Rail Minister Claire Perry has welcomed the first major redesign of First Great Western’s mainline timetable in Devon and Cornwall for seven years by waving off the first new 0706 retimed service.
The changes launched yesterday (15 December) see an improved service for the South West, providing an earlier morning direct service from London to Plymouth and Cornwall and shaving over 30 minutes off the current quickest journey time.
Key improvements include:
The 0706 Paddington-Paignton service will now also call at Plymouth, and retimed to arrive 40 minutes
Network Rail has announced plans for tackling the problem of continual flooding at Cowley and Stafford bridges in Exeter.
This solution involves the removal of three weirs close to the bridges to lower the water level in this part of the River Exe.
Flooding at these bridges is a long-standing problem that has had a devastating impact on the nearby railway line and on the local community. In total, it has resulted in four weeks of disruption over the last two years, meaning numerous delays and closures on this part of the Great Western Main Line; loss of profit for...
First Great Western have named one of their high speed trains in celebration of the Red Arrows’ 50th display season.
The power is named “Red Arrows: 50 Seasons of Excellence” . The train naming, which took place at Exeter St David’s Station, celebrated the start of the 2014 Dawlish Air Show and marks a significant milestone for the Red Arrows.
First Great Western’s General Manager, West, David Crome, said: “I’m delighted we’re able to celebrate the Red Arrows 50th display season and we’re proud to be naming one of our high speed trains in honour of them.
First Great Western have launched a photo competition to capture the beautiful scenery of the UK.
They're looking to see who can uncover some of the hidden gems of Exeter and the South West, or simply show the places you've travelled to by train this summer.
All entries will appear in the FGW Frame Your Train gallery, and be put in front of a credible judging panel for a chance to win ‘Photo of The Week’ and two standard class train tickets!
To enter, simply:
- Take a photo of the view from the carriage window
A photo which allegedly shows a family cycling on the rail line between Exeter and Dawlish has led to warnings against using the line from British Transport Police and Network Rail. The photograph appeared on social media apparently showing a family of cyclists using the tracks in the Powderham area while work continues by Network Rail to repair damage caused by severe weather earlier this month. The photo is alleged to have been taken in mid-February when the nearby Dawlish Warren road was flooded but there remains some uncertainty around the photos authenticity. Despite the uncertainty,...
Stagecoach Bus confirmed today a package of measures to help communities affected by the closure of the storm-damaged railway line at Dawlish in Devon.
Around 80m of sea wall was destroyed by high tides and storms last week, causing a significant stretch of railway to collapse into the sea.
Work is underway to repair the sea-wall, but Network Rail estimates that the damage means the line between Exeter St David’s and Newton Abbot will not re-open until mid-March at the earliest.
Stagecoach, which operates around 330 buses across the south-west of England, is...
Prime Minister, David Cameron, has today visited the destroyed track near Dawlish as part of his tour of the storm damage in the South West. Mr Cameron met with the repair force from Network Rail and thanked railway staff for their work to retain service via replacement bus and alternative travel schemes. At meeting with Rail operators First Great Western Mr Cameron tweeted “Hearing how @FGW are keeping the SW #openforbusiness. We will look at possible alternatives to the Dawlish rail route.” The Prime Minister later met with local volunteers accompanied by Anne Marie Morris MP for Newton...
Devon County Council leader, John Hart, has today offered praise for the “swift” response to the unprecedented rail problems affecting the South West.
The disruptions are mainly the result of the recent severe weather destroying around 80m of coastal track near Dawlish limiting the region’s transport links.
Extra pressure came over the weekend when a landslip on track near Yeovil cut off Devon’s rail link to the rest of the country.
Although initial expectations thought the repair work would take a week the line was re-opened just a day later.
Network Rail has revealed its choice for an alternative railway line to the heavily damaged Dawlish line today.
The plans come as the rail authority had consider an alternative to the current coastal line after the recent storms destroyed an 80m section of track near Dawlish.
The potential route from Okehampton to Plymouth via Tavistock through areas of Dartmoor National Park has already come under criticism from some transport campaigners as it bypasses large areas of South Devon.
Calling for further rail investment in the Exeter Daily today , Transport Campaigner...
I have been a Devon transport campaigner since 1975, during which time we have pressed for greater investment in railway lines and trains. In that time we have successfully seen the re-opening of stations at Pinhoe, Digby & Sowton, Ivybridge and the reintroduction of more frequent services on many local lines. This is to be applauded.
However it is now becoming abundantly clear that our railway infrastructure in and around the county is in trouble. We desperately need urgent and deep attention to the whole rail system in the region. No wonder people are feeling abandoned by...
