After more than a century, the UK’s longest direct train journey is being axed. CrossCountry has announced that it will cease to operate the iconic Aberdeen to Penzance route with the service set to be cancelled amid a series of changes effective from next month.
The epic 774-mile sojourn, linking the Scottish fringes to Cornwall’s coast and taking around 13 hours and 20 minutes to complete, weaves through 35 stops and showcases some of the best of Britain’s quintessentially diverse scenery.
Since its launch back in 1921, the train sets off from Aberdeen at the bright hour of 8.20am, and snakes its way down past cities including York, Bristol, Taunton, and Truro, eventually reaching Penzance by 9.31pm.
Throughout this journey, travellers are estimated to spend close to two hours at a standstill, as passengers board and disembark at each station en-route, reports the Express.
However, as part of its routine timetable updates, CrossCountry has laid out alterations set for 2025. The historic Aberdeen to Penzance passage will have its curtain call on May 16 ahead of the new schedules beginning on May 18. Those wishing to nab a seat on the last direct run can do so with single standard class tickets priced from £138.60.
Commenting on the decision, Simon Calder, travel journalist for The Independent, reflected: “As an advocate for rail travel, it’s a touch sad that the longest direct train in the UK is being curtailed – but the number of people who actually travelled the 13-and-a-bit hours from northeast Scotland to southwest England was minuscule.”
He noted that although it was a pity to lose the service, “the main line through Cornwall from Plymouth to Penzance will remain well served, and if the CrossCountry core is better served due to the redeployment of rolling stock and staff, that will be a net gain.”
Under the new timetable, travellers will experience an 11-hour and 30-minute journey starting from Aberdeen, which now ends at Plymouth, cutting the route short by 80 miles. Passengers can then link up with trains that continue their journey through Cornwall.
Speaking to The Independent, a spokesperson for CrossCountry said: “Amending our Aberdeen to Penzance service from May 2025 will mean a more efficient timetable for our train crews and a more convenient service for our customers, making a day trip from Bristol and the west of England to Penzance more viable.”
The spokesperson added: “The new timetable will also deliver an additional service in each direction between Glasgow and the North East of England towards Birmingham.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, travel on the Aberdeen to Penzance route was cut short at Plymouth, with the full service only restored as recently as May 2023.
With the termination of the Aberdeen to Penzance line, Britain’s longest non-stop journey will now be claimed by the Caledonian Sleeper, which runs overnight from London Euston to Fort William, and clocks in at roughly 12 hours and 45 minutes.