Contrasting journeys with GWR

Saturday 3rd October 2026

I spent last weekend in Cornwall.

I’d booked first class tickets with GWR over a month earlier, on 11th August, travelling on the 13:03 from Paddington to Plymouth on Friday afternoon, returning on the 12:57 from Truro to Paddington on Sunday afternoon.

The train operating the outward journey is one of the few where GWR offers a Pullman style dining service and I decided to partake and treat myself. You can use GWR’s website to reserve a seat in the ‘restaurant’ section of the first class coaches but only two weeks in advance of your date of travel (before that the rather misleading default answer when trying to book is “Pullman dining is not available on this journey”) so I made a diary note to do this on Friday 11th September to avoid any disappointment.

A (2×5) 10 coach train is allocated for the journey so you need to ensure you travel in the correct (rear) five coach section otherwise, you’ll miss out on the restaurant facility – not being able to walk through the two trains coupled together. The staff were busy laying the tables in the end coach L when I and other passengers boarded at Paddington’s platform 8 so we were asked to wait in the first class section of coach K and be called as soon as everything was ready. It wasn’t long before those with reservations were asked to come forward and such was the demand a few of the tables in coach K were also laid for dining.

No one actually asked to see my reservation confirmation but everyone was accommodated including at least one passenger who had a standard class ticket but wanted the benefit of enjoying a cooked lunch.

There are four staff dedicated to the Pullman facility – a restaurant manager, a chef and two waiters with a fifth person helping out too as it was quite busy.

The staff are very attentive with orders for wine and other drinks taken and dispensed before orders for the lunch itself were taken.

It’s not a rushed affair but as passengers partaking are all travelling to at least Exeter there’s plenty of time on hand and relaxation is the order of the day.

I ordered the vegan option for both the first course (Vadouvan Parsnip Soup) and the main course (King Oyster Bourguignon).

It took a while to arrive but when it did the food was presented to a very high standard and absolutely delicious to taste. I truly don’t know how the staff are able to cook and present such delicious food to such a high standard in the constrained conditions at the rear of an IET train travelling at speed. They do a fantastic job, at all times offering the highest professional standards you’d expect in a top quality restaurant.

As I’d enjoyed the first two courses so much I went the whole way and ordered a desert, and the Chocolate & Orange Torte certainly didn’t disappoint.

By now we’d reached Exeter and most of the diners left but three or four of us continued through to Plymouth enjoying coffee and mints with more relaxation as the staff cleared away the crockery, cutlery and table cloths.

They are a London based crew and having arrived in Plymouth at 16:13 enjoy a couple of hours break before returning to Paddington on the 9 coach 18:16 departure from Plymouth (16:13 from Penzance) arriving back into Paddington at 21:24.

However last Friday something wasn’t right with the kitchen equipment on that nine coach train and as we neared Plymouth the restaurant manager was desperately ringing all the passengers who’d made a reservation for that evening to ask if they could change their plans and travel earlier, on the 16:50 from Plymouth, which would be formed by the same (2×5) 10 coach train as left Paddington at 13:03 and indeed the staff were already relaying the tables again ready for this change of plan which would also mean the staff enjoying an earlier finish.

As you can see from the menu photographed earlier, the meal costs £40 for two courses or £49 for three so it’s not cheap, but as a treat and a luxurious and relaxing way to travel, it’s a great way to spend three hours.

My return journey on the 12:57 from Truro (12:18 from Penzance) on Sunday afternoon provided for a complete contrast. Whereas I’d reached Plymouth in three hours and 10 minutes on Friday, enjoying a relaxing travel environment and superb lunch, this London bound journey would take five hours and 12 minutes (four hours from Plymouth) with minimal refreshments, mainly because last Sunday fewer GWR trains were running on the West Country line, and those that were, were stopping everywhere.

As well as the usual stations from Penzance as far east as Taunton, this and most trains were calling at Castle Cary, Westbury, Pewsey, Hungerford and Newbury – stations which on Mondays to Saturdays and normally on Sundays have their own Exeter to Paddington train enabling trains from Penzance to travel fast from Taunton to Reading.

However, Network Rail were doing work on the slow lines between Langley and West Drayton necessitating Elizabeth line trains joining GWR and Heathrow Express trains on the fast lines meaning GWR had to thin out its service to provide the necessary capacity.

The upshot of this was the trains that were running (certainly, the one I was on) became grossly overcrowded making for difficult and uncomfortable conditions for passengers especially those joining from Castle Cary towards London when there was standing room only.

The consequence was the refreshment trolley ceased and although the Train Manager and staff did their best, you got the impression from their frequent announcements about “this train is exceptionally busy” and requests for bags off seats and no catering etc etc that it was all a bit chaotic and stressful.

There’s also a noticeable contrast in the catering offered to first class passengers with a just a measly “snack box” (one small packet of crisps, a mini packet of crunchy corn nibbles, two ginger biscuits and a flapjack) being all that’s available, which for Penzance to London passengers enduring what was a six hour marathon last Sunday is not what I’d rate as ‘first class’.

I felt desperately sorry for passengers attempting to board at Castle Cary, Westbury, Pewsey and Hungerford. The service offered to them was completely unacceptable, and there had been no prior warning of this. Indeed I hadn’t twigged when I boarded the train at 12:57 what lay in store.

I’d been booked in seat K62 which, yes, you’ve guessed it, is the one seat without a view … for five hours and 12 minutes. No thank you.

Is someone having a laugh at my expense – especially when further along in coach K there were plenty of unreserved seats marked available with a green light. So why make someone who’s booked over six weeks ahead of travel sit in the worst seat on the train when plenty of others are available?

I’d really like someone from GWR to explain this.

GWR offer a weekend upgrade to first class for variable amounts depending on distance (£25 for longer journeys) but this isn’t effectively enforced as I witnessed on the journey. It’s true the Train Manager comes through asking to see “any unchecked tickets” but those intent on not paying, simply don’t volunteer their unchecked ticket and nothing happens.

By the time we got to Exeter all the seats in coach K were occupied and there was no hope for those joining at the many stations still left to call at and find a space to sit. Once the aisle was occupied by standing passengers then catering even for first class ceased.

Despite the train having extended dwell times built into the scheduled journey time at Plymouth (five minutes), Exeter (six minutes), Taunton (12 minutes – to let a Cross Country train overtake), Westbury (eight minutes) and Reading (seven minutes)… making for 38 minutes in total (with another 26 minutes in ones and twos at the other stations) giving an overall total dwell time at stations of 64 minutes on the five hours and 56 minute overall end to end journey time, we still managed to arrive into Paddington at 18:26, 12 minutes later than scheduled.

I left the train stressed out with none of the relaxed vibes I’d enjoyed on that Friday Plymouth bound journey making for a noticeable contrast between the two journeys.

And finally I had to smile at the email GWR sent on Saturday morning encouraging me to “Get ready for tomorrow’s trip” including an encouragement to enjoy “First Class dining” with a photograph of a Pullman style meal. It’s about as far away from the reality of a ‘snack box’ as you could get. Come on GWR – it’s all about managing expectations.

(By the way, anyone making the same journey next Sunday (11th October) be warned … the train will be stopping at Castle Cary and Westbury again and then diverting via Swindon, where it calls, before continuing to Reading and Paddington. There’ll be no chance of a seat from Swindon (nor a ‘snack box’ – but passengers won’t know that, despite the email.)

Roger French

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