After 104 Years UK’s Longest Train Route Is Cancelled For Ever
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
These three paragraphs describe the last journey.
With a muted fanfare the UK’s longest train rolled out of Aberdeen on Friday morning for its final sojourn down to Penzance, ending a service that connected both ends of the country for more than 100 years.
The 8.20am CrossCountry train took 13 hours and 20 minutes, with stops at 35 stations along the way, to cover the 774-mile route. Passengers spent more than two hours of the journey in the stations.
The service, which was launched in 1921, headed south through York, Bristol, Taunton and Truro on its way past some of the country’s finest landscapes, and arrived in Penzance at 9.31pm.
Looking at a ticket site and it appears that by using two trains from Aberdeen to King’s Cross and Paddington to Penzance you can be a few minutes faster, if you know your Underground.
This route will get quicker.
- As the East Coast Main Line rolls out its new digital signalling, this should speed up trains, by allowing some running at 140 mph instead of the current 125 mph.
- LNER will also be bringing their new tri-mode (electric/battery/diesel) trains into service, which could give some speed improvements on the diesel section North of the Forth Bridge in terms of speed and ride noise, especially as ScotRail will be partially electrifying part of this section.
- GWR should also be upgrading some of their fleet to tri-mode, which should improve speed and ride noise on the sections, where the route is not electrified.
- CrossCountry could compete, by buying new trains, but it would be a big financial risk, as the London route should get quicker, as track improvements and increased use of digital signalling speed up services from London to Aberdeen and Penzance.
CrossCountry ‘s owner; Arriva isn’t standing still, but have applied for extra Grand Central open access services on the East Coast Main Line to Scunthorpe and Cleethorpes and a new service from Newcastle to Brighton via Birmingham, which will partly fill the gap caused by the loss of the Aberdeen and Penzance service, by linking with GWR at Reading and LNER at Newcastle.
The Anonymous Widower 
X-Country have chopped up the route, so if one leg is late, tough luck, you miss your connection, wait an hour or two, and get SFA compensation.
Comment by Mark Clayton | May 16, 2025 |
This is really sad. I’ve always wanted to try that route. RIP.
Lawrence
Sent from my iPhone
Comment by lawrenceedwardwilsonhotmailcom | May 17, 2025 |
I have a feeling, that because of its iconic status, a train manufacturer, who wanted the publicity and a route that was a good demonstration of what they need, would sell Arriva some trains, that would do the route justice.
They could be 25 KVAC overhead electrification powered, where it exists.
Where it doesn’t exist, they would use hydrogen or batteries.
Because of the length of the route, the train would probably be hydrogen and fuel-up at both ends of the route.
We may be only little old UK, but Aberdeen and Penzance is long enough to give a demonstration, that would apply all over the world, where there are long railways.
After I wrote this post today.
https://anonw.com/2025/05/17/south-korea-aims-to-lead-the-global-market-with-hydrogen-train/
I feel the Koreans may make Arriva UK and the British Government, an offer they can’t refuse.
Don’t ignore the fact, that Arriva UK are owned by an American fund, because the US would be a natural market for a hydrogen high speed train, powered by blue hydrogen to keep Tamworth happy! But heh! If I gave you a few molecules of hydrogen in a cylinder, would you be able to tell its colour?
Comment by AnonW | May 17, 2025 |
[…] route was entitled After 104 Years UK’s Longest Train Route Is Cancelled For Ever, I gave my post the same name and both received a number of nostalgic comments, from those, who had ridden the […]
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