Somerset MPs are celebrating after Great Western Railway (GWR) partially U-turned on plans which would have led to longer rail journeys to the nation's capital.

As part of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail programme, the government is pushing forward with the construction of Old Oak Common railway station, around three miles west of London Paddington where many services from Somerset currently terminate.

Passengers from Somerset originally faced much longer journeys to and from London over the coming years, owing to the fact that all GWR trains would have called at both London Paddington and Old Oak Common.

But following an outcry by opposition MPs, GWR has rowed back on these plans, stating that trains would only call at Old Oak Common if there was "a good reason to do so".

This volte face comes on the back of GWR announcing 26 new trains which will enter service in the West Country later this year, replacing older diesel services.

The previous Conservative government intended for HS2 services to finish at the new Old Oak Common station, which is currently being constructed around three miles west of London Paddington.

Upon winning the general election in July 2024, Labour changed this decision, committing to HS2 running all the way into London Euston via new tunnels.

Old Oak Common will have 14 platforms – six underground for HS2 services and eight above ground to allow interchanges with GWR services and the Elizabeth Line (formerly known as Crossrail).

In order to deliver the new station, GWR announced in September 2024 that GWR services into London Paddington would be impacted up until 2028, with reduced services on Sundays throughout early-2025 and some trains being diverted to Euston instead.

Frome And East Somerset MP Anna Sabine (image via Houses of Parliament)

According to New Civil Engineer, those trains which do terminate at Paddington will also be subject to lower speed limits – adding valuable time to journeys between London and the south west.

Numerous Liberal Democrat MPs from the south west lobbied GWR to change its stance on stops at Old Oak Common, as well as freezing rail fares to encourage more people to visit the south west.

Several Somerset MPs were among those taking a stand on this matter – including Anna Sabine (Frome and East Somerset), Tessa Munt (Wells and Mendip Hills), Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton), and Rachel Gilmour (Tiverton and Minehead).

In a joint statement with other West Country MPs, they said: "This is a huge victory for families and commuters living across our region.

"We already face significant levels of disruption on the railway network; adding an additional stop at Old Oak Common that benefits no-one would only have compounded these issues.

"It is right that this decision has been reversed and trains will now only stop with good reason.

"There is still work that needs to be done to ensure smooth journeys for people travelling from the south west, whether they are taking a short trip within the region, or all the way to London. It's frankly unacceptable.

"However, this announcement is a step towards improved services that we Liberal Democrats are determined to deliver."

A spokesman for Mrs Gilmour said that she and her counterparts were "still calling" for the rail fare freeze and other similar changes, but added "there has been little movement thus far" in achieving practical progress in this area.