03.01.19
Final intercity train sees GWR deliver 10,000 more seats
More than 10,000 more train seats have now been made available on the Great Western Railway (GWR) network after the train operator delivered the remainder of the new fleet of Class 800 intercity trains yesterday.
Before Christmas GWR took the delivery of its final Class 800 Intercity Express Trains (IET) from the manufacturer Hitachi, and the new trains were made available to passengers on 2 January.
A total of 658 new carriages have come into service in the past 18 months on the GWR network, and 15 further Class 802 trains are still to be rolled out during 2019.
GWR’s managing director Mark Hopwood said the new Intercity Express Trains have helped increase the number of seats on journeys by almost a quarter, and have proven to be 20% more reliable than the older trains they’re replacing over the last three months.
The new rolling stock has also seen some of the best on-train satisfaction scores for some time, with improvements to on-board information and seat comfort.
Hopwood commented: “We promised to deliver the biggest fleet upgrade in a generation during the course of this franchise, and I am delighted to be able to mark a major milestone in achieving this.”
“From the New Year, thanks to the progression of Network Rail’s electrification programme, we will also be able to run electric trains to Newbury for the first time.”
In 2019, GWR says the “transformation” is continuing with electric services starting at Bristol Parkway and Newbury for the first time.
Managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, Karen Boswell, commented: “Thanks to the hard work of our teams across the country we’ve now delivered all the Intercity Express Trains for GWR’s mainline route, benefitting millions of journeys.
“From our train factory in the North East through to our dedicated maintenance teams in London, Bristol and Swansea, we are proud to be part of the Great Western family.”
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