Comedian Dom Joly has publicly criticized Great Western Railway (GWR) over the poor and overpriced train service between Cheltenham and London. The award-winning comedian, broadcaster, and travel writer expressed frustration on social media, declaring that commuting by train from Cheltenham is more difficult than traveling from New York.
Since relocating to Cheltenham with his family in 2019, Joly has become actively involved in the local community. On December 5th, he posted from Kingham Railway Station near Chipping Norton, sharing his decision to stop commuting by train. In his humorous yet pointed video, Joly said, “No more commuting to London from Cheltenham. Total rip-off and takes way too long. I might as well commute from New York. Sort it out, GWR.”
Joly detailed how the journey by train not only costs more than a flight to New York but also involves excessive waiting times, particularly at Gloucester station. To avoid this, he now drives to Kingham—a shorter, cheaper, and more pleasant route. “Why anyone takes the train between Cheltenham and London is literally beyond me. It needs to change,” he lamented.
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Joly’s rant struck a chord with many other Cheltenham residents frustrated by the declining reliability and rising costs of local rail services. Katie Portbury shared her own experience, explaining that paying for door-to-door car services is now more cost-effective and reliable. “We get stranded and face cancellations too often,” she said, adding that despite efforts to use public transport, it’s still cheaper to travel internationally than to make this daily commute.
Others offered alternative solutions: Paul McLaughlin recommends taking a taxi to Evesham to catch the train to London for a faster, cheaper journey. Thomas Howard echoes this, saying he drives to Evesham for the same reasons of cost efficiency and avoiding overcrowding. Sarah Luddington highlighted the wider commuting challenges, noting how her short drive contrasts with others’ complicated travel logistics.
Joly’s outburst has reignited conversation on the need for improved rail services in the Cheltenham-London corridor—a call for greater affordability, speed, and convenience for daily commuters.