GWR reveals withdrawal plans for High Speed Trains

High Speed Trains will be withdrawn from the West of England expresses in the first week of March 2019, Great Western Railway has confirmed.

Speaking in Pistoia (Italy) on May 23, at the launch of the Class 802 fleet that will replace the HSTs, GWR Customer Services Director Matthew Golton confirmed that there will be a gradual introduction of the ‘802s’ from December 2018.

Golton said that all 36 Class 802s must be in the UK by the end of December 2018, but that their introduction into passenger traffic will be gradual.

“There is a major timetable change in January 2019, and the following eight weeks will feature the phasing out of the HSTs in the current formations. We will keep the shorter ones for other routes,” he said.

The HSTs are being withdrawn from other GWR routes from October 2017, as the first Intercity Express Programme Class 800s are introduced.

GWR spokesman Dan Panes told RAIL that initially four Class 800/0s, operating in two pairs, will complete rostered duties covering around 800 miles per day from “the autumn”, with October 16 the suspected start date.

He said more will be introduced through the rest of the year, initially serving destinations including Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff Central, Swansea and Hereford. By the end of the year they will serve all destinations featuring in the “IEP contract”, which also includes Weston-superMare, Cheltenham and Oxford.

GWR has 36 five-car ‘800/0s’ on order, with 800001-006/008/009 delivered for testing and commissioning.

Panes added that from September the IEPs would be “more visible” on the network, as driver training continues before their entry into traffic.