FROM December 15 anyone taking the train from Barnstaple or Crediton through to Exmouth will have to change at Exeter every time. No longer will there be through trains. But Tarka Line travellers will have more room, more seats and better trains.

This is part of Great Western Railway’s new timetable coming in on December 15, when there will be a 17 per cent increase in seats for Tarka Line passengers with longer, more modern trains replacing the Class 143 Pacer trains.

A new earlier first train to Exeter will arrive at Exeter St David’s at 07.31 with an hourly pattern through the day including the evening peak.

GWR said that from December customers travelling between Crediton and Exmouth will need to change (without needing to change platform) – either at Exeter St David’s or Exeter Central.

This is to allow Barnstaple-Exeter and Paignton-Exmouth lines to operate independently, with an overall increase in frequency.

Trains between Exmouth and Paignton will be enhanced to half-hourly – one per hour stopping at all stations and the other semi-fast. All services from Exmouth will run to Paignton.

On the Tarka Line, an hourly service will run between Barnstaple and St James’ Park, formed of Class 158 trains, offering air-conditioning and more comfortable seats.

No stops have been taken out of the timetable and, following consultation with the local users’ group, calling patterns have been amended to offer a better overall service, spread more evenly throughout the day. And bicycles and dogs will still be ok!

GWR says that train services between Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and London will be restructured to deliver a more consistent service pattern throughout the day, offering faster journey times and more frequent services to key locations from Sunday, December 15 this year.

In the biggest timetable change on the network since 1976, GWR’s Intercity Express Trains (IETs) will take advantage of recent infrastructure improvements to deliver a series of improvements. 

Richard Burningham from the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership says:  “It is not just the journey time savings in long distance journeys to London, it is also about the significant improvement to many local trains across the two counties.?It is no exaggeration to say that Devon and Cornwall local services will be the best they have ever been.” 

Cllr Nick Way, a Mid Devon and Devon County Councillor and member of the Rail Forum and former chairman of the Devon and Exeter Rail Project Working Party said this was really good news.

“I am very pleased,” he said, “because for many years we have been working hard to get a proper hourly service on this line and earlier and later trains.

“I am very pleased now that the draft timetable gives what we have campaigned for and that, at last, we shall have the new class of coaches with air conditioned rolling stock to replace the old ones.”

Three more services a day will run between Paddington and the South West, running non-stop between Reading and Taunton.

Exact times are still going through final industry approvals, however GWR now expects journey times to improve by as much as 11 minutes between Paddington and Penzance and eight minutes between Paddington and Plymouth. 

A two-hourly semi-fast service between Paddington and Exeter St David’s will call at Reading, Newbury, Pewsey, Westbury, Castle Cary, Taunton and Tiverton Parkway. 

GWR says it is currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel to offer more trains, more seats, and shorter, more frequent journeys and continue the network’s heritage of helping connect more businesses to new and prosperous markets.

“Through a series of initiatives we aim to be a good neighbour to the communities we serve and are committed to making a positive social impact in those regions.

“Learn how we’re Building a Greater West at: GWR.com,” says GWR.