General Discussion

23:00 - 19-August-2008

SOME trains on the London Waterloo to Exeter St David's service currently continue to Paignton and Plymouth. I enjoy the benefits of this service as I'm sure many other travellers do. However, from December 2009, Network Rail proposes to terminate all services at St David's.

This will cause inconvenience to the travelling public west of Exeter to and from intermediate Exeter-Waterloo destinations. They will have to change at Exeter and face a possible long wait for a connection.

I protest strongly to these totally unacceptable cuts. Given the state of road traffic congestion, high levels of air pollution and greenhouse gases from excessive motor traffic, surely the emphasis is to move towards increasing, not reducing, rail services.

The South West Trains route also provides a viable alternative to the Paddington route. Cutting services has the potential to discourage rail travel.

It is most important we make our voices heard and protest loudly against these cuts.

David Bailey

North Lodge Close, Dawlish

(by email)

i think the rail services should stay the way they are there not doing any harm and god knwos how many people use it.
yesterday i was packed like a sardine with my 3 year old in tow on a train from dawlish to plymouth so obviously shows the trains are well used past exeter

Not good news but maybe this will allow for an even hourly service from Exeter to Waterloo which over all will be better.
South West Trains in my view are a far more responsible operator with more comfortable trains. Recently they have added on some trains the digital next station display information. I hope later SWT aquire the Franchise from First Great Western. Some FGW guards do not bother to collect fares and check tickets. Not to mention the older trains they use now on the Paignton-Exmouth line.
On a plus side.. I went to Plymouth this week, day return £3.65 from Dawlish with a Devon card, really good value.

I'm really surprised that more people don't use the local, regional and indeed national train services and would be extremely disappointed if this paricular service was cut in the way that the letter writer suggests.

The last time I had the need to travel by train (when I went to the Eden Project), because there were 3 of us it only cost us £8 each Return. It would have me cost more there and back in diesel!