THE sight of the iconic Class 43 ‘High Speed Trains’ on the railway lines of Devon and Cornwall is set to come to an end in the coming months - with their replacement being announced by Great Western Railway.
Great Western Railway (GWR) has confirmed that it will welcome 26 Class 175 trains to its fleet to help improve punctuality and reliability for customers, replacing older diesel trains that are ‘more expensive and less environmentally friendly to run.’
The Class 175 ‘Alstom Coradia’ trains, built between 1999 and 2001 were formerly in operation with Transport for Wales prior to their transfer to the railway lines of Devon and Cornwall, where they will primarily serve routes between Exeter St Davids and Penzance.
The move marks the first stage of the train operator’s plans to rejuvenate its regional and suburban services while preparing the way for decarbonisation, with the announcement coming weeks after it was confirmed that direct services between Cardiff Central and Penzance would be withdrawn from May 2025.
The 10 two-car trains and 16 three-car trains are expected to start to enter service in Devon and Cornwall later this year, with the entire fleet expected to be operational from the end of next year.
Able to be connected in four, five and six-car formations, the trains will operate predominantly on the line between Exeter St Davids and Penzance, as well as to Barnstaple and Okehampton.
The Class 175s will release trains currently used on the routes between Devon and Cornwall to be moved elsewhere in order to improve performance in other areas of the network.
This boost to the fleet will lead to the removal of some of its oldest and least efficient diesel trains, which have become more expensive to maintain as spare parts become more difficult to find on the open market.
GWR Managing Director, Mark Hopwood, said: “The benefits of these trains will be felt by customers across the whole of the GWR network. With more trains we will have more scope to increase resilience where it is needed most, delivering the reliability our communities deserve and need.
“They are a fantastic addition to our fleet and will provide a welcome boost as we seek to rejuvenate our regional and suburban services.
“We’d like to thank our industry partners, and the Department for Transport, for helping us get to this point and we look forward to welcoming the trains into service later this year.”
Chair of the Peninsula Rail Taskforce, Councillor Andrea Davis, said: “Rail services are a big part of our climate change and economic development offer, and we have been campaigning for extra rolling stock for some time.
“It is also great to hear that the additional trains will mean improvements to services elsewhere across the GWR network, but I am especially delighted with the news for Devon and Cornwall.”