December timetable

As far as Plymouth and Cornwall are concerned, the Great Western Railway Intercity Express Train timetable starting on December 16 is a disappointment. There is no significant speed-up, nor an increased service.

Plymouth and Cornwall retain the same number of ‘fast’ through trains as before, only one of which (the 0804, previously 0730) is more than five or six minutes faster than today, due only to it no longer running via Bristol.

The three existing non-stop runs between Reading and Exeter have been removed, with all trains now stopping at Taunton and most at Tiverton Parkway and Totnes. Thus, most Plymouth trains have at least six intermediate stops with all but one Plymouth service taking over three hours.

Symbolically, perhaps, the early morning business service from

Plymouth to Paddington is slightly slower than before. Offset against this is a better service from December for the commuter villages between Newbury and Taunton, although Frome is left out.

West Country services were faster 30 years ago than they are today. In 1989, just before the shadow of privatisation fell, London to Penzance took 4hrs 45mins - the best today is over five hours.

Plymouth fares slightly better (2hrs 52mins in 1989, 2hrs 57mins by one train from December 2019, thanks to running non-stop from Exeter to Plymouth - the only service to do so).

Any extra seats on IETs must be set against their stripped-down seating and their almost comically dysfunctional catering and seat reservations.

Perhaps an open access operator could step in? A fast service to Cornwall reaching Plymouth in about 2hrs 40mins and stopping only at Exeter (and maybe once or twice a day at Frome) would be feasible.

John Alder, Exeter