'Railly' good new early morning service

First's new December timetables include a London-Taunton service getting commuters into Somerset's county town for 9.02am.

The new service was announced in March and started running this week. It departs from Paddington at 7.06am and provides for arrivals 40 minutes earlier than was previously possible.

Somerset County Council was a key stakeholder in bringing this service forward, working with First alongside other councils in the South West to ensure that rail provides a viable alternative for morning business meetings from the capital.