New trains to bring faster journey times

The decision to acquire the fleet of AT300 bi-mode trains from Hitachi Rail Europe came from Great Western Railway, according to GWR Customer Services Director Matthew Golton.

Speaking in Pistoia (Italy) on May 23, he said the operator had put forward the option to the Department for Transport.

He said that plans for the Intercity Express Programme order for 57 trains did not offer improvements for the West of England route. There had been plans to address that in the 2012 franchise award, but that was shelved following the Intercity West Coast franchise failure and the subsequent DfT review into franchising.

“We were keen that the West of England shouldn’t lose out during the short awards,” he said, adding that there was a straight choice.

“Either we refurbish 40-year-old High Speed Trains with disability access to take them into the next decade, or we order new trains. We made the case to order a further seven. This offers a speed change, a capacity change and a frequency change. There will be calling point changes. Penzance services will be up to 14 minutes faster.”

Golton said that the introduction of the new trains was part of “a much bigger picture”. He explained: “Look at the Gross Added Value - the West Country is a high contributor to the UK. Thanks to Crossrail, the City will be around 20 minutes closer to the West of England. And with the faster journey times, that gets closer still.”