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Penzance-Cardiff change to Penzance-Exeter

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Requeststop

Requeststop

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I've just returned to the UK after some years away working overseas, to find that the GWR runs from Penzance to Cardiff Central and back are now only running as far as Exeter St Davids. If you wish to travel further east or North than Exeter you have to change trains. To get to Cardiff, sometimes you might have to change trains twice, an inconvenience for we Cornish residents wishing to get to Bristol and beyond. There are now only three trains a day from Cornwall to Bristol that are direct. 11:15 from Penzance (1S53) XC to Edinburgh, 17:50, (1A39) GWR to Paddington via Bristol TM, and 18:13 (1M92) XC to Birmingham.

Can anyone explain the change? I'd certainly like to know the reasons.
 
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brad465

brad465

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The imminent introduction of Class 175s is the main reason for the change: the traction is not being signed north of Exeter, so this service has to be split.
 
dk1

dk1

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I was under the impression that the long term goal was to run hourly Cardiff-Cornwall and that these services will eventually do the honours at Wellington and Cullompton once these stations are built. For the time being the imminent 175 introduction mentioned in the post above makes this not operationally possible.
 
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Snow1964

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It was also done so that some castle HSTs could be withdrawn (which is why it has already happened, rather than waiting until 175s were ready to start)

If it actually has worked well is another question. I am not sure which area GWR classifies it as. But latest performance figures show :
EF11 (Devon) 3.56% cancelled, 58.61% on time, 77.74% time+3min
EF12 (Plymouth & Cornwall) 3.10% canx, 68.86% on time, 84.66% time+3min
EF13 (South Wales -South Coast) 6.47% canx, 58.15% on time, 74.19% time+3min

So depending on which area in stats cover it, between 1 in 14 to 1 in 30 trains doesn't operate, and 3 or 4 in every 10 are late. And of course late trains aren't great if needing to catch a connection as no longer direct.

 
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