Great Western Railway adds 200 destinations with new timetable
Great Western Railway will launch a new timetable on Sunday 17 May, adding the first phase of the Mid-Cornwall Metro and new overnight connections to Gatwick Airport. The changes take GWR to 200 destinations for the first time, with an hourly service between Par and Newquay at the center of the new schedule.
The timetable also brings daily direct services between London and Newquay. GWR said the new services are possible because of Class 175 trains introduced late last year and improvements made by Network Rail to support them.
Mid-Cornwall Metro and Newquay
The first phase of the Mid-Cornwall Metro begins with the hourly Par-Newquay service. That gives passengers a regular link on a route that GWR has placed at the front of its new schedule, alongside the daily direct London-Newquay services set out for the summer timetable.
Mark Hopwood, managing director of Great Western Railway, commented in the article, though the supplied text cuts off before his quote. GWR is pairing the timetable change with the claim that its network will reach 200 destinations for the first time.
Okehampton Interchange later this summer
Later this summer, GWR is set to open its 200th station at Okehampton Interchange on the Dartmoor Line. The station will include a new 200 space car park. Since 2021, GWR has opened five new stations at Okehampton, Marsh Barton, Reading Green Park, Portway Park and Ride and Ashley Down.
GWR also said four more stations are planned over the next two or three years at Bristol Brabazon, Charfield, Portishead and Pill. New research cited in the announcement says railway stations across the South West could unlock 238,000 jobs and £14.25 billion by 2035, with Okehampton Interchange and Marsh Barton projected to generate 1,500 permanent jobs and around £112 million each year over the next decade.
Reading and Gatwick overnight links
The new overnight services between Reading and Gatwick Airport extend the timetable beyond Cornwall and the South West. For passengers who use those routes, the key change is the combination of overnight links, the new summer direct service to Newquay and the expanded station count that follows on later this summer.
