The UK's longest direct train journey, which has been in operation for over 100 years, is being discontinued. CrossCountry, the operator of the Aberdeen to Penzance route, confirmed that the service will be cancelled as part of a series of route changes effective from May 2025.

The 774-mile journey, which connects Scotland to the Cornish coast, currently takes approximately 13 hours and 20 minutes, with stops at 35 stations along the way. The service, first introduced in 1921, departs from Aberdeen at 8.20am and travels south through cities such as York, Bristol, Taunton, and Truro, showcasing some of the UK's most scenic landscapes. Travellers typically spend around two hours stationary as passengers board and disembark at each station, with the train arriving in Penzance at 9.31pm.

CrossCountry revealed the timetable changes for 2025 as part of the rail network’s regular schedule reviews.

From May 18, the new timetable will come into effect, and the last direct Aberdeen to Penzance train will depart on May 16. Tickets for the final journey, with standard class singles starting at £138.60, will be available for purchase.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent for The Independent, told the publication: “As an advocate for rail travel, it’s a touch sad that the longest direct train in the UK is being curtailed – but the number of people who actually travelled the 13-and-a-bit hours from northeast Scotland to southwest England was minuscule.”

He went on to say that while the loss of this service is regrettable, “the main line through Cornwall from Plymouth to Penzance will remain well served, and if the CrossCountry core is better served due to the redeployment of rolling stock and staff, that will be a net gain.”

The revised timetable will see the service run an 11-hour and 30-minute journey from Aberdeen, but now only as far south as Plymouth, 80 miles shorter than the previous route. Passengers will have the option to connect with trains running through Cornwall.

A CrossCountry spokesperson told The Independent: “Amending our Aberdeen to Penzance service from May 2025 will mean a more efficient timetable for our train crews and a more convenient service for our customers, making a day trip from Bristol and the west of England to Penzance more viable."

They added: "The new timetable will also deliver an additional service in each direction between Glasgow and the North East of England towards Birmingham.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Aberdeen to Penzance route had been shortened to terminate at Plymouth, with the full service only reinstated in May 2023.

There are some operational challenges for the train, with long waiting times at several stations along the way. As Mr Calder explained: “As an ‘express’ it is severely challenged, partly due to the long waits at a number of stations along the way – including 14 minutes at both Edinburgh Waverley and Bristol Temple Meads, and seven minutes at each of Birmingham New Street and Exeter St Davids."

He suggested that passengers in a rush might be better off abandoning the direct train at Haymarket, just west of Edinburgh, and connecting through several other services to reach Penzance by sunset.

With the end of the Aberdeen to Penzance route, the UK's longest direct service will now be the Caledonian Sleeper’s overnight train from London Euston to Fort William, which takes approximately 12 hours and 45 minutes.