Class 175s will be running on a Cornish branch line from later this month. The units, built by Alstom some 25 years ago and cascaded to GWR from Transport for Wales, were already planned to be used on services on the Devon and Cornwall main line, and also on the branches to Barnstaple and Okehampton. But GWR has now announced that the units will be used for the first stage of Mid Cornwall Metro, which goes live on 17 May and will mean a doubling of frequencies to hourly between Newquay and Par.

The Government has rejected concerns voiced by the Commons Transport Committee in its report on skills in transport manufacturing. The Committee had warned that skills gaps are posing ‘significant challenges’.