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Will rail cuts ever be reversed?

Concerns that reduced service will stay

Rail users in Devon are concerned that services continue to be unreliable and less frequent than they used to be - and may not get better any time soon. 

South Western Railways and GWR, which both serve stations between London and the south west, have introduced what they say are temporary cuts because of covid. 

But coronavirus has been with us for two years; and the government has ended 'Plan B' restrictions and encouraged people to return to work. 

Rail services, though, have not gone back to their pre-pandemic levels.

Bruce Duncan from the Salisbury to Exeter Rail User Group says they "can't see any evidence at all that passengers are being look after and that the original or pre-December 2021 timetable will be reinstated soon. This is very, very bad news and very worrying long term."

Rail operators do face challenging conditions, with covid affecting staff availability and passenger numbers of GWR less than half pre-pandemic levels, hitting revenues hard.

This film report is from BBC Politics South West.

 

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