Soon-to-be-axed 7am Manchester-London train will still run – but without passengers

Exclusive: Rail regulator pulls Avanti service from timetable from mid-December but it is needed for staff travel

The good news for rail travel between Manchester and London is that a morning train will continue to link England’s biggest cities in under two hours. The bad news: passengers will no longer be able to get onboard.

The rail regulator has axed one of Britain’s fastest and most lucrative intercity services, the 7am Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, as part of a timetable shake-up that will take effect in mid-December.