Great Western Railway (GWR) has introduced temporary changes to train services between Devon and Cornwall, including journeys through Ivybridge and Totnes.

The changes will remain in place until Saturday, December 12, with several services between Penzance, Plymouth and Exeter St Davids being withdrawn or altered.

On weekdays, five services have been cancelled, including the 07:43 Penzance to Exeter St Davids and 11:27 Exeter St Davids to Penzance.

Alterations have also been made to other weekday services to mitigate the impact on passengers.

The 08:15 Penzance to London Paddington service will leave three minutes earlier, at 08:12, and will make additional stops, including Ivybridge.

Changes on Saturday services include the withdrawal of the 08:50 Penzance to Exeter St Davids and 12:19 Exeter St Davids to Penzance.

Also on Saturdays, the 08:00 Exeter St Davids to Penzance will now start from Plymouth, and the 09:11 and 11:03 London Paddington to Penzance services will be calling at Ivybridge.

GWR said the temporary reduction was introduced to provide “greater certainty” for passengers while work is carried out to improve reliability.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: “We apologise for this temporary reduction in the timetable. We have made this decision because some of our Class 175 trains are not providing the reliability we need to operate the full timetable.

“By reducing the timetable, we are able to provide a greater certainty for customers and help protect the reliability of the wider timetable.”

GWR said issues with its Class 175 trains had accounted for nearly 15 per cent of delay minutes and almost 14 per cent of cancellations across its network since their introduction in May.

The company is introducing 26 Class 175 trains, 15 of which have been transferred to GWR from Transport for Wales so far.

However, GWR said the trains required more recommissioning work than expected following a prolonged period out of service and long-term storage.

Passengers are being advised to check their journey before travelling.