GWR timetable cut back

[TJDevon]

From an email sent by GWR

To address the consistent performance issues and the frequent short-notice cancellations brought about by the issues outlined above, we are planning a limited number of timetable reductions to come into effect from Monday 7 September. These changes – 6 cancellations on a weekday, and a smaller number on a Saturday, between Penzance and Plymouth/Exeter – will help to provide certainty for customers instead of the ad-hoc cancellations we’ve had to make over recent weeks, and help protect capacity for the rest of our services in Devon and Cornwall.

Anyone know which services?

 

[Goldfish62]

From an email sent by GWR

To address the consistent performance issues and the frequent short-notice cancellations brought about by the issues outlined above, we are planning a limited number of timetable reductions to come into effect from Monday 7 September. These changes – 6 cancellations on a weekday, and a smaller number on a Saturday, between Penzance and Plymouth/Exeter – will help to provide certainty for customers instead of the ad-hoc cancellations we’ve had to make over recent weeks, and help protect capacity for the rest of our services in Devon and Cornwall.

Anyone know which services?

Nothing on journey planners yet that I can see. Seems to be all the fashion for operators to tell us they're "temporarily removing services from the timetable" but not actually provide us with the most useful information, ie which services.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Nothing on journey planners yet that I can see. Seems to be all the fashion for operators to tell us they're "temporarily removing services from the timetable" but not actually provide us with the most useful information, ie which services.

Presumably this is related to ongoing Class 175 performance issues?

 

[Goldfish62]

Presumably this is related to ongoing Class 175 performance issues?

Yes, it is. Here's the full text from the email sent to stakeholders by GWR outlining the issues and what's being done to sort it all out:

Update today on Class 175 trains from GWR>

As we approach the end of summer, we wanted to write to you regarding our Class 175 fleet of trains. As you may be aware, we introduced these to our fleet in Devon and Cornwall at the end of 2025 as we removed the last of our Castle Class HST sets from service. Those trains were the most expensive to maintain, and the biggest contributor of pollutants in our fleet so as we rightly look to reduce the level of taxpayer subsidy required taking those trains out of service was necessary.

The introduction of the 26 Class 175s is designed to improve capacity and resilience in Devon and Cornwall and provide a better experience for our customers. However, the 15 trains transferred to GWR to date have required a higher level of recommissioning work than expected following a prolonged period in storage and out of service. The introduction of these trains has been further affected in passenger service by technical issues, which now require immediate and targeted attention to ensure the fleet delivers the reliability and benefits our customers, the communities we serve, and our colleagues expect. As a result, we know performance and punctuality on our routes in Devon and Cornwall hasn’t been good enough recently. There have been too many cancellations and delays, and customers and colleagues are rightly frustrated.

To address the consistent performance issues and the frequent short-notice cancellations brought about by the issues outlined above, we are planning a limited number of timetable reductions to come into effect from Monday 7 September. These changes – 6 cancellations on a weekday, and a smaller number on a Saturday, between Penzance and Plymouth/Exeter – will help to provide certainty for customers instead of the ad-hoc cancellations we’ve had to make over recent weeks, and help protect capacity for the rest of our services in Devon and Cornwall.

To ensure we can deliver the long-term reliability and capacity benefits that we believe the Class 175s will bring, and so we can return to a full timetable as soon as possible, we’re introducing an improvement plan based around including the key interventions which we believe will deliver a more robust and reliable fleet:
* **Enhanced pre-service assurances – **once reported defects have been fixed, each unit will undergo additional checks to identify any related or emerging issues before the train returns to passenger service. The aim is to go beyond fixing the immediate fault and give greater confidence that the unit is ready for sustained operation.


* We’ve introduced a **Class 175 1,000-mile fault-free running period **for each train before it goes into passenger service. Trains must complete the distance in simulated passenger operation without any significant faults occurring. This provides a more realistic test of reliability and greater confidence before trains are released into service.


* A **dedicated technical investigation team **has been put in place, including specialists from GWR and Angel Trains, who own the trains, and original manufacturers, Alstom. That team will carry out a full forensic review of all reported defects, using new and existing data to better understand why faults are happening and how maintenance and repair regimes can be strengthened.

It will take some time for these measures to take full effect, and we recognise the inconvenience caused as we work through this difficult period. We will of course continue to keep you updated as the improvement plan progresses, and if you do have any questions please do get in touch.