Wondering when winter rail travel will be busy? GWR is letting passengers know

Great Western Railway (GWR) has dug into its data to let travellers know which services it thinks will be the most busy this festive season.

It has compiled a handy top-ten list, which is as follows:

1. 1204 Paddington to Penzance, Thursday 23 December
2. 1204 Paddington to Penzance, Wednesday 22 December
3. 1004 Paddington to Penzance, Thursday 23 December
4. 0910 Penzance to Paddington, Monday 27 December
5. 1204 Paddington to Penzance, Monday 20 December
6. 1104 Paddington to Plymouth, Thursday 23 December
7. 1404 Paddington to Penzance, Thursday 23 December
8. 0815 Penzance to Paddington, Monday 27 December
9. 0710 Penzance to Paddington, Monday 27 December
10. 1000 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington, Monday 20 December

The rail operator said that trains between London Paddington and Bristol, and South Wales, also feature in the top 20.

It tells customers to plan ahead and book a seat. It added some work in the Bristol and Gloucestershire areas will extend beyond the usual Christmas Day and Boxing Day shut-down, affecting train services from Monday 27 to Friday 31 December.

GWR Head of Customer Experience Samyutha Bala said: “We have been working hard to make sure that people can be confident to travel safely, and that includes running as many trains and carriages as we can to make extra room, as well as enhanced cleaning and social distancing measures.

“Please do, however, plan ahead, reserve a seat, and be considerate of others.”

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