First Trenitalia has unveiled the new branding for its forthcoming West Coast rail franchise, with the service set to operate under the Avanti West Coast name from next month.

Virgin Trains lost its long-standing franchise to operate the West Coast network earlier this year, with the service scheduled to be handed over to First Trenitalia on December 8.

The new franchise runs until 2031, and is being operated jointly by First Group (which has a 70 per cent holding) and Italy’s state railway company Trenitalia, which holds the remaining 30 per cent.

According to the group the Avanti name (which means “Forward, let’s go!” in Italian), “embodies progress and forward movement”.

The logo encompasses an orange triangle, which “symbolizes the three geographic points of the 400-mile long West Coast Main Line that services cities and towns across England, North Wales and Scotland”.