Torbay’s MP, Kevin Foster, helped organise a cross-party delegation from our bay to meet with GWR and Network Rail at an event in parliament to discuss the future of our rail services.
On the delegation were Cllrs Dave Thomas (Leader of the Conservative Group on Torbay Council) and Cllr Ian Doggett (Lib Dem, Clifton with Maidenway), along with a Torbay Council Officer who works on transport. They raised a range of issues including plans for the new station at Edginswell, the restart of work at Dawlish on the new sea wall and how the railway could help promote our bay as a tourist destination.
The focus of the discussions was the forthcoming timetable changes which are due to be introduced on Sunday 15th December 2019. This will be the biggest change on the GWR network since 1976 and will see around three quarters of journeys changing. A noticeable change will be the core services from London Paddington to Devon & Cornwall will run express (non-stop) from Reading to Taunton.
Services from Paignton to Exeter will run every 30 minutes, doubling the off-peak service, plus additional services will run between Exeter and Penzance, making it easier to travel towards Cornwall. The new timetable includes direct services from London Paddington to Paignton, with the travel time reduced by 6 minutes.
Kevin Foster MP Said:
“The annual GWR Stakeholder event is a great chance to ensure our bay’s voice is heard by those managing our railways. Travelling to Torbay by train is getting easier and our railway is becoming more resilient, but we now need investment in better facilities and a new station at Edginswell to really keep our bay on track.”
ENDS
For further comment contact Kevin Foster on 01803 214 989
Photograph:
The attached photograph was taken at the event held in the House of Commons on Tuesday 10th September 2019. You are welcome to reproduce it.
Details of Timetable changes:
You can find all the details about the new timetable on a dedicated website by following this link:
https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/timetable-2019
