Rail improvement works taking place in East Cornwall

Work will initially only affect weekends in November, with all but two weekend days within the month impacted, while weekday services will remain largely unaffected.

December will see upgrades take place over five consecutive days, with buses replacing trains between Liskeard and Par on Sunday 4 December, immediately followed by a Truro to Penzance closure between Monday 5 and Thursday 8 December.

Buses will replace trains on the following days:

• Weekend of 12/13 November - St Austell to Penzance (including the Falmouth branch)
• Weekend of 19/20 November – Plymouth to St Austell (including the Looe and Newquay branches)
• Sunday 27 November – Liskeard to St Austell (including the Newquay branch)
• Sunday 4 December – Liskeard to Par
• Monday 5 to Thursday 8 December – Truro to Penzance (including the St Ives branch)

Where the main line remains open, an amended train service will operate, with roughly one train per hour in each direction.

A dedicated web page (GWR.com/CornwallEngineering) provides full details on how train services are affected. 

Mark Chorley, GWR Regional Station Manager, West, said: 

“This work is important to ensure we can continue to provide services that people can rely on and we thank customers for their patience in advance.

“We have been working hard to make sure that we are running as many trains and carriages as we can, and replacement buses where trains cannot operate, to help keep our customers moving.

“I recommend that customers check their journey carefully beforehand.”

Where replacement buses run instead of trains, journey times will be extended. Some train departure times will also be changed to allow connections onto replacement buses, and passengers are advised to check beforehand.

Michelle Saeed, Network Rail’s scheme project manager, said: “Over the next few weeks we’ll be working to renew worn sections of track in Cornwall, alongside the replacement of line side equipment and other railway infrastructure.

“This essential maintenance will ensure that passengers can continue to experience safe and reliable journeys in the future.

“I’d like to thank passengers in advance for their patience while we carry out these vital upgrades.”