Britain’s longest direct train journey made its final trip today as enthusiasts boarded the last service from Aberdeen to Penzance to mark the end of its 104-year run.
Bosses at operator CrossCountry have decided to axe the 40-stop train from Scotland to Cornwall for good from tomorrow to ensure a ‘more efficient timetable’.
The route was much loved by train fans and ran in one direction southbound, leaving Aberdeen at 8.20am before arriving in Penzance more than 13 hours later at 9.31pm.
The 775-mile service called at 12 stops in Scotland including Edinburgh, before crossing the border to England and heading to Newcastle, York, Leeds and Sheffield.
Travelling through the Midlands and calling at Derby and Birmingham, it then went onto into the South West to Cheltenham, Bristol, Taunton, Tiverton and Exeter.
The final section called at Newton Abbot, Totnes and Plymouth before getting to Liskeard, Bodmin, St Austell, Truro, Redruth, St Erth and terminating at Penzance.
Among those on board today was Stuart Storey who tweeted: ‘Time for one last journey on 1V60 with CrossCountry, in for the long haul from Aberdeen to Penzance.’
Another wrote: ‘The time has come to do the UK’s longest train journey for the first and final time. 40 stops, 13hr 11m journey time. This is going to be an adventure.’
The last ever direct train from Aberdeen to Penzance. @CrossCountryUK please can I compliment and congratulate your onboard staff member Stuart?
He went out of his way for lots of people,
me and my companion so he can sit with me,
Has printed off leaflets
A lovely man. pic.twitter.com/W6kb35jXJf
— Doug Paulley (@Doug_Paulley) May 16, 2025
The UK’s longest direct train service which links Scotland and the Cornish coast has reached the end of the line. After more than a century in service, the 8:20am CrossCountry train departed from Aberdeen to Penzance for the last time. More on @BBCScotlandNews throughout the day. pic.twitter.com/YGx7BPzYiu
— Ben Philip (@BenPhilip_) May 16, 2025
And a third excited passenger added: ‘Time for the CrossCountry longest train journey from Aberdeen all the way down to Penzance, the final one.’
He also tweeted a photo of the departure boards at Aberdeen station which had an information sign saying: ‘UK’s longest train journey will run for the last time today. Please note the 0820 Aberdeen to Penzance service is strictly reservation only.’
The 40 stops on UK’s longest direct train
Aberdeen
Stonehaven
Montrose
Arbroath
Dundee
Leuchars
Cupar
Ladybank
Markinch
Kirkcaldy
Inverkeithing
Haymarket
Edinburgh Waverley
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Alnmouth
Newcastle
Durham
Darlington
York
Leeds
Wakefield Westgate
Sheffield
Derby
Burton-on-Trent
Birmingham New Street
Cheltenham Spa
Bristol Parkway
Bristol Temple Meads
Taunton
Tiverton Parkway
Exeter St David’s
Newton Abbot
Totnes
Plymouth
Liskeard
Bodmin Parkway
St Austell
Truro
Redruth
St Erth
Penzance
The journey is so long at 13 hours and 11 minutes that passengers could nearly complete a marathon of watching the first six Star Wars films in a row, which takes 13 hours and 15 minutes.
CrossCountry said the timetable changes were intended to create a more convenient service to Penzance, making day trips from Bristol and the West of England more viable.
Standard tickets for the Aberdeen to Penzance route cost £470.70 for first-class or £320.80 for standard for walk-up anytime singles, while advance singles start at £134.10 first-class or £65.70 standard.
The direct service first ran from Penzance to Aberdeen on October 3, 1921 – taking 22-and-a-half hours and having required the co-operation of several different railway companies.
The current operator CrossCountry, which is part of the Arriva group, previously axed the train for nearly two years during the pandemic – before reinstating it in May 2023.
The timetable, which is about to be replaced by a new one, only had a southbound service that ran on weekdays for maintenance reasons.
The train also spent around two hours of the journey stationary while picking up and dropping off passengers.
But the service will no longer be in the timetable as part of widespread changes in the South West, which will also see Great Western Railway split its Penzance to Cardiff Central direct service into two.
However, there will be an hourly service from Plymouth to destinations in northern England and Scotland departing at 27 minutes past each hour during the day.
When the end of the service was revealed in February, rail expert Mark Smith, founder of travel website The Man In Seat 61, told MailOnline: ‘People value a through service, especially the elderly or those with luggage and kids.
‘It saves changing trains and avoids all the stress of a delay causing a missed connection. That said, only very few people use such a service for its whole journey.
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The CrossCountry driver at Leeds today during the final direct run from Aberdeen for Penzance
The train leaves Aberdeen at 8.20am on weekdays before covering 775 miles on its journey
The CrossCountry train terminates at Penzance station in Cornwall, which is its 40th stop
‘When planning a timetable it’s always a trade-off between a better and more frequent service over core sections and trying to link everywhere to everywhere else.’
Simon Calder, travel correspondent for The Independent, added: ‘As an advocate for rail travel, it’s a touch sad that the longest direct train in the UK is being curtailed.
UK’s longest railway journeys in track miles Aberdeen – Penzance (CrossCountry): 775 milesAberdeen – Plymouth (CrossCountry): 695 milesEdinburgh – Penzance (CrossCountry): 644 milesInverness – Euston (Caledonian Sleeper): 588 milesFort William – Euston (Caledonian Sleeper): 568 miles
‘But the number of people who actually travelled the 13-and-a-bit hours from northeast Scotland to South West England was minuscule.
‘Fortunately, 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 removal of the Aberdeen to Penzance service means the longest direct journey in track miles will be the CrossCountry service from Aberdeen to Plymouth at 695 miles, according to rail industry systems.
This will be followed by the CrossCountry train from Edinburgh to Penzance at 644 miles.
The next two longest will the Caledonian Sleeper overnight services from Inverness to Euston at 588 miles and Fort William to Euston at 568 miles.
CrossCountry’s managing director Shiona Rolfe told MailOnline today: ‘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.
‘The new timetable will also deliver an additional service in each direction between Glasgow and the North East of England towards Birmingham.’
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