Great Western Railway is warning travellers that there will be limited service for trains between Penzance to Plymouth this coming Sunday, December 3 due to industrial action by drivers’ union Aslef. 

As a result, fewer drivers are available to work and this particularly affects longer-distance services on Sunday. Some parts of the GWR network will have no service at all.

Customers are advised to travel before the weekend or after Sunday. Where GWR can run services, a very limited service will run, they will run less frequently, and are likely to be extremely busy. 

Trains will also start later and finish earlier, and customers are advised to check the time of last trains. Bus replacement services are not able to be operated. 

To help customers, tickets for strike days are valid for travel on alternative days on GWR services. Tickets for Saturday, December 2 to Friday, December 8 can be used the day before or up to and including Tuesday, December 12.  

Other train operators are also affected by this action, so onward travel will also be affected.

A limited service on Sunday will run only on the following routes between Plymouth and Penzance, Plymouth and Exeter and Devon & Cornwall branch lines.

Customers are advised to check if they intend to travel where trains are running to check before you travel as they will be busy and are likely to be disrupted. 

The Aslef union announced strike action that will affect GWR and CrossCountry rail services on Thursday 7 December. 

In addition, the union announced action short of a strike from Friday 1 to Saturday 9 December which is likely to cause some short-notice alterations and cancellations, especially at weekends or late at night. 

A rolling programme of strike action by the union affecting other rail operators is also due to take place between these dates. 

On Thursday, December 7, a reduced and revised timetable will operate across several train operators, including GWR. Many parts of the GWR network will have no service at all and trains that are running will only be operating for a limited period during the day. 

On the days after strikes, services could also be affected by a limited number of short-notice cancellations and alterations. 

Customers who purchased tickets but do not travel can claim a full refund or amend their ticket. Those who travel and are delayed may be entitled to Delay Repay compensation if they are delayed by 15 minutes or more. 

Season-ticket holders can apply for compensation through the Delay Repay scheme. The Refund policy remains in place. If you hold a return ticket, you can claim a refund of your unused full fare, even if only one leg of your journey is affected.