Slightly OT but the service does pass throught the area. Note the mention of cuts to the Newquay branch line - the first in a long line of such closures / reduced services on branch lines?
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From thisisdevon:
http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNod ... K=12571616
NEW THREAT TO PENZANCE TO LONDON SLEEPER SERVICES
11:00 - 03 June 2005
Rail passengers are being urged to protest about the possible loss of the Cornwall-to-London sleeper service.
The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) announced yesterday that rail services in the region are to be altered, with some services cut while others are improved.
The changes, it said, to the new Greater Western franchise, due next April, would offer more high-speed trains and improved services. The new franchise combines the existing First Great Western, First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains franchises.
Under the SRA proposals, there will be reductions in services on some of the franchise's under-used routes. Planned cuts include the off-peak Paddington to Exeter semi-fast services and the Par to Newquay branch line stops.
However, the SRA is also asking those bidding for the franchise - including First Group, Stagecoach Group and National Express Group - to outline the costs of running the overnight service between Paddington and Plymouth/Penzance. It has led to mounting fears that this service, vital for both businesses and the tourism industry, might be cut.
Neill Mitchell, chief executive of the Devon and Cornwall Business Council, said the plan might offer those bidding for the franchise the opportunity to "revamp" the service.
He said: "I would urge anyone who uses the service to say so sooner, rather than later. The more people who point to its value, the more likely it is to remain."
Julia Goldsworthy, the Lib-Dem MP for Falmouth and Camborne who uses the service to get to and from Westminster, said vital hours spent in her constituency may be lost if the service is cut.
Other changes include the introduction of a "surfers' express" daily service between Paddington and Newquay.
The SRA has started a 60-day public consultation on the new franchise.