Nuneaton is set to lose all fast trains to London outside peak hours, while Rugby has been described as a "winner" as it will be getting extra trains.

Lichfield and Tamworth will also see better services with a new hourly rail link to London from winter 2008.

The four towns will all be served by the same stopping service to London.

But that will be the only service for Nuneaton, outside peak hours. It has been used to fast Virgin Pendolino trains to London taking 73 minutes.

CHANGES AFFECTING TRENT VALLEY STATIONS An extra hourly Virgin London to Coventry/Birmingham service will also stop at Rugby London to Northampton Silverlink service extended to Long Buckby, Rugby, Nuneaton, Lichfield, Tamworth, Stafford and Crewe Central Trains hourly Northampton to Long Buckby, Rugby, Coventry and Birmingham service will be upgraded to half-hourly Hourly Virgin services from London to Liverpool will no longer stop in Nuneaton out of peak hours Hourly Virgin services from London to Carlisle/Glasgow will no longer stop at Rugby

The new Desiro service will take 20 minutes longer and make up to six stops on a longer route.

Rugby, the most southern of the Trent Valley stations, will see even faster trains to London - seven minutes quicker than at present.

It will have two trains an hour to London - one Virgin and the new Trent Valley Desiro train - plus a tripling of the current one train an hour to Coventry, Northampton and Birmingham.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Nuneaton will get the same amount of trains it gets now and it will get better links to key regional centres that are not available now.

"But it could be said that Rugby is a real winner. It is also good news for Lichfield and Tamworth."

Work at Milton Keynes station in late 2008 will affect the start of the new timetable due to come in by January 2009 at the latest.