Avanti West Coast: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is First Rail Holdings Limited. In the year to March 2025 First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited reported turnover of £1,016m.
- In the year to March 2025, Avanti West Coast had turnover of £1,016m, down 0.4% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £13m, keeping £1.24 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 3,360 people, with staff costs of £230m.
- First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited is controlled by First Rail Holdings Limited, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited's accounts for the year to March 2025, filed at Companies House on 24 November 2025.
- Registered name
- FIRST TRENITALIA WEST COAST RAIL LIMITED
- Company number
- 10349442
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 27 August 2016
- Registered office area
- Birmingham
- Industry code on the register
- 49100: Land transport and transport via pipelines
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to March 2025, filed 24 November 2025
What does Avanti West Coast do?
Avanti West Coast runs intercity passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line, linking London Euston with the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and Scotland. It operates under a contract with the government, which takes the fare income and pays the operator a fee to run the service. The company was formed by FirstGroup and Trenitalia and took over the route from Virgin Trains in December 2019.
In brief: intercity rail operator · West Coast Main Line · government rail contract · London Euston
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: avantiwestcoast.co.uk.
Who owns Avanti West Coast?
The Companies House register records First Rail Holdings Limited as the person with significant control of First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited, company number 10349442. First Rail Holdings Limited is itself company number 05154485.
That places First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited inside a larger group. The accounts on this page are the company's own, not the wider group's.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Avanti West Coast?
The Companies House register lists 7 current officers for First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited.
All 7 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Ernesto Sicilia | 2 November 2016 |
| Michael John Nelson | 1 June 2020 |
| Shamit Weinberger Gaiger | 25 July 2022 |
| Bernardo Tonini | 3 October 2022 |
| Andrew John Mellors | 20 March 2023 |
| Carolann James | 30 June 2025 |
| Dr Benjamin John Caswell | 3 May 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Avanti West Coast file?
First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited reported turnover of £1,016m in the year to March 2025. That was down 0.4% on £1,019m the year before.
It reported 3,360 employees. The year before it reported 3,296.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £13m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £12m the year before.
Staff costs came to £230m. That is an average of £68,000 a head. It ended the year with £47m at the bank and net assets of £9m. It paid dividends of £11m.
| Measure | Mar 2025 | Mar 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £1,016m | £1,019m |
| Pre-tax profit | £13m (filed) | £12m (filed) |
| Employees | 3,360 | 3,296 |
| Staff costs | £230m | £210m |
| Average staff cost per head | £68,000 | £64,000 |
| Bank and cash | £47m | £76m |
| Net assets | £9m | £11m |
| Dividends paid | £11m | £8m |
| Interest paid | £2m | |
| Directors' pay | £1.0m |
Read the accounts to March 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
How Avanti West Coast compares
Of the 5 train operators, Avanti West Coast is 5th on turnover, 2nd on profit margin and 5th on growth. GWR keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £1.92.
| Rank | Train operators | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | GWR | £1,665m | £1.92 |
| 5th | Avanti West Coast | £1,016m | £1.24 |
| + 3 more train operators ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Avanti West Coast files as First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited, whose person with significant control is First Rail Holdings Limited, with turnover of £1,016m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Avanti West Coast
What does Avanti West Coast do?
Avanti West Coast runs intercity passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line, linking London Euston with the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and Scotland. It operates under a contract with the government, which takes the fare income and pays the operator a fee to run the service. The company was formed by FirstGroup and Trenitalia and took over the route from Virgin Trains in December 2019.
How does Avanti West Coast compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Avanti West Coast is 5th of the 5 companies in our battle of the train operators, behind GWR. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the train operators →
Who owns Avanti West Coast?
The Companies House register records First Rail Holdings Limited as the person with significant control of First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited.
How much does Avanti West Coast make?
First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited reported turnover of £1,016m in the year to March 2025. It filed a pre-tax profit of £13m.
How many people work at Avanti West Coast?
First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited reported 3,360 employees in the year to March 2025.
Who runs Avanti West Coast?
The Companies House register lists 7 current officers for First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 10349442, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Avanti West Coast: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/avanti-west-coast/. Figures from Companies House filings for FIRST TRENITALIA WEST COAST RAIL LIMITED (10349442).
More from Spark Intel
Battle
The battle of the train operators: turnover, profit and staff compared
Read →Company profile
JLR: who owns it and what the accounts show
Read →Company profile
Amazon UK: who owns it and what the accounts show
Read →Company profile
Royal Mail: who owns it and what the accounts show
Read →Company profiles
Every company profile, by sector
Read →VS Series
Every VS comparison: two businesses, settled with accounts
Read →Bright Sparks