21.09.15
Great Western Railway announces timetable changes under new brand
First Great Western has been rebranded as Great Western Railway (GWR) as it brings along a series of timetable and livery changes to its fleet.
The move draws inspiration from Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s legacy and adopts the same name as the original company that built and operated the line – but offers a “modern adaptation” of its 182-year-old heritage’s look and feel to “inspire a new identity”.
New trains, uniforms and the phased three-year introduction of a dark green livery – the same as that shown in CGI images of the Hitachi AT300 fleet procured to serve Devon and Cornwall – will be central to GWR’s change, alongside an “improvement package” developed jointly with the Department for Transport.
The ‘package’, which will upgrade the whole of the Great Western Main Line, includes the previously-announced 29 new bi-mode long-distance trains to serve the south west from 2018. The £360m fleet, set to run between London and Cornwall, will be manufactured by Hitachi and can operate on both non-electric and electric routes.
The new trains are set to slash the average age of the operator’s fleet by more than half.
Mark Hopwood, managing director, said: “This investment represents a historic milestone for us and so it was a perfect opportunity to launch the Great Western Railway once again. We are committed to improving the journeys of our passengers, as well as the economic prosperity and social footprint of the regions and communities we serve.
“It’s a new dawn for our railway and we’re excited to be at the helm.”
Click on the image to enlarge it.
A “major” timetable change in December 2018 will also result in quicker journeys across the route by reducing travel times between South Wales, Bristol and London. Travel time to Bristol will be shaved by up to 17 minutes and Cardiff up to 14 minutes.
The new services will also see more direct trains to Devon and double the number of trains in and out of Cornwall, supported by an extra 100 customer-facing staff and ‘customer ambassadors’ at key stations to personally help passengers.
GWR commissioned Brunel’s great, great, great grandson, graphic artist Isambard Thomas, to help promote the brand’s transformation. The 51-year-old unveiled a limited edition print of the line following an event at Bristol Temple Meads on 7 September, and called it a “great honour” to work in a project so close to Brunel’s heart.
The brand has already changed its Twitter handles to ‘GWR UK’ and ‘GWR Help’, the former showcasing the brand changes and the latter announcing delays and cancellations on the route.
Recent government guidance on franchise naming and branding, for example in the Northern Invitation to Tender, urges operators to consider "the overall costs and benefits of branding including, where practicable, enhancing the Franchise brand so that it could be used in successor franchises, as well as limiting the costs of de-branding at the end of the Franchise".