Rail improvement works taking place in West Cornwall

Works to improve parts of the railway in West Cornwall begin tomorrow, with amended train services and replacement buses in operation to keep people moving.

Network Rail will be undertaking viaduct waterproofing and track work in Redruth and Hayle between Saturday 15 and Sunday 23 February 2020.


Upgrade work: Viaduct waterproofing is being carried out at Hayle. Picture: Craig Munday

Bridge refurbishment work will also be taking place on the St Ives Bay Line between Saturday 15 and Thursday 20 February 2020. 

Great Western Railway is reminding customers to check train times carefully before travelling.

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

“Since the introduction of our brand-new timetable in December, we have been running more trains with greater capacity and improved reliability across the South West.

“Brand-new Intercity Express Trains, specifically designed for Devon and Cornwall, plus the electrification of the track in the Newbury area, have helped bring 24% more seats than before with journeys to London up to 14 minutes quicker.

“This work is important to ensure we continue to improve the reliability of the service and we thank customers for their patience in advance.”

Amended train services will operate from Truro towards Plymouth with roughly one train per hour in each direction. Buses will replace trains from Penzance to Truro for the nine days, with buses also running between St Erth and St Ives until Thursday 20 February. Services will still run on the Falmouth branch line but up to 15 minutes later than usual.

Long-distance services from London Paddington to Devon and Cornwall will continue to operate but will terminate at Truro. Replacement buses will connect with trains, adding up to 50 minutes to journey times. Some train departure times will also be changed, and passengers are advised to check beforehand.

Scott Pillinger, Network Rail’s programme manager, said: 

“We thank passengers in advance while we carry out these vital upgrades across Cornwall and remind them to check before they travel. 

“The improvements will help provide passengers with more reliable journeys and represents further investment in the railway in Cornwall following recent signalling upgrades in the South West.”

Further improvements elsewhere in Cornwall are also due to take place this March with buses replacing trains on the following dates:

Sunday 1 March – Truro to Penzance (including St Erth to St Ives)
Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 March – Liskeard to Looe
Sunday 8 March – Liskeard to Truro (including the Newquay branch)
Weekends of 14/15 and 21/22 March – Par to Newquay (buses run from St Austell instead of Par)

For further travel advice and information on the work please visit www.GWR.com/WestCornwall.
 
Notes to editors

Great Western Railway (GWR) provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services. We help over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year - across South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England.

We’re currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel so we can 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. GWR is a FirstGroup company.

*Seat increased based on a like-for-like replacement of High Speed Trains for new Intercity Express Trains.