The UK's longest train ride which sets off from Aberdeen to be cancelled long-term
The UK's longest train ride which sets off from a Scottish train station will reportedly be axed this summer.
According to reports, the CrossCountry route, which first started running in 1921 from Aberdeen, is set to be cancelled in May due to route and timetable changes.
The 13 hour train ride currently ends in Penzance in Cornwall and is a whopping 774 miles long. It drops and picks up passengers at 35 stops along, making it the ideal way to get from one end of the UK to the other.
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CrossCountry have not yet confirmed the changes, however, it's believed the journey will end in Edinburgh from May 17.
A new timetable will see two services a day going from Penzance on the CrossCountry routes. One will leave the town at 11.15am before terminating in Edinburgh at 10.15pm, while the other will leave at 6.13pm and arrive at Birmingham New Street at 11.55pm.
There will also be new service from Aberdeen to Plymouth which will take just 11 hours and 30 minutes, meaning the UK's longest direct service would instead be the Caledonian Sleeper's overnight train from London Euston to Fort William.
Reddit users debated the proposed withdrawal of the service, with one user who told how he previously worked on CrossCountry's timetables explaining how the Aberdeen to Penzance train was 'never intended to carry people the entire route from Aberdeen to Penzance as it cannot compete with air traffic at that scale'.
He posted: "The departure from Aberdeen provides an additional link for communities in the Highlands to Fife and Edinburgh. From Edinburgh, it's an off peak service to Leeds enabling a Scotland - East Pennines service between the large metropolises of the North.
"From Birmingham, it is an early peak train providing the vital connection to Bristol Temple Meads, hence the heavy loadings at Cheltenham for Bristol. From Temple Meads, it is a major peak time service to Taunton and Exeter St David's.
"From Plymouth, it provides a link to Penzance late into the early evening where it supports local economies and the presents an alternative opportunity for passengers heading towards the Isle of Scilly who may want to stay overnight.
"Don't think of it as one train. Think of it as several services on one long diagram."
A spokesperson for CrossCountry said: "We're currently not able to confirm any details of our May 2025 timetable, which remains in draft form and is subject to confirmation."
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