Review: Great Western Railway (GWR) Penzance to Plymouth

This review covers my first-class train journey with Great Western Railway (GWR) along the Cornish Main Line from Penzance to Plymouth.

Leaving Cornwall

Having spent a couple of great days in Cornwall, during which I visited Penzance, St Ives, and St Michael’s Mount, it was time to continue my trip and set off for a completely different part of England.

A long travel day lay ahead of me, as I would be travelling by train all the way from Cornwall to Yorkshire, with the first leg being from Penzance to Plymouth.

From Penzance to Plymouth by train

Two train operators run services on the railway known as the Cornish Main Line between Penzance and Plymouth: Great Western Railway (GWR) and CrossCountry.

I’ve travelled with both of these railway companies before during this trip, having taken a CrossCountry train between Birmingham and Reading, and enjoyed a great journey on the Night Riviera Sleeper, GWR’s excellent night train service between London and Cornwall.

Although I’ve also used GWR when travelling from Penzance to St Ives by train, it was too short a ride to form an opinion on, so I was looking forward to today’s longer daytime journey to experience what to expect as a passenger on a long-distance trip with Great Western Railway.

As I was using a first-class Interrail pass, which grants unlimited rail travel across Europe, I could simply hop on any departure I wanted, without having to worry about the often high train fares charged by train operators in the UK.

If you need to buy a ticket, check the GWR website and compare fares with CrossCountry to see which offers the best price, and remember that tickets are usually cheaper when purchased as far in advance as possible.

Penzance station

The railway station of Penzance is centrally located and within easy walking distance of the town centre.

Although Penzance station is rather small, it has most of the facilities you might need, including a ticket office, toilets, a café, and even a GWR first class lounge, though this was closed when I passed through.

In the immediate surroundings, you can find many more cafés and pubs if you want something to eat or drink before taking your train.

My Great Western Railway train, a British Rail Class 802 built by Hitachi, was already at the platform when I arrived at the station.

This InterCity Express Train (IET), as GWR calls it, was running from Penzance all the way to London.

However, I would only stay on board as far as Plymouth and change there for another London-bound train for reasons I will explain later.

A look inside the GWR train

On board Great Western Railway InterCity Express Trains operating along the Cornish Main Line, you’ll find seats in both standard (2nd) class and first class.

In standard class, seats are arranged in a 2+2 configuration, either in pairs or in bays of four around a table.

In first class, seats are arranged in a 1+2 configuration, with a choice of solo seats, duo seats around a small table, or seats in bays of four around a large table.

Obviously, a first class ticket gives you quite a bit more shoulder and legroom, a more comfortable seat, and a generally quieter environment compared to standard class.

Seats in both standard and first class have power sockets, while first-class seats also feature USB charging ports.

These GWR trains are equipped with Wi-Fi internet, which was easy to connect to and generally reliable throughout the journey.

There is plenty of space to store your bags, including dedicated baggage racks at the far end of each carriage, as well as overhead luggage racks.

I’ll discuss the differences in on-board service between standard and first class on GWR InterCity Express Trains later in this review.

Just like on all other British InterCity train services, seat reservations on GWR’s InterCity Express Trains are optional, not compulsory.

You can see from the digital displays above each seat whether it is available or reserved, in which case it will indicate between which stations the seat will be occupied.

Whether you’ve bought a full-fare ticket or are travelling with an Interrail or Eurail pass, you can make a free seat reservation on the GWR website, which is especially recommended during peak hours, busy travel periods, or holidays.

Penzance to Plymouth
GWR InterCity Express Train – Departure: 9.10am – Arrival: 11.07am
Duration: 1h57m – Distance: 128 kilometres

Departure from Penzance

The Great Western Railway train departed from Penzance bang on time, setting off along the Cornish Main Line towards Plymouth in the neighbouring county of Devon.

On its journey from Penzance to Plymouth, the GWR InterCity train would stop at several stations in Cornwall, namely St Erth, Hayle, Camborne, Redruth, Truro, St Austell, Par, Bodmin Parkway, and Liskeard.

I was seated in one of the first class solo seats, which offered plenty of privacy.

However, I wasn’t too impressed with the seat comfort, as I found the seat and backrest a bit too hard.

While it was fine enough for the relatively short journey between Cornwall and Devon, it wouldn’t be as comfortable for the five-hour journey between Penzance and London.

That said, it was certainly better than second class, and I enjoyed the start of the journey as the train departed Penzance, running parallel to the bay with distant views of St Michael’s Mount.

Riding through Cornwall

The first stop on the journey through Cornwall was the small station of St Erth, where you can connect to a train on the branch line to St Ives.

I had already passed through here in the previous days when I took a day trip from Penzance to St Ives, which gave me a great opportunity to photograph another GWR Class 802 train from the pedestrian overpass.

The train journey through rural Cornwall isn’t the most scenic rail journey ever, but it’s certainly pleasant, as the views over the rolling hills and small towns are quite nice.

We stopped at the Cornish towns of Hayle, Camborne, and Redruth before travelling on to the county town of Truro.

On-board service

When travelling in first class on Great Western Railway’s InterCity Express Trains, you can enjoy complimentary drinks and snacks.

The friendly GWR train attendants passed by multiple times with a drinks and snacks trolley during my journey, asking if I wanted anything to eat or drink.

However, since I had just finished a full English breakfast in Penzance before departure, I only requested a cup of tea.

The complimentary food and drinks offered by GWR in first class include tea and coffee, juices, sodas, water, biscuits, cakes, and crisps.

GWR’s on-board service in first class certainly pales in comparison to the two other main UK rail companies – Avanti West Coast and LNER – where you’d receive much more substantial snacks, hot meals, and a wide range of alcoholic drinks for free in first class.

When travelling in standard class on GWR, you can buy snacks and drinks, including alcohol, from the trolley service.

Of course, you can always bring food and (alcoholic) drinks on board yourself to enjoy at your seat.

A stop in Truro

After a while, the GWR train entered the station of Truro, Cornwall’s county town and the most important stop on our journey between Penzance and Plymouth.

At Truro, you can connect to train services on the Maritime Line, a branch line that runs through the valley of the River Fal to its terminus at Falmouth on Cornwall’s south coast.

My first class coach was almost completely empty up to this stage, although at Truro, a handful of other passengers took as seat as well.

The stop at Truro is one of the highlights of a train ride along the Cornish Main Line, as shortly after (when heading east to Plymouth) or before (when heading west to Penzance), the GWR train crosses a railway viaduct that runs right through the town, offering splendid views over the city centre and the imposing Truro Cathedral.

Make sure you sit on the right-hand side of the train when heading east along the Cornish Main Line to Plymouth, or on the left side when heading west to Penzance, to enjoy the views over Truro.

This is generally the best side of the train for views, as you’ll also have the best views near Plymouth from this side.

Towards Bodmin Parkway

After stopping in Truro, the journey continued under sunny blue summer skies, with only a few light clouds.

I was enjoying the views over the hilly Cornish countryside, and after finishing some work on my laptop, I simply relaxed in my seat and stared out of the window for the remainder of the ride.

The train attendant passed by again, and I got myself another complimentary cup of tea and some delicious lemon cookies.

After stopping at St Austell, an important station on the Cornish Main Line and home to the well-known Eden Project, a tourist attraction with large biodomes showcasing diverse plant species, we continued towards the next stop at Par.

Par is an important junction station where you can connect to trains bound for Newquay, a resort town on the north-western coast of Cornwall.

From Par, we continued to Bodmin Parkway, where a surprise awaited at the station, as a historic excursion train with a steam locomotive stood on the railway track on the other side of the platform.

This train is operated by Bodmin Railway and runs excursions along the steeply graded, winding six-and-a-half-mile branch line from Bodmin Parkway to Boscarne Junction, passing through the line’s principal station at Bodmin General.

The steam locomotive in question was a GWR ‘8750’ Class 0-6-0 Pannier Tank from 1942, built in Swindon, and still in great condition.

River views

Through beautiful forested hills, the GWR train continued its journey, eventually stopping at Liskeard station, our last stop before Plymouth.

Liskeard is also an important junction station, as it’s here that you can connect onto GWR’s local train service on the branch line to Looe on the southern coast of Cornwall.

Arguably, the most beautiful stretch of the Cornish Main Line is between Liskeard and Plymouth, particularly the part around the town of St Germans.

On this part of the Cornish Main Line, the railway crosses numerous rivers and tidal estuaries, such as the Tiddy and Lynher, and as the GWR train crosses the old stone viaducts, you can enjoy some lovely views over these river valleys.

Across the Royal Albert Bridge

As the train approaches Plymouth, there is still one highlight yet to come: The Royal Albert Bridge.

The Royal Albert Bridge is an icon of British railway engineering designed by the great Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the civil engineer also behind the Great Western Railway Line, the Thames Tunnel, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.

Opened in 1859, this railway bridge connects Saltash in Cornwall, on the west bank of the Tamar River, with Plymouth in Devon, on the east bank.

The Royal Albert Bridge has a total length of 666.8 metres (2,187.5 feet) and a height of 52.4 metres (172 feet), offering great views from the train as it rides up the approach spans and crosses the bridge itself.

Even though the Royal Albert Bridge is almost two centuries old, its unique design with two lenticular iron trusses still looks striking, and in some ways more modern than the Tamar Bridge right next to it, despite this suspension bridge carrying the main A38 road being completed much more recently in 1961.

Arrival in Plymouth

Once across the Tamar River, the train travels through the suburbs of Plymouth on its final stretch towards the city’s main station.

At this point, the sunny blue skies of Cornwall had vanished, and the weather in Devon had turned gloomy, with dark clouds completely covering the sky.

We eventually arrived on time at Plymouth railway station, where I got off and watched the GWR InterCity Express continue its journey to London.

Plymouth is an important harbour city and the main port of the Royal Navy, and during my train journey into the city, I could already see a few Navy vessels in the port.

At Plymouth’s railway station, you can also see more of the city’s Naval heritage, including a Falklands War memorial bench dedicated to the members of the British Naval Task Force who lost their lives in the conflict.

Pullman Dining

Sadly, I didn’t have time to explore Plymouth, as I had an onward train to London to catch.

Of course, I could have stayed on board the train I had just gotten off and continued on that service to London, but there was a good reason why I chose to wait for the next train instead.

The next GWR service from Plymouth to London was a train that offered Pullman Dining, one of the best onboard dining experiences you’ll find on British railway tracks, where you can enjoy some delicious food and drinks during your journey.

Pullman Dining is available on a select number of GWR trains between London Paddington, Exeter, and Plymouth, as well as between London Paddington, Bristol, Cardiff, and Swansea.

If you travel in first class, you can make an advance table reservation for GWR Pullman Dining free of charge, while standard class passengers can ask the train’s restaurant manager during the journey if there is space available.

In the next chapter of this trip report series, I’ll detail my GWR Pullman Dining experience in detail.

Conclusion

I enjoyed my journey in first class on a Great Western Railway (GWR) train along the Cornish Main Line from Penzance to Plymouth, thanks to the friendly service by the crew on board and lovely views from the window.

As much as I enjoyed the ride, there are a couple of drawbacks if I were to honestly review the quality of GWR’s first class product.

The InterCity Express Trains (British Rail Class 802) used by GWR don’t offer the greatest seat comfort, and the complimentary snacks and drinks in first class pale in quality compared to those offered by the other two main UK rail companies, LNER and Avanti West Coast.

Yet this is quickly forgotten when you look out of the train window and see the beautiful views over the countryside of Cornwall.

Travelling with GWR along the Cornish Main Line is one of Britain’s most pleasant rail trips, and the beautiful views from the train over Truro and its cathedral and the river crossings near Plymouth, including Brunel’s iconic Royal Albert Bridge, make for some great travel memories.

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