First Great Western announces upgrades

First Great Western has announced proposals to deliver the largest train fleet upgrade in a generation on the Great Western network as part of its plans for the new franchise that starts in September, and will run until at least April 2019.

In a deal put together with the Department for Transport, First Great Western’s plans would see the age of First Great Western’s train fleet slashed by more than half, and would create for our customers 9,000 additional seats every day by the end of the franchise.

This unlocks quicker journey times and additional services on both long distance and commuter services across the region.

The new deal brings together a range of benefits for customers and communities by the end of the franchise period, including:

* New or updated trains in every area of the network – including proposals for a brand new fleet of privately funded intercity trains for services to and from Devon and Cornwall – creating three million additional seats a year for customers across the network.

* Free WiFi will be extended to all train fleets

* More direct trains into Devon and Cornwall

* Doubling the number of trains into and out of Cornwall, and reducing journey times between Paddington and Penzance by up to 14 minutes

* Faster trains between South Wales, Bristol and London, cutting journey times into Bristol Temple Meads by up to 17 minutes and Cardiff by up to 14 minutes

* More seats for local commuters on key routes across the franchise including services for Bristol, Exeter, Oxford and Gatwick

* 100 more customer-facing colleagues on long-distance trains £50 million investment with our partners to improve stations, including 2,000 new car park spaces across the network

* Customer information improvements and improved PA systems

* Improved retail / ticketing systems £2.2 million Customer and Communities Improvement Fund to target improvements around areas of real social need, and additional funding for Community Rail Partnerships on local branch lines.

First Great Western will also develop a community work placement scheme, and work with The Prince’s Trust to develop a ‘Get into Railways’ mentoring programme.

Customers can use First Great Western’s interactive map to see an overview of improvements at their station by visiting: www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/greaterwest