Great Western Railway wish Captain Tom ‘Happy Christmas’ by knighting his train
Great Western Railway (GWR) has added Captain Tom’s knighthood to the train named after the Covid-19 fundraising hero.
Intercity Express Train 800025 has re-entered service bearing the name Captain Sir Tom Moore, along with his medal ribbons and recognition of his award of honorary Colonel.
Nobody has captured the hearts of the nation more during 2020 than Captain Tom, with the World War Two veteran raising nearly £33m for NHS Charities Together.
GWR named the train in his honour in April following requests from colleagues and the public. Days later the train operator compiled a special Happy Birthday video tribute to the sound of train horns.
Captain Tom was knighted by the Queen in a ceremony at Windsor Castle, and GWR is delighted to have updated its vinyl in time for Christmas.
GWR’s Head of Communications Dan Panes said:
“Captain Tom has been an inspiration to us all during such trying times and we’re pleased to have added ‘Sir’ to the Intercity Express Train named in his honour.
“We were inundated with requests to name a train after Captain Tom and we know customers have enjoyed the chance to travel on it.”
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.