will run on Christmas Day or Boxing Day and engineering work will caused a much-reduced train service on Monday 1 January 2024. There are no services on Christmas and Boxing Day.

More information is available here.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “Our services are expected to be really busy in the run up to Christmas and for the return to work in the New Year. So we’re encouraging customers to book ahead, make a reservation and arrive at their station in good time.”

“We’ve removed all Peak time restrictions to make it cheaper too and those with flexible travel plans can also consider our Superfare ticket with prices from as low as £9 from London to Birmingham.”