Great Western Coffee Shop

Dear colleague

I am pleased to confirm that our timetables beginning in May are now available online.
While preparing these we have monitored passenger numbers carefully, matching demand with service
levels so that we can support more people returning to rail. I wanted to highlight some of the benefits
these changes will bring to this region, its rail users and stakeholders.

Several direct services between Bristol and Manchester have been introduced, and some services that
previously terminated at Newcastle are now continuing to Edinburgh. Some trains that terminated at
Bristol will extend to Plymouth and a limited service will be provided to and from Paignton, with extensions
to Birmingham. These have been specifically chosen to enhance connectivity and support regional tourism
and wider businesses that depends on customers from across Great Britain.
You can download copies of our May 2022 timetables from our website and all information is available in
online journey planners.

This timetable marks the latest evolution of our services as we emerge from the pandemic and seek to better
reflect customers’ needs. I appreciate that for some, there is a desire for us to fully reinstate the timetable
previously operated. But despite positive signs of recovery, we cannot ignore the fact that the pandemic has
accelerated trends and the pace of change in society which means customer demands for travel have
changed. There is an acceptance across the industry and Government that we need to think differently, and
we, alongside our industry partners, are exploring how best to adapt to the new realities. Taking into
consideration government support for the railway sector during the pandemic and the changes in travel
habits, it’s important that we continue to monitor passenger numbers, working closely with our industry
partners and stakeholders to adapt where possible and to ensure industry offers best value for
taxpayers. We will continue to work with the Department for Transport on any future changes, ensuring we
deliver services in line with customer needs and demands.

If you have any queries, do get in touch.

<snip>

Good news regarding the Bristol<>Manchester service…as long as it doesn’t mean cutting the formation lengths on the Birmingham<>Reading axis.

... and the rest continue to involve almost Salisbury-style connections at Birmingham. ...

I have to confess, though, that the platforms at Salisbury are far more pleasant to wait on for an hour than the platforms at New Street.  Mind you, there are lots more places to eat on higher levels in Brum