The General Council meeting of West Coast Rail 250 was held last Thursday (23rd February) in Liverpool. Members heard from Richard Scott of Avanti West Coast and Melissa Farmer from Transpennine Express on current train operation issues and their plans for the May and December 2023 timetables.
The meeting was also updated on the activities of the WCML All Party Parliamentary Group, including their recent visit to the Pendolino refurbishment programme in Widnes, and reviewed the activities of West Coast Rail 250 in the 30 years since its first manifesto was published.
An afternoon visit was made to the rail depot at Kirkdale where the new Merseyrail Class 777 trains are maintained. Members had the opportunity to inspect the interior of the trains which have drawn on extensive feedback from local rail users.
Thank you to the Liverpool City Region for hosting the meeting and arranging the depot visit.
The next General Council meeting will be held in Dumfries on 22 June.