Great Western Coffee Shop

Exeter Chiefs play Bristol tomorrow evening (KO 1945) at Sandy Park in the first leg of the RFU Championship Play-Off Final.

According to the Chiefs website, FGW are laying on a number of additional/strengthened services:

2032 Paignton to Exmouth strengthened from two to four vehicles from Exeter St David's (SD)
2204 Exmouth to Paignton strengthened from two to four vehicles throughout.
2237 Exeter SD to Exmouth strengthened from two to four vehicles throughout.
2310 Exmouth to Exeter SD strengthened from two to four vehicles throughout.

In addition, the following additional four-car services will operate post match:
2148 Topsham to Exeter SD calling Digby (2200) then on to Polsloe Bridge and Exeter Central
2224 Exeter SD to Topsham calling at Digby ONLY (2235)
2255 Topsham to Exeter SD calling at Digby (2301) then Polsloe Bridge and Exeter Central

to help disperse the 10000+ crowd.

I cannot find confirmation on the FGW site but if the info is correct I think they are deserving of a pat on the back.

What about Bristol fans? (Not that I would expect the Chief's website to cover their travel arrangments!)

doesn't cross country have more services between exeter and bristol than fgw?

Yes they do, the last XC leaves at 2050...

The above strengthening & extra FGW services are correct.

Engineering on the Exmouth branch is suspended for Wednesday evening.

The last train of the evening back to Brizzle is a FGW all stations service at 2155 - probably too early for the game although as I'm not a rugby fan I'm not sure what time it kicks off. When I came down for the City v Brizzle Rovers game in March I had to leave just before the final whistle at 2140 (lingering nearby just long enough to hear the final whistle) and then dash from St James Park to St Davids to make it. I didn't see any Rovers fans on board so I don't think they'd found it convenient. I suspect that if they didn't put on a later train/delay the last one for the football, they probably won't for the rugby either given that they're probably similar sized crowds.

19:32 Paignton to Exmouth due 21:01
This train will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.
21:04 Exmouth to Exeter St Davids due 21:34
This train will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.
21:30 Cardiff Central to Bristol Temple Meads due 22:27
This train will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

although live updates show the above meaning they've stolen the coaches from these schedules?

isnt exeter's stadium right beside the M5 from memory so would be far easier for fans to get straight on the M5 and back to bristol quicker than they can get to the train station probably!

I hope they do the same when Argyle play Exeter next season!

Not quite the same.  Not least because the away end at St James' Park is tiny.

Argyle v City should be quite a game though - full house at Home Park, I would guess.  Hopefully it will be a Christmas game.

I saw the same fixture when both sides were in the old Div 4 (whatever it was called then) on Boxing Day 1998 (or thereabouts).  The following year, Torquay were the visitors and that was an even better game.

Just looked at Exeter Chiefs' website - just over 10,000 were there tonight and the Chiefs just edged it.

The trains will have been busy!