Avanti Evero (UK)

ShowMeTheJourney has anticipated what questions are most often asked about travelling on Avanti West Coast Evero trains and answered them below.

If you can't find the information you are seeking, you can ask a question by using the Travel Planning Service.

These trains have maximum speed 125mph / 200kmh, though because they cannot tilt, they typically travel at a maximum speed of 110mph / 170 km/h.

Seats are automatically allocated when booking any type of ticket online - and when booking Advance tickets at station ticket offices and ticket machines,
However, when booking other types of ticket at stations you may be asked if you want to add a reservation.
It won't be possible to add a reservation when booking less than an hour prior to the departure time.

Yes, when booking on the Avanti website, at step 4, after you have chosen a ticket delivery method, you will be told the specific seat(s) you have been allocated.
You can then use the Change Seat button to access a seating plan.
On the plan you can see which seats:

• are table seats or airline style
• have a more limited window view
• are on the aisle
• are closest to the doors and luggage racks

When two or more people are travelling together, it's a good idea to use the seat picker to confirm that you have been sat together; and then choose new seats if you haven't - the Avanti website tends to assign seats randomly.
Though you will need to pick each new seat one-by-one.

Yes, the direction of travel indicators are included on the Avanti West Coast seating plans and the trains don't reverse direction during the journeys.
Use the seat backs to guide you as to what seats will be facing forward.

No, but opting to reserve does not incur additional charges

There is a staffed bar/bistro counter which can be accessed by all passengers.
Passengers travelling First Class benefit from a complimentary at-seat catering service included in the price of tickets.

Plug sockets are available at every seat in First Class and at each pair of seats in Standard Class.

USB sockets are also available at all First Class seats and at table seats in Standard Class.

Yes, see the info on how to connect.

Yes, you can opt to choose a seat located within the Quiet coach when making a booking.

The number of items per passenger isn't restricted, though the request is that the maximum size per item is 30 x 70 x 90cm.

Yes there are two dedicated spaces - See the Avanti guide to booking a journey.

Yes, there is space for a maximum of four bikes per train with two spaces on each rack.
There are located in coaches B and D on the 5-car trains, and in B, D, M and P when two trains are joined together to create a 10-car service - All of which are Standard Class

Places must be reserved prior to boarding.
It's best to add a reservation when booking, but if having already booked, you then subsequently discover that no bike spaces are available on the train you have selected, you can transfer tickets, including Advance tickets to an alternative departure.

You can use the Seat-Picker service on the Avanti website, to ensure that you have seats in the coach in which your bike will be stored.

Yes, up to two dogs can be taken on board and they don't require tickets.

The Evero is Britain's newest long-distance train and Avanti West Coast is understandably keen to showcase the travelling experience.

Differences with a Pendolino train

The key differences between the Evero trains and the Pendolino trains, which are also operated by Avanti West Coast, are:

• The Evero trains do not tilt when they travel around curves in the track.
• These trains are bi-mode, meaning that they can take electric power on the routes with overhead wires, but can also travel on routes without them, such as the line along the North Wales coast.
• Each train has five coaches. with only one which is First Class.
• But two trains are often joined together on many departures and when that that is the case, two on-board shops / bistros should be available.
• These trains do not have Standard Premier Class.

These trains are already operating some departures on these routes
London Euston - Crewe - Chester
London Euston - Crewe - Chester - Rhyl - Llandudno Junction - Bangor - Holyhead

Other departures are still being operated by Super Voyager trains

If you use the seat picker when booking, on the seating plan if one of the coaches on Standard Class has mainly table seats, than that is a plan for a Super Voyager train.
On the Evero trains, the three Standard Class coaches, which don't also contain the on-board shop, have very similar seating plans.

Seat reservations are available, but not mandatory when travelling on Avanti Evero services:

When booking tickets, including any journey using Advance tickets, reservations will also be issued which show specific coach and seat numbers.

Rail pass users can either opt to board without reservations, or arrange reservations prior to boarding, either at an Advance Travel desk in a station at least an before departure, or by contacting Avanti's social media channels.
There is no charge to rail pass users for booking an optional reservation.

Worth knowing is that for your travel ticket to be valid, you don’t have to occupy the seat(s) you will be assigned* when booking online.
So if for any reason you want to travel in a different seat, you can do so.
As long as you check that the alternative seat(s) you want to move to haven’t been reserved, so will be available for your journey.

*= Advance tickets can only be used on the departure selected when booking, but the departure info is on the reservation, so it shows the conductor that you are in fact traveling by the departure you selected.

Using the seating plans:

When using the Avanti West Coast ticket booking system you can choose a type of seat preference, window or aisle etc, but two screens later, after you have chosen a delivery option, you will see a screen which shows the allocated seat numbers and also has a 'Choose seat' button.

Don’t just check the coach/carriage numbers by the doors, also check the seat number info that’s on the outside of the train.
All coaches will have two doors, one at each end, and the other door may be nearer to your seat.

You don’t have to occupy the seat(s) you will assigned when booking online, so you check that the alternative seat(s) you want to move to haven’t been reserved, so will be available for your journey.
When you enter the coach/carriage check to see what other seats are free - the seat availability info can be checked on the electronic strip above the windows

• Green light = available for an entire journey
• Orange light = available for part of the journey (at least from this particular station)
• Red light = seat has been booked for the entire journey

If you don’t have heavy luggage, after departure it can be worth having a walk through the train, to see what seats are available in other coaches.
It’s not unknown for some of the coaches on the train to relatively full while others will be comparatively empty.

Standard Class:

There is an on-board café from which you can order hot food and a more extensive range of food/drink items.

First Class:

If you won’t be making a short-distance journey complimentary food and drink is served to first class passengers at their seats

All coaches offer a mix of seats grouped around a table and airline style seats (though in First and Standard Premier class, the airline-style seats have proper tables for individual use) and you can specify a preference for being sat at a table seat(s) when booking tickets.

Particularly if you will be travelling long-distance, prior to making a booking, ShowMeTheJourney recommends looking at the seating plans, which can be downloaded from the Avanti West Coast website.
You can use these plans to check which seats have a limited view, because not all seats in First or Standard class line up with the windows - or to check which seats do have power sockets.