Additional 12 carriage trains delivering more seats into London before 09:00
Great Western Railway (GWR) is providing almost 500 extra seats into London Paddington before 09:00 today after the train operator increased the number of 12 carriage trains in operation.
Introduced with the new May timetable, the 06:52 Didcot Parkway to London Paddington has been increased to 12-carriages and a new 07:53 Twyford to London Paddington service, calling at Maidenhead only, has been created.
Made up of 12-carriage class 387 Electrostar trains, the two services will add 446 extra seats into London Paddington before 09:00.
The timetable change delivers extra seats in London and the Thames Valley at key times of the morning. The 07:53 Twyford service connects with the 07:36 Henley-on-Thames branch line train that arrives at 07:48, offering customers changing just a 5-minute wait for a fast service to London (arriving at 08:24).
Those returning home in the evening will also be able to take advantage of more seats, with the 18:42 London Paddington to Reading now also formed of 12-carriages.
GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said:
“Today marks another significant step as we work to transform the railway, providing more seats and services for our customers from Didcot, Reading and the London Thames Valley.
“With TfL Rail replacing our Hayes-shuttle services, we have been able to deliver more for customers in the Thames Valley, as well as for our Henley and Marlow branch lines, with a new connecting 12 carriage service when it is needed most.”
The Electrostar trains boast at-seat power, air conditioning, free WiFi; as well as more seats and tables than the Turbo trains that they have replaced.
The extra seats build on improvements made by the January timetable change, where GWR was able to extend the use of its Electrostar fleet to Didcot, with the trains able to provide up to 30% more seats on key journeys.
Alongside the introduction of Intercity Express Trains, the improvements meant over 4,800 more seats into and out of London Paddington in the morning peak (between 07:00 and 09:59), a 10% increase in capacity when compared to January 2017.
Notes to editors
Great Western Railway (GWR) provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services. We help over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year - across South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England.
We’re currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel so we can offer more trains, more seats, and shorter, more frequent journeys and continue the network’s heritage of helping connect more businesses to new and prosperous markets. Through a series of initiatives we aim to be a good neighbour to the communities we serve and are committed to making a positive social impact in those regions. Learn how we're Building a Greater West at GWR.com. GWR is a FirstGroup company.