Passengers unable to book some train journeys more than eight days in advance

Exclusive: Rail passengers wait to book London-Manchester tickets for next month, while British Airways sells flights on the route almost a year ahead

Departing when? Avanti West Coast train at Crewe station in Cheshire (Simon Calder)

With holidays in England now legal again, many travellers will be hoping to organise trips by train. But as leisure travel reopens, passengers are unable to book some key inter-city journeys more than eight days in advance.

Anyone hoping for a weekend away on 24 and 25 April using Avanti West Coast trains is told “Tickets not currently available to book. Please check back closer to your date of travel.”

The timetable is due to open on Wednesday 14 April.

Avanti runs services on the West Coast main line between London Euston, the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland. It includes key inter-city journeys such as London to Manchester and Birmingham to Glasgow.

While some connecting journeys are show as available, for example between London and Blackpool, the fares offered are more expensive off-peak tickets rather than Advance.

At present capacity on its trains is limited, giving rise to concerns that space may not be available. In addition, many passengers like to book early to avail of the cheapest Advance tickets.

For many journeys in May, the timetable is due to be confirmed on 17 April – but for the weekend of 15 and 16 May, passengers will be able to book only eight days in advance.

On British Airways, flights from Manchester to London can be booked up to and including 2 April 2022, at fares starting at £50 one way.

A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said: “Due to significant alterations to the timetable being required to accommodate planned improvement works over the next few weeks we are unable to make Advance fares and reservations available until the timetable is confirmed.

“We advise customers to check the Avanti West Coast website for details of when the timetable will be confirmed for their travel date.”

Network Rail’s spokesperson said: “Passengers should rightly be able to book their trains in advance and the industry accepts timetables being published at short notice simply isn’t good enough.

“The pandemic has pushed Network Rail and train operators to be more agile and innovative than ever before. However, it has exposed parts of the industry, like ticketing, which need a complete overhaul so they can adapt to the unpredictability of the times we are in and be fit for the needs of passengers as we welcome them back to the railway in the coming months.”

Since the stay at home rule was lifted in England on 29 March, car journeys have increased by 6 per cent to 78 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, while rail passenger numbers are at around 25 per cent.

Taxpayers are funding the running of largely empty trains at a rate of £1m per hour.