A Stoke-on-Trent MP has hit out at Avanti West Coast after another delayed service and has vowed to raise the issue with government officials.

Jo Gideon MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central has said that residents deserve 'reliable, accessible, and reasonably priced rail services with a guaranteed seat'.

This is not the first time the MP has hit out at the Avanti service in Stoke-on-Trent. Last week Ms Gideon branded the service 'totally unacceptable' after her train was cancelled while heading into London leaving passengers stranded at Stoke Station.

The Tory MP who makes regular trips between Stoke-on-Trent and London has assured residents that she will raise the issue with her colleagues in Parliament.

Jo Gideon hit out at Avanti West Coast after her train to London was cancelled last week (Image supplied).

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Gideon said she will seek a meeting with the rail minister, Huw Merriman over the 'severe reductions and unreliability of Avanti West Coast'.

In a post on X, she said: "Heading back to the constituency after a meeting in London today, but my journey was delayed by the service of @AvantiWestCoast with trains being consistently delayed like the 2:13pm train which did not leave until 2.45pm and other trains being cancelled on the route from Euston to Stoke-on-Trent. I will be seeking to meet with the Rail Minister once Parliament is back from recess to discuss with him the damage that the severe reductions and unreliability of Avanti West Coast services are causing to Stoke-on-Trent.     

"Stoke-on-Trent residents deserve reliable, accessible, and reasonably priced rail services with a guaranteed seat. I will continue to raise concerns with the Government until I am confident that residents have the services they deserve."

It is understood that the delayed service yesterday relates to a passenger on another service falling ill. However, 20 services a week between Stoke Station and London will be cancelled until the new year.

The operator blamed crew shortages for the ongoing issues (Avanti West Coast).

This comes as West Coast Mainline operator Avanti blamed crew shortages for the ongoing issues. Typically the operator runs 50 services a day between Manchester and London, with the majority calling at Stoke, however, the crewing issues means that the number is being cut to only 30 trains. 

In a statement Avanti apologised to customers and said they are working hard to minimise cancellations. An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: "We have been seeing some short-notice cancellations on our network and would like to apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused.  

"We know this is not good enough and are working hard to make sure we can minimise these cancellations. These service changes are a result of resourcing challenges where we have seen a shortage of train crew due to historic leave agreements and ongoing industrial disputes."

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