Customers’ journey experience enhanced as Great Western Railway trains undergo makeover

The £10m internal refresh programme, carried out by Gemini Rail Services in Wolverton, has seen the rejuvenation of GWR’s Class 165/166 Turbo fleet.

Leased from Angel Trains, the 57 units have undergone a comprehensive interior makeover, including new flooring, repainting of all surfaces, plus replacement and repairs to seating.

GWR Engineering Director Dr Simon Green said:

“This is all part of our commitment to improving the journey experience for our customers. We’re delighted with the results and hope our passengers enjoy the refreshed feel of our carriages.

“This has been a really good demonstration of the railway industry working collaboratively and I’d like to thank Angel Trains and Gemini Rail Services for their diligence over the past three years.

“This work demonstrates our commitment to investment and development in services, infrastructure and the future. We’re dedicated to modernising and expanding the network and ensuring efficient and reliable services.”

Gemini Rail Services Chief Operating Officer Sean Forster said:

“We are very pleased to have successfully delivered this project through an effective partnership with GWR and Angel Trains, and all the team at Gemini look forward to working with GWR again, delivering future projects that continue to improve rail passengers’ experience.”

Angel Trains’ Chief Operating Officer David Jordan said:

“Thanks to Great Western Railway and Gemini for the successful refurbishment of our Class 165 and 166 trains. These improvements will make the journey more enjoyable for passengers, which we hope will lead to more people choosing to travel by train in the South West.”

What units have been refreshed?

20 x Class 165 trains (2-car). Serving Gloucester to Frome and on to Weymouth or Portsmouth; Bristol local services (including Weston-super-Mare); Oxford local services and Thames Valley branch lines

16 x Class 165 trains (3-car) and 21 x Class 166 trains (3-car). Serving Cardiff to Portsmouth (including Westbury), Exeter local services; North Downs line Reading to Gatwick

When did the refresh programme begin?

Work started on the first unit in September 2021 and each unit was stopped for between four and five weeks.  

What did it involve?

A full interior refresh including a comprehensive strip out of the vehicles and replacement of all floor coverings. Wet painting or powder coating of all interior panels, luggage racks, bulkheads, draught screens, doors, under-seat boxes and heaters. All seats removed with seat shells repaired and painted, along with new moquette being fitted throughout and seat foams replaced as required. Renewal of all seat rail and waist rail trims and polishing or heavy cleaning of any non-painted metal surfaces. New labels fitted. In addition, eight Class 166 units in the previous blue livery had their exteriors painted in GWR green, bringing them in line with all other units.