Avanti West Coast fleet passes 5 million miles on West Coast Main Line
Avanti West Coast says its Class 805 Evero fleet has passed 5 million miles on the West Coast Main Line after entering passenger service in June 2024. The milestone covers about 8 million kilometers and comes as the operator continues to use the dual-mode trains between London and North Wales.
Owain Morgan on the milestone
Owain Morgan, senior performance manager at Avanti West Coast, said the fleet reaching the milestone is a significant moment. He added: “Our Class 805 Evero fleet reaching the 5 million-mile milestone is a significant moment and a testament to both the fleet’s performance and the work of our colleagues, who strive constantly to ensure its reliability every day.”
Morgan also said: “Passengers now benefit from modern, comfortable trains designed around their needs.”
London, North Wales and Holyhead
The Class 805 trains were manufactured by Hitachi Rail for Avanti West Coast and run on both electric and diesel power. The fleet is used mainly between London and North Wales, including Holyhead, and some trains also operate services between London and the West Midlands.
Nearly two-thirds of the journey between London and Holyhead can be powered by electricity. After the trains leave Crewe, they switch to diesel for the rest of the north coast of Wales, where the line is not electrified.
Evero fleet changes
The 805s are part of Avanti West Coast’s Evero fleet, which also includes 10 Class 807 electric trains. The full Evero fleet was introduced to help increase the number of services in the timetable and support the company’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2031.
Avanti says each Evero train has 5 cars and 16% more seats than the model it replaced. The company also says the new trains bring more legroom, more generous luggage space and accessibility features including Braille labels and large-print markings on the seats.
The trains have also been used to keep services running on diversionary routes when work closed the West Coast Main Line between Preston and Carlisle in January and April 2026. In those two periods, the Class 805 trains traveled 59,620 miles, or about 95,950 km, on the Settle–Carlisle route.
Avanti West Coast said that in the year ending April 2026, the Class 805 fleet produced nearly two-thirds fewer carbon emissions per vehicle-km than the previous model in the preceding year. For passengers using the route, the fleet now sits at the center of Avanti’s timetable changes, with two additional weekday trains between London and Chester since last September and one service per hour on that route.
