Founded in December 2019, it is currently operated by First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Limited, comprising two distinct parts, Avanti West Coast which runs the current services on the WCML, and West Coast Partnership Development, which is the 'shadow operator' for future high-speed services.

[4][5] In June 2017, the DfT announced three consortiums had been shortlisted to bid for the franchise:[6][7] In December 2018, MTR announced that Spain's main rail operator Renfe Operadora had joined its joint bid as a key subcontractor.

[9] In August 2019, the DfT announced the FirstGroup / Trenitalia consortium as the successful bidder.

[12] As a result of the COVID pandemic, the franchising system in Great Britain was abolished in the autumn of 2020.

[14] Poor performance in 2022 led to a new six-month short term contract being imposed by the DfT.