Rail passengers in Pembrokeshire planning a journey in December are being urged to check the times as the ‘most significant mainline timetable change in a generation’ will see more trains from one Pembrokeshire station and a better spaced service to another.

The major rail timetable change will see train times change significantly in December, allowing for increased services at some stations, later services from Cardiff Central and Swansea, trains leaving at the same time past each hour and more new trains.

Transport for Wales said that the changes are possible because of the enhanced capabilities of the brand-new Class 197 train fleet which has been replacing older trains over the last two years. In Pembrokeshire some key changes include two extra Milford Haven services and a more evenly spaced service to Fishguard Harbour which removes a six-hour gap without trains during the middle of the day.

The new timetable has taken four years to develop and customers across south Wales will need to keep a close eye on the times they travel as every mainline service will be retimed.

The timetable change comes into effect from Sunday 15 December, and customers are urged to check before they travel.

To see how your journey will change, visit: https://tfw.wales/plan-a-journey and enter journey details for a date after December 15.

As far as the Western Telegraph can ascertain from the journey planner, there will be a service out of Fishguard at 16.04pm after December 15, rather than the gap in trains between 12.53pm and 19.32 that there is at present.

There will also be a train arriving in Fishguard from Carmarthen at 15.24 after December 15, again filling the current gap in arrivals between 12.22 and 18.57.

Comparisons with trains out of Milford Haven for Carmarthen show three more trains running out of the station after December 15.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales Ken Skates said: “This is a major change which will make a real difference to customers, who will benefit from a more consistent service. This has been made possible by our £800m investment in new trains and it’s great to see the results coming through across Wales.”

Transport for Wales’ Planning and Performance Director Colin Lea added: “This is the most significant timetable change in a generation for mainline services.

“We’ve invested £800 million in new trains and now is the time to really make the most of them. We’ve been working towards this timetable for four years and the consistency it will deliver will be a massive improvement for many customers.

He said that there were also big improvements planned for the North Wales Coast and Cambrian lines in the next 18 months with newer trains and capacity