774-mile train journey from Aberdeen to Penzance reaches end of the line
The same route has been running for more than a century
It's been going for more than 100 years, but the UK's longest train route, which runs from Aberdeen in Scotland all the way to Penzance in Cornwall has finally each the end of the line.
The CrossCountry service is being changed as part of a set of timetable changes coming into place from this month (May 2025).
If you ever took the full journey, it was scheduled to last 13 hours and 20 minutes, with 35 stops along the way.
However, for the final time, passengers will arrive into Penzance this evening at 21:31.
Instead, those wanting to take a similar route will have to travel for (not a short) 11 hour 30 minutes to Plymouth from Aberdeen, before connecting to Penzance.
It means the Caledonian Sleeper will take the crown - with its 12 hour, 45 minute journey time being the longest passenger service from next week.
From Sunday (18 May), the new timetable across the network will see changes to some journeys as part of the rail network’s twice-yearly timetable reviews, including extra services on weekdays as well as longer trains more often on long-distance routes from the South West to the North East, and from Manchester to the South Coast.
The new timetables have been uploaded to online systems, where customers can check journey planners for changes to any future journeys.
As part of the improvements, an additional 28,000 seats per week will be delivered as a further nine extra trains are added to CrossCountry’s long-distance Voyager fleet.
The additional trains will provide welcome capacity on CrossCountry’s long-distance routes.
Shiona Rolfe, Managing Director at CrossCountry, said: “We know customers rely on us to get to where they need to be. Our May 2025 timetable update aims to improve reliability and comfort levels across the country, as well as helping more people to leave the car at home and take the train.”