The west coast main line, which runs through Cheshire is set to be operated by Avanti West Coast for a further six months, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

The news has come after the Department for Transport had said that significant improvements in the service had been made in the last six months.

The DfT had put Avanti West Coast on a short-term six-month contract in October after increasing concerns about its performance in running the line. The west coast main line runs from London through to Glasgow, with both Macclesfield and Crewe key stops within the county.

A revised timetable was implemented in October with the sole aim of improving performance, introducing a recovery timetable that relied less on overtime working schedules, which the government now believes has improved matters.

Transport secretary, Mark Harper said in a statement:

"The routes Avanti West Coast run are absolutely vital, and I fully understand the frustrations passengers felt at the completely unacceptable services seen last Autumn. Following our intervention, Rail minister Huw Merriman and I have worked closely with local leaders to put a robust plan in place, which I'm glad to see is working.

"However, there is still more work to be done to bring services up to the standards we expect, which is why over the next six months further improvements will need to be made by Avanti West Coast."

The DfT also confirmed that another under-performing train service provider, Transpennine Express who are also on a six-month contract whilst improvements are made, will be considered in due course and an announcement will be made before the contract is due to end, on 28 May.

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