Avanti West Coast rewarded with over £4m in taxpayer-funded bonuses

Payout awarded for period in which Avanti was UK's worst train operator for delays, Labour analysis found

Avanti West Coast was handed millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded bonuses for a period in which it was Britain's worst train operator for delays, according to Labour party analysis.

The analysis, which used Department for Transport (DfT) figures published on Thursday, found the company was awarded the highest possible rating for operational performance" and customer satisfaction" between 1 April and 18 September last year. Those ratings contributed to a bonus payout of 4.1m.