Hourly train service between Newquay and Par begins
As part of Mid Cornwall Metro, the best train service on the Newquay-Par line since the 1960s began on 17 May 2026 and now sees:
– 15 local trains between Par and Newquay on weekdays
– 14 on Saturdays
– 8 on Sundays
PLUS: Direct trains between London Paddington and Newquay will now run every day through the summer until 20 September.
Funded by Cornwall Council and UK Government, Mid Cornwall Metro is a £57m investment to upgrade the current rail links between four of Cornwall’s largest towns: Newquay, St Austell, Truro, and Falmouth/Penryn.
The rail improvements will be complemented by improvements around the stations to make them attractive gateways to the local area, where people want to spend time and visit local shops and businesses. Funding has also brought pay-as-you-go ticketing to Cornwall, giving residents access to the best value on-the-day fares.
Significant improvements to the infrastructure have been made by Network Rail to enable the service, including bringing back into passenger use platform 2 at Newquay station and a passing point which allows two trains to operate on the branch at the same time.
The new service is also thanks to the introduction of Class 175 trains, bringing enhanced capacity and comfort for passengers, and will help drive performance improvements and reliability. The trains began their phased introduction from December last year.
The new local services will be followed by a phase 2 next year, extending services through to Truro, Penryn and Falmouth.
Video courtesy of Network Rail
