Graham Brodie, of Newton Abbot, writes:

In January I decided to do what everyone was being advised to and 'go green', using the train to get to work in Plymouth.

This has been surprisingly easy and with the purchase of a Devon and Cornwall Railcard good value for money.

As someone who doesn't have to be at work by 9am, I've been using the 9.02am service from Newton Abbot, and this has been good and reliable.Often I take my bike into Plymouth or sometimes alight at Ivybridge and cycle the last 12 miles.

All this is set to change from December 15. The 9.02 is being rescheduled as a service to Exeter, and the earlier train retimed, meaning that there will be a service to Plymouth at 8.32 and then nothing until 9.55. Another at 10.04 and 10.25.This rescheduling gives a lot of complications for many passengers who have planned their work schedule and finances on using this regular 9.02 service.

Many Plymouth University lecturers and students don't start until 10am, so going on the earlier train will probably cost a lot more and get them there too early. Going later will get them into Plymouth far too late.

There are other implications. The services either side of the 9.02 are already packed.

It is believed several passengers will not be able to use their railcards on the earlier services, and may incur up to an extra £100 a month in travelling costs.

It seems ludicrous to lose a train to the region's largest city at a prime time and at a time when authorities and government are constantly trying to encourage people on to public transport.

Now I may have to revert to my old method of travel to work by driving to Ivybridge and cycling down to Plymouth – which will put 9,000 miles on to my annual mileage, and undermine much of my own personal 'green crusade' which I have been committed to this year.