EXTRA trains between Oxfordshire and Worcestershire be introduced on the Cotswold Line next May and a key morning peak train will be retimed to give an earlier arrival in London.

Train operator First Great Western announced the changes after being given the go-ahead by the Department for Transport.

The Cotswold Line Promotion Group (CLPG), which represents passengers on the route between Oxford, Worcester and Hereford, welcomed the changes but said it still wanted to see remaining two-hour gaps in off-peak services eliminated.

FGW said the changes were the first step towards further improvements when new electro-diesel express trains start operating on the line in 2017, after electrification of the Oxford to London line.

The key changes are:

  • The 5.28am train from Hereford to London will be speeded up, so it leaves Charlbury at 7.12am and Hanborough at 7.21am (replacing the current 7.12am service starting from Charlbury), reaching Oxford at 7.30am and London Paddington at 8.30am. While this train loses its call at Kingham, it is replaced by a new service starting from Moreton-in-Marsh at 7.11am, calling at Kingham at 7.20am, Charlbury at 7.31am and Han-borough at 7.39am, arriving in Oxford at 7.49am and London at 8.52am
  • The 11.53am train from Moreton-in-Marsh will start from Worcester Shrub Hill at 11.23am
  • The 3.53pm from Moreton-in-Marsh will start from Worcester Shrub Hill at 3.20pm
  • The 1.14pm service from Hereford to London will be replaced by a train departing at 12.11pm
  • The 1.22pm train from London to Moreton-in-Marsh will be extended to Worcester, reaching Shrub Hill at 3.22pm and Foregate Street at 3.39pm.

FGW’s managing director, Mark Hopwood, said: “These changes offer real improvements for the vast majority of our customers on the line.”

CLPG chairman John Ellis said: “We welcome the improvements. The 8.30am arrival in Paddington is something that we have long campaigned for and is particularly welcome for people wanting to be in London for 9am appointments.

“However, the service still has gaps of up to two hours at times, and we will continue to press for a regular hourly off-peak service.”