Windsor & Eton station renamed Harry & Meghan Central

Windsor & Eton Central station is to become Harry & Meghan Central for the day to celebrate the royal wedding.

Train services to and from Slough towards Windsor & Eton Central will also carry specially branded Harry & Meghan Central window labels, as GWR prepares to carry thousands of additional passengers to and from Windsor.

The train operator will also provide over 60,000 chocolates and over 10,000 bottles of water to keep the party atmosphere going. Hundreds of metres of bunting have been put up; and to help passengers board the Windsor shuttles safely 2,300 metres of fencing will be used for queues across key stations on route, including at Harry & Meghan Central for the return journey.

With trains at Slough station for the connecting service to Harry & Meghan Central, expected to be in very high demand, and a sizeable queuing system in place, those travelling on the day are advised to travel early to beat the queues and make sure they get to the town in time for the Royal procession.

Great Western Railway (GWR) will operate to its maximum capacity on its branch line service, with four carriage trains running every 20 minutes, and over 200 additional GWR staff will be working across the network on the day to keep people moving.

GWR is even working with a local swan sanctuary to ensure any wayward birds do not fall fowl of the railway line.

With well in excess of 100,000 people expected to travel to Windsor to catch a glimpse of the royal couple, GWR also recommends that those travelling by train consider the following:

• Please allow plenty of time for your journey – and expect to queue
• Keep baggage to a minimum: Thames Valley Police and British Transport Police will conduct security checks and excess luggage could delay your journey
• Wear sensible clothes for the weather conditions. GWR will have additional facilities on site but please do ensure you are dressed for the conditions expected throughout the day
• Stagger your journey home: Both Windsor stations will be extremely busy. GWR will provide regular updates on expected queuing times through our twitter feed @GWRhelp and @SW_help

Those looking to join the crowds are advised to use South Western Railway services from London Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside if you are travelling from the London area. Customers travelling from the West, South Wales and Cotswolds should change at Reading for services to Slough.

GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said:

“We help thousands of people each year travel to some of the biggest events in the country: Reading Festival, Glastonbury and Henley Regatta and many more. This will be one of the largest ever one-day events that has taken place on our network and our aim is to ensure our customers have a great day out and enjoy what will be an international spectacle.”

For more information please visit GWR.com/royalwedding

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.