THE government was accused today of “rewarding failure” on the railways after it extended the contract of Avanti West Coast despite the firm providing an “unacceptable” service to passengers.

The train operator has had its contract renewed until April 1 next year to allow time for the company to improve its performance, the Department for Transport (DfT) has said.

Avanti West Coast, which runs trains between London Euston and regional cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, has been criticised for slashing up to two-thirds of its services.