The new December weekday train timetable for Devon, Cornwall and Somerset has been launched today, providing faster journey times, more seats and more frequent services to key locations.

Users are being warned to check before travelling to avoid being caught out.

Richard Burningham, from the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, said:  “It is not just the journey time savings in long-distance journeys to London, it is also about the significant improvement to many local trains across the two counties. It is no exaggeration to say that Devon and Cornwall local services will be the best they have ever been.” 

Regular users have been asked to check their new journey times for the biggest timetable change on the network since 1976. GWR’s Intercity Express Trains (IETs) are taking advantage of infrastructure improvements to run to a fully-electric timetable between Newbury and London for the first time. 

Train services between Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and London have been restructured to deliver a more consistent service pattern throughout the day, offering faster journey times and more frequent services to key locations.   

The planned improvements are so significant, especially for those who travel regularly and are used to catching a particular service every day, that GWR launched an awareness campaign to highlight the changes ahead, and make sure customers are prepared, encouraging customers to find out more at www.gwr.com/timetable2019 before they head to their local station. 

Three more services a day will run between Paddington and the south west, running non-stop between Reading and Taunton. GWR expects average journey times to improve by as much as 11 minutes between Paddington and Penzance and seven minutes between Paddington and Plymouth. 

A two-hourly semi-fast service between Paddington and Exeter St Davids will call at Reading, Newbury, Pewsey, Westbury, Castle Cary, Taunton and Tiverton Parkway. 

GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “This timetable has been a number of years in the making, enabling us to deliver the benefits of new Intercity Express Trains, and modernised infrastructure, for our customers. With the changes we realise that investment in trains and infrastructure, and deliver on the promise we made to customers for more services, more seats and faster journeys.

 “More than 350 extra on-board staff have been taken on, more than 1,200 drivers trained, and we will have extra staff at stations throughout our network to help as we embark on this new journey.

“We have worked hard to help people understand how the changes will affect them. We have spoken with our customers as often as possible, possibly annoyingly so, to help ensure a smooth transition, but we all recognise there will be some issues to iron out as everyone gets used to the changes.”