CHANGES to the UK’s rail network schedules could cause problems for regular passengers as of next month.
Brits who use regular services for commuting or other purposes might have to adjust their plans due to National Rail timetable alterations, which happen twice a year.
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From June 2, the new timetable will be brought in, with changes to be introduced by each of the country’s rail service providers.
Passengers are advised to check their routes to see if they have been significantly altered.
Here are some of the changes that have been made by each of the main companies.
Avanti West Coast
Two direct services between Shrewsbury and London have been removed from the Avanti service, which is the main change made on their routes.
These journeys will now set off from and terminate at either Birmingham New Street or Wolverhampton instead.
Elsewhere, additional trains have been added to Avanti West Coast’s West Midlands route Monday to Saturday, while a few alterations to stopping patters have been made on existing routes.
Southern
From Monday to Saturday, changes will be made on Southern’s West Coastway route.
The company claims that this is to “improve the reliability of the service in this area”.
They hope to provide faster regional journeys between Brighton, Chichester and Southampton, and for connections to the west of England.
This includes a half-hourly service between Brighton and Southampton Central, an hourly service between Brighton and Portsmouth & Southsea and a half-hourly service between London Victoria and Portsmouth Harbour/Bognor Regis.
Meanwhile, Hemel Hempstead will no longer be served by Southern services, which will run between East Croydon, Clapham Junction and Watford Junction only.
More information about other changes and times can be found on the Southern Rail website.
TransPennine Express
The TransPennine Express in increasing services on a number of its routes.
That includes Manchester Airport/Liverpool Lime Street to Edinburgh/Glasgow Central and Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle.
There will also be more trains running on the Scarborough to York services as well as the York to Manchester Piccadilly via Wakefield Kirkgate stopping service.
South Western Railway
“Significant” changes are being made to services from Portsmouth to London Waterloo and between Southampton Central and Portsmouth.
All of those services will be retimed in both directions between Monday and Saturday.
An additional service has been created to run from Fareham to London Waterloo as a result of these changes.
Full details can be found on the South Western website, or the National Rail website.
ScotRail
Brand new train stations are set to open in Leven and Cameron Bridge on June 2.
Those places will be connected to Edinburgh, Fife, and the Tay Cities with new services.
The stations will have an hourly service to and from Edinburgh via Kirkcaldy.
Any other changes can be found online via the respective rail provider’s website.
Sun Travel’s favourite train journeys in the world
Sun Travel’s journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences.
Davos to Geneva, Switzerland
“After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass.” – Caroline McGuire
Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen
“Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you’re whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too – as you’ll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way.” Kara Godfrey
London to Paris by Eurostar
“Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what’s so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won’t have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord.” – Sophie Swietochowski
Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail
“From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond.” – Hope Brotherton
Beijing to Ulaanbatar
“The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city’s high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I’ve witnessed anywhere.” – Ryan Gray
Meanwhile, this new cheap train route is being planned from London to the North West.
And this train route lets passengers visit three European countries.
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