Great Western Railway

Class 43Castles andClass 802IET atPenzance
Overview
Franchises	InterCity Great Western4 February 1996 – 31 March 2006 Greater Western1 April 2006 – 2026[1]
Main regions	Greater London South East England South West England South Wales
Other regions	East Midlands West Midlands
Fleet	Class 08 shunting locos Class 43HST Castle Class 57 diesel locomotives forNight Riviera Class 150Sprinter Class 158Express Sprinter Class 165Networker Turbo Class 166Networker Turbo Class 387Electrostar Class 800IET Class 802IET
Stations operated	198[2]
Parent company	FirstGroup
Headquarters	Swindon
Reporting mark	GW
Predecessor	First Great Western Link Wessex Trains
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz ACOHLE
Length	1,323.0 mi (2,129.2 km)[citation needed]
Other
Website	www.gwr.com
System map

First Greater Western Ltd,^[3][4]trading asGreat Western Railway (GWR), is a Britishtrain operating company owned byFirstGroup that provides services in theGreater Western franchise area. It manages 198 stations. GWR operates long-distance inter-city services along theGreat Western Main Line to and from theWest of England andSouth Wales, inter-city services from London to theWest Country via theReading–Taunton line, and theNight Rivierasleeper service between London andPenzance. It provides outer-suburban services in West London; commuter services from its London terminus atLondon Paddington to theThames Valley region, including parts ofBerkshire andBuckinghamshire, andOxfordshire; and regional services throughout the West of England and South Wales to the South coast of England. Great Western Railway also operates theHeathrow Express service.

The company began operating in February 1996 asGreat Western Trains, as part of theprivatisation of British Rail. In December 1998, it becameFirst Great Western after FirstGroup bought out its partners' shares inGreat Western Holdings. In April 2006, First Great Western,First Great Western Link andWessex Trains were combined into the new Greater Western franchise and brought under the First Great Western brand. The company adopted its current name and a new livery in September 2015 to coincide with the start of a newly extended contract that was subsequently extended to run until June 2028.

As part of theprivatisation of British Rail, the Great WesternInterCity franchise was awarded by theDirector of Passenger Rail Franchising toGreat Western Holdings in December 1995, and it began operations on 4 February 1996. Great Western Holdings was owned by some formerBritish Rail managers (51%),FirstBus (24.5%) and3i (24.5%).^[5][6]

In March 1998, FirstGroup bought out its partners' stakes to give it 100% ownership.^[7][8][9] In December 1998, the franchise was rebranded First Great Western.^[10][11]

On 1 April 2004,First Great Western Link began operating theThames Trains franchise. It ran local services from Paddington toSlough,Henley-on-Thames,Reading,Didcot Parkway,Oxford,Newbury,Bedwyn,Worcester Shrub Hill,Hereford,Banbury andStratford-upon-Avon. It also operated services from Reading toGatwick Airport (viaGuildford andDorking), and from Reading toBasingstoke.^[12]

On 1 April 2006, the Great Western, Great Western Link andWessex Trains franchises were combined into a new Greater Western franchise. FirstGroup,National Express andStagecoach were shortlisted to bid for it. On 13 December 2005, it was announced that FirstGroup had won the franchise.^[13] Originally, First planned to subdivide its services into three categories based on routes.^[14] Following feedback from staff and stakeholders, the decision was taken to re-brand and re-livery all services as 'First Great Western'.^[15]

In May 2011, FirstGroup announced that it had decided not to take up the option to extend its franchise beyond the end of March 2013. It stated that, in the light of the £1 billionplan to electrify the Great Western route from London via Bristol to Cardiff, it wished to try to negotiate a longer-term deal. CEOTim O'Toole said: "We believe we are best placed to manage these projects and capture the benefits through a longer-term franchise."^[16]

By not taking up the option to extend its original franchise contract for a further three years, FirstGroup avoided having to pay £826.6 million to the government; it received extra subsidies totalling £133 million from the government in 2010.^[17]

In March 2012,Arriva, FirstGroup, National Express and Stagecoach were shortlisted to bid for the new franchise. The winner was expected to be announced in December 2012, with the new franchisee taking over in April 2013.^[18] But it was announced in July 2012 that the franchise would be extended, due to the late issue of theinvitation to tender (ITT).^[19] The ITT ran from the end of July until October 2012. The winner would have been announced in March 2013, and taken on the franchise from 21 July 2013 until the end of July 2028.^[20] The new franchise would include the introduction of newIntercity Express Trains, capacity enhancements andsmart ticketing.^[21] The award of the franchise was again delayed in October 2012, while theDepartment for Transport (DfT) reviewed the way rail franchises were awarded.

In January 2013, the government announced that the current competition for the franchise had been aborted, and that FirstGroup's contract had been extended until October 2013.^[22] A two-year franchise extension until September 2015 was agreed in October 2013,^[23][24] and subsequently extended until March 2019.^[25][26][27] A further extension to April 2019 was granted in March 2015.^[28]

The refurbishment of first-class carriages in 2014 included interiors that featured a new GWR logo,^[29] with no First branding. The whole company was rebranded Great Western Railway (GWR) on 20 September 2015,^[30] with the introduction of a green livery in recognition of the formerGreat Western Railway which existed between 1835 and 1947.^[31][32] The new livery was introduced when HST interiors were refurbished, and on sleeper carriages and Class 57/6 locomotives.^[33]

In May 2018,TfL Rail – which later became theElizabeth line – took over services from Paddington toHayes & Harlington, and then some stopping services to Reading in December 2019,^[34][35] becoming part of the Elizabeth line service.

In March 2020, the DfT awarded a further extension to 31 March 2023.^[36][37]

In June 2022, the DfT replaced the franchise agreement with a direct award contract that expires on 25 June 2028, with an option to extend for a further three years.^[38]

GWR was one of several train operators impacted by the2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes, which were the first national rail strikes in the UK for three decades.^[39]

Great Western Railway operates routes west of London including those towards south west England such asWiltshire,Bristol,Cornwall,Gloucestershire, as well asOxfordshire,Berkshire,Hereford andSouth Wales.

The following is a simplified list of regular off-peak weekday service from the June 2024 timetables.^[40]

Great Western Railway'snamed passenger trains include:^[41][42]

GWR operatesrestaurant cars on certain West Country and Wales trains to or from London Paddington. They are available to first-class and standard-class passengers, though only first-class passengers may make advance reservations, and they have priority over seats in the restaurant.^[46] Meals in the restaurant car are not included in the price of rail tickets.

GWR has first class on all its long-distance high-speed services. First class on the IETs includes fabric reclining seating with tables at every seat, as well as an at-seat service provided by a customer host on most journeys.^[47] Unlike the previous HSTs, the IETs do not have leather first-class seating due to fire regulations.^[48] Like the HSTs, there are power sockets and USB charging points at every seat. There isWi-Fi throughout the first class-carriages, which GWR describes as 'upgraded'.^[47]

Standard class is provided on all services. Many services on long-distance and regional routes have specific seat reservations.

An at-seat trolley service is scheduled to operate on most IET services, with a trolley in each portion of a ten-coach train. This is different from the HSTs, which had buffet counters branded as 'Express Cafes'.

In July 2018, a disabled woman was threatened by Great Western Railway staff with police action and removal from the train she was travelling in, for using a disabled space for her mobility scooter.^[49] Canadian-born comedianTanyalee Davis, who has a form of dwarfism, said she was humiliated when a Great Western Railway conductor made an announcement that she was "causing problems" which had delayed the train. The incident occurred after a woman travelling with a young child demanded that Davis make way for her pram.^[50] GWR said the incident should not have happened and "No one travelling with us should be left feeling like this".^[51]

In 2015, the imminent arrival of the newClass 800 trains provoked a series of strikes by theRMT union over who has the right to control the doors. First Great Western wanted to replace conductors withdriver-only operation (DOO); however, following several discussions it was agreed to keep conductors on all IET services.^[52] Another strike took place in early December 2016 amidst a background ofongoing rail strikes on a national level. The RMT ballotted Servest UK workers employed on an outsourcing contract to GWR as cleaners; the ballot passed in favour of strike action by 98%. A disruptive transfer period in the outsourcing contract, fromMitie to Servest UK, had resulted in what the RMT referred to as the creation of a "two-tier workforce" amongst cleaners at GWR, with an inequality in pay and working conditions between cleaners employed directly by GWR and those outsourced to Servest UK.^[53] Two 24-hour strikes were held from 06:00 on 16 and 23 December,^[54] followed by a 48-hour strike from 06:00 on 19 January 2017.^[55] Further industrial action was suspended by the RMT following the January strike as a result of an improvement in ongoing negotiations between the RMT, GWR and Servest UK.^[56] The dispute was formally resolved in July 2017, as RMT members voted in favour of accepting a new pay deal.^[57]

In April 2021, cracks were discovered in theyaw damper brackets (part of the suspension system) ofClass 800 and802 InterCity Express Trains (IET). Eight trains were withdrawn from service and an investigation started into the cause.^[58] On 8 May, all these trains and similar ones operated by other companies were taken out of service. Cracks had now been found in the lifting pads (a component fixed near thebogie) and it was feared that if these were to fall off they may cause injury or derailment.^[59][60]

The only IET units that were permitted to operate were those which had been carefully inspected and found to have no significant cracks. This meant that most of GWR's 93 units were unavailable which led to significant disruption to long-distance services.Class 387 units operated additional services fromLondon Paddington toDidcot Parkway which were later extended toSwindon andBristol Parkway after approval was given for them to operate in service on this route. Three additional 387 units were loaned fromc2c and were modified to work with GWR's fleet, mostly on services toNewbury.CrossCountry operated a service on behalf of GWR from Swindon toBristol Temple Meads and the few available 800 and 802, were concentrated on services west of Swindon and toPlymouth.^[61] Plans were agreed on 13 May to increase inspections of the lifting pads and yaw dampers so that more trains could be returned to service.^[62][63] A further six Class 387 units were loaned fromGovia Thameslink Railway in July 2021 and used in a common pool with GWR's existing 387/1 fleet, being surplus to requirements while theGatwick Express service was suspended.^[64]

Great Western Railway inherited a fleet ofInterCity 125 sets (Class 43 power cars andMark 3 Coaches) andClass 57 locomotives and Mark 3 sleeper coaches from BR. In 2006, it inherited a fleet ofClass 165 andClass 166 units from First Great Western Link, and a fleet ofClass 150,Class 153 andClass 158 units from Wessex Trains.

The fleet of 57Class 800 trains from theHitachi A-train family is used to operate most of GWR's long-distance services between London and destinations such asSwindon,Chippenham,Bath Spa,Bristol Temple Meads,Newport,Cardiff Central,Swansea,Carmarthen,Cheltenham Spa,Oxford,Worcester Shrub Hill andHereford. Introduced between autumn 2017 and spring 2019, these gradually replaced the olderInterCity 125 sets.

On 28 April 2021, six Class 800s were withdrawn from service due to cracks being found during maintenance and were sent to Hitachi for inspection.^[65]

Long-distance services between London and destinations in the west of the GWR network (such asPaignton,Newquay, Plymouth andPenzance) are mostly operated using the fleet of 36Class 802 trains, the first of which was introduced on 20 August 2018.^[66]

These trains are almost identical to the Class 800 trains, except they have a higher engine operating power—700 kW (940 hp) per engine as opposed to 560 kW (750 hp)—and are fitted with larger fuel tanks to cope with the gradients and extended running in diesel mode on the long unelectrified stretches in Devon and Cornwall.^[67]

Hitachi planned to test a tri-mode Class 802 in 2022 fitted with batteries in an attempt to reduce emissions when entering and leaving stations.^[68]

FourClass 57/6 locomotives have hauled theNight Riviera sleeper services since 2004 when they replacedClass 47s.^[69] Due to poor availability of the 57/6s,Direct Rail Services (DRS) Class 57/3s have been hired fromDirect Rail Services.^[70] in 2023, former DRS 57312 was placed on permanent lease with GWR.^[71]

TheClass 165 "Networker Turbo" is a two- or three-coachDMU originally used on shorter-distance services in the Thames Valley area, with many still based atReading Traction Maintenance Depot. In this area, they are mainly used on branches such as theGreenford branch line,Slough–Windsor & Eton line,Marlow branch line andHenley branch line. They are also used on services between Reading and Basingstoke, Didcot Parkway and Oxford or Banbury, and sometimes services between London and Oxford. Many are based atSt Philip's Marsh depot in Bristol, where they work on most of the lines in the area including theSevern Beach line,Heart of Wessex Line,Golden Valley line andBristol to Exeter line. From summer 2018, they began operating services between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour too, in tandem with the Class 166 fleet.In response to its Remedial Plan Notice, First Great Western undertook a more thorough refurbishment of the Thames Turbo fleet than originally planned:^[72] the trains were to be fitted with improved lighting, carpets, toilets, and a revised seating layout.^[73] This refurbishment started in September 2016.

TheClass 166 "Networker Turbo" is a three-coach DMU, similar to the Class 165 units but with an internal layout more suitable for longer-distance services. They are now mostly based atSt Philip's Marsh depot in Bristol, where they currently work on most of the lines in the area including theWessex Main Line,Severn Beach line,Heart of Wessex Line,Golden Valley line andBristol to Taunton line.

TheClass 387 "Electrostar" is a four-coach EMU built by Bombardier, with a 2+2 seating layout, tables, power sockets and free Wi-Fi. It can be operated in four, eight- and twelve-coach formations. The class began to enter service in September 2016 on weekday peak services between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington, using the overhead electrical equipment used byHeathrow Express. Services using the class were extended to Maidenhead in May 2017^[74] and later to Didcot Parkway,^[75] and from Reading to Newbury.

Bombardier Transportation atIlford Depot had modified twelve of these trains by December 2020, installing new first-class seating, Wi-Fi, luggage racks and on-board entertainment, to be used on Heathrow Express services. Rebranded as "Heathrow Express", and refurbished with Heathrow Express moquette, they replaced the existingClass 332,^[76] entering service on 29 December 2020.

In 2023 3 units were cascaded toGreat Northern.^[77]

Great Western Railway retained 24 power cars and 48 carriages from its former High Speed Train fleet to form 12 'Castle' 2+4 sets. They are branded asClass 255 sets and are for use on multiple services between Plymouth and Penzance.^[78] There is a consensus that the sets shall be withdrawn at the end of 2024, ending their services with GWR in Devon and Cornwall and replaced withClass 175s.^[79] All power cars being retained will have new nameplates, named after castles from across the area that GWR serve. The sets are progressively being fitted with automatic doors and controlled emission toilets, to allow their operation beyond 2020, atDoncaster Works.^[67] Due to a delay in refurbishing the Castle sets, slam door 2+4 sets known as 'Classic' sets were used until the end of 2019.

Until 2017, GWR operated the vast majority of its long-distance services with a fleet of 58InterCity 125 High Speed Train sets,^[80] each consisting of eightMark 3 coaches sandwiched between twoClass 43 locomotives. GWR operated the largest InterCity 125 fleet, owning five sets outright; the rest were leased fromAngel Trains andPorterbrook. From 2009 to 2012 (when Class 180s were reintroduced on the Cotswold line)^[81] all the company's intercity services were worked by HSTs except the Night Riviera sleeper service between London Paddington and Penzance. From late 2017, following the completion ofelectrification fromHayes & Harlington to the west of England,^[82] intercity services gradually became operated by Class 800 IETs, although a few peak services remained operated by HSTs until early 2019. GWR continued to use HSTs on services to Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance until May 2019, when they were all withdrawn in favour of Class 802 units.^[83]

The youngest Class 43 locomotive dated from 1982. After a successful trial byAngel Trains and FGW in 2004, two power cars received newMTU engines while two received newPaxman VP185s, fitted byBrush Traction ofLoughborough. The MTU engine proved the better option, both for reliability and for emissions, resulting in FGW, Brush and Angel Trains starting the HST Modernisation programme. The last power cars to be re-engineered were released in April 2008, while several other companies' HSTs have now all undergone a similar programme.^[84]

GWR's High Speed Train fleet were refurbished byBombardier inDerby andIlford between 2006 and 2008,^[85] with leather seats introduced in first class, redesigned toilets, a redesigned buffet, and at-seatpower points. The company opted for mainlyairline seats, giving more seats per train.

Following theSouthall andLadbroke Grove rail crashes, GWR requires its HSTs to haveautomatic train protection andAutomatic Warning System safety systems in operation. If either is faulty, the train is not used.

The fleet of 17 two-coachClass 150 Sprinter units was inherited from Wessex Trains as part of the Greater Western franchise shuffle. The fleet had been refurbished by Wessex Trains in 2003, with 2+2 seating arranged in a mixture of 'airline' (face to back) and table seating. The fleet is widespread throughout the former Wessex area, and carried a maroon livery with advertising vinyls for South West Tourism. Each unit was sponsored by a district, town or attraction and carried a unique livery. Most received names of attractions, places and branch lines. Two units were repainted into the new First 'Local' livery, but all units are now due to receive the new green GWR livery. As part of a national fleet shuffle, eight units went toArriva Trains Wales on 10 December 2006, and were replaced with 8 Class 158 units.

First Great Western received five extra Class 150/2 units in May 2007 as part of its Remedial Plan Notice, to enable three-car Class 158 trains to operate on the Portsmouth-Cardiff services.^[72] Five Class 150 sets were hired from Arriva Trains Wales from March 2008 until they were returned in November 2010.

TheClass 158 is a two- or three-coach DMU used on regional express services in the former Wessex Trains area. In February 2008, as part of its Remedial Plan Notice, First Great Western announced that it would form some hybrid three-car Class 158 units in March 2008, made possible by the transfer of five Class 150/2 units from Arriva Trains Wales.^[72] This allowed for ten hybrid units in operation and, combined with one non-hybrid three-car unit, provided eleven three-car units to operate services between Portsmouth and Cardiff and Great Malvern and Weymouth alongside the two-car units. After the introduction of Class 150/1 trains fromLondon Overground and London Midland, three of the remaining five two-coach Class 158s were reformed to provide two further three-coach Class 158s.^[86] However, following their operations largely being taken over byClass 165 andClass 166 units in the Bristol area, most of these units were reformed to restore them to 2 coach formation.^{[citation needed]}

The fleet was refurbished in a programme begun in 2007,^[87] which included fitting of reupholstered seats, new lighting and floor coverings, CCTV within the passenger saloons, and refurbished toilets. At the same time, the exteriors of the vehicles were repainted in the updated FGW livery, including artwork depicting various local places of interest. The refurbishment work took place at theWabtec plant in Doncaster.^[88]

In 2018, the 158s began running alongside the first completedClass 255Castle set on services betweenBristol,Exeter,Plymouth andPenzance. Since then, more of the 158 fleet have gradually started to move more west with more 158 sets working services betweenExmouth andPaignton /Barnstaple. The timetable change in December 2019 saw the start of the 158s taking over from the 143s primarily on theTarka Line to Barnstaple, with some of the units also working on theCardiff / Bristol to Penzance route alongside theCastle sets.^[89]

In October 2020,Arriva TrainCare completed a refurbishment of the Class 158 fleet in line with the C6 exam at their Bristol Barton Hill depot. This included: full interior and exterior repaint, and rebrand to new GWR corporate colours, installation of new air conditioning system and heaters and overhauling the seating and flooring. In addition, a new passenger information system was installed as well as new toilet systems.^[90]

Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Qty.	Carriages	Routes[40]	Year Built
				mph	km/h
Commuter, regional and branch line
Sprinter	150/2		DMU	75	120	20[91]	2	Exmouth – Paignton Exeter Central – Okehampton Exeter Central – Barnstaple Plymouth – Gunnislake Liskeard – Looe Par – Newquay Truro – Falmouth Docks St Erth – St Ives	1986–1987
	158Express Sprinter			90	145	13[92]	2	Cardiff Central – Portsmouth Harbour Cardiff Central – Penzance Axminster - Barnstaple Bristol Temple Meads – Weymouth	1989–1992
						5[93]	3
Networker	165Networker Turbo					20[91]	2	Reading – Redhill or Gatwick Airport Reading – Basingstoke Reading or Didcot Parkway – Oxford or Banbury Twyford – Henley-on-Thames Maidenhead – Marlow Slough – Windsor & Eton Central West Ealing – Greenford Bristol Temple Meads – Avonmouth or Severn Beach Great Malvern – Bristol Temple Meads – Salisbury or Weymouth Swindon – Gloucester or Weymouth Cardiff Central – Portsmouth Harbour[94] Exmouth - Paignton Newbury - Bedwyn	1992
						16[91]	3
	166Networker Turbo					21[95]	3	Bristol Temple Meads – Avonmouth or Severn Beach[96] Bristol Parkway – Weston-super-Mare[97] Cardiff Central – Taunton Swindon – Westbury Great Malvern – Bristol Temple Meads – Southampton Central or Weymouth Cardiff Central – Portsmouth Harbour[94] Barnstaple – Exeter Central Exmouth - Paignton	1992–1993
Bombardier Electrostar	387		EMU	110	177	30[77]	4[98]	London Paddington or Reading – Didcot Parkway, Newbury, Bristol Parkway or Swindon London Paddington – Cardiff Central	2016–2017
Class 255Castle[99]	43HST		Diesel locomotive	125	201	11[91]	4	Exeter St Davids – Plymouth – Penzance[100]	1975–1982
	Mark 3		Passenger coach			22[91]
	Inter-City
Hitachi AT300	800IET		BMU	125	201[101]	36[91]	5[102][103]	London Paddington – Oxford, Bedwyn, Worcester Shrub Hill, Great Malvern, Hereford – Cardiff Central, Swansea, Carmarthen – Bristol Temple Meads, Weston-super-Mare, Cheltenham Spa – Exeter St Davids, Paignton, Plymouth, Penzance [103]	2014–2018
						21[91]	9
	802IET					22[91]	5	London Paddington – Exeter St Davids, Paignton, Plymouth, Penzance – Oxford, Bedwyn, Worcester Shrub Hill, Great Malvern, Hereford [104][105]	2017–2018
						14[91]	9
Sleeper
Night Riviera	57		Diesel locomotive	95	152	5[91]	Varies[a]	2Night Riviera sets for London Paddington – Penzance sleeper service	1964–1967 (Rebuild: 1998–2004)
	Mark 3		Passenger coach	110	177	20[91]			1975–1988
Shunting locomotives
[106]	08		Shunting locomotive	15	24	8	n/a	Stock movements in depots	1952–1962

Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Total	Withdrawn	Notes
				mph	km/h
Commuter, regional and branch line
Pacer	142		DMU	75	120	12	2011	Replaced byClass 165Networker Turbo andClass 166Networker Turbo
	143					8	2020
Sprinter	150/0					2		Replaced byClass 165Networker Turbo andClass 166Networker Turbo Transferred toArriva Rail North andNorthern Trains
	150/1					17	2018
	153Super Sprinter					14	2018–2019	Replaced byClass 165Networker Turbo andClass 166Networker Turbo Transferred toAbellio ScotRail andKeolisAmey Wales
Bombardier Electrostar	387/1		EMU	110	177	15	2019–2020, 2023	12 units transferred toHeathrow Express between 2019–2020 3 units transferred toGreat Northern in 2023[77]
	387/2					6	2021–22	These trains were subleased fromGreat Northern in 2021, to provide cover forClass 800 andClass 802 InterCity Express Train (IET) units, following cracks being found on the IETs After the issues surrounding the IET trains were resolved, these units were returned to Great Northern at the end of 2021
	387/3					3		These trains were transferred fromc2c to provide cover forClass 800 andClass 802 InterCity Express Train (IET) units, following cracks being found on the IETs In June 2022 the units were withdrawn and transferred toGreat Northern in July 2022[107]
Inter-City
InterCity 125	43 (HST)		Diesel locomotive	125	200	91	2019	Replaced byClass 800IET andClass 802IET Transfer of some power cars and coaches toAbellio ScotRail
	Mark 3		Passenger coach			408
Alstom Coradia	180Adelante		DMU	125	200	14	2017	Replaced byClass 800IET andClass 802IET Transferred toGrand Central

Locomotive-hauled trains were in use on services between Cardiff, Bristol, Taunton and Paignton from December 2008 until November 2010 usingVirgin TrainsClass 57 locomotives withMark 2 coaching stock. A second set hauled byEWSClass 67s was used between December 2009 and October 2010. These were withdrawn when sufficient DMUs were available following the transfer of six Class 150/1 sets from London Overground.^[108] First Great Western issued a tender in May 2013 so that locomotive-hauled trains, or other train formations, could be operated on the Taunton-Cardiff route again, proposed to start in December 2013, to cover for DMUs out of service for refurbishment on Monday-to-Friday diagrams.^[109] GWR also runs loco-hauled sets composed of seating coaches and a Class 57 locomotive from theNight Riviera service between Penzance and Exeter St Davids as part of the summer timetable to release a DMU for other services.

TwelveClass 142Pacer DMUs were received by First Great Western in 2007, starting operations that December. These were sub-leased fromNorthern Rail (where they had been stored), in part to cover for refurbishment of FGW's Sprinter fleets but also to allow the Class 158s to be re-formed as three-coach sets. They were based atExeter TMD, working alongside the similarClass 143s on services inDevon andCornwall, including theAvocet Line,Riviera Line andTarka Line. Five 142s were returned to Northern Rail in late 2008, following the completion of the refresh of Class 150 Sprinter units. The remaining seven units were returned to Northern Rail by November 2011 as they had been replaced by Class 150 units cascaded from London Overground and London Midland following the arrival of newClass 172Turbostar units.

GWR's Night Riviera service also included the UK's lastMotorail service, until that aspect was withdrawn at the end of the 2005 summer season due to low usage.

First Great Western previously leased 14Class 180Adelante units, operating on the Great Western Main Line, but following technical issues they were transferred elsewhere.^[110][111] In 2012, five units were returned to First Great Western to operate weekday services on theCotswold Line, allowing class 165 and 166 units to be reallocated to increase capacity on Thames Valley services.^[81] The Class 180s left GWR in stages between June and December 2017 to joinGrand Central.^[112][113]

The 150/1s in the GWR fleet transferred toArriva Rail North in stages, beginning with the first three in August 2017 when their leases expired,^[114] and ending in April 2018.^[115] The 153s also transferred elsewhere in stages too, with the first four units going toEast Midlands Trains and the next five units going to Arriva Rail North. This left just five 153 units with GWR, which eventually transferred toTransport for Wales in April 2019.^[116]

In February 2023, GWR purchased a number of assets from theadministrators of battery train manufacturerVivarail, including 67 formerLondon Underground D78 Stock carriages and intellectual property rights to theClass 230.^[117][118] GWR have also employed nine Vivarail staff. It intends to trial the Class 230 units on theGreenford branch line between West Ealing and Greenford.

In August 2024,Rail Express reported that GWR were planning to lease theClass 175 fleet.^[119] In November 2024, it was announced that GWR had signed a lease for the Class 175 fleet; the fleet is planned to enter service in 2025.^[120] On 27 November 2024, 175002 was the first Class 175 unit to transfer to GWR.^[121]

Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Quantity of units	Carriages per unit	Routes	Year built
				mph	km/h
Alstom Coradia	175/0		DMU	100	160	10	2	Penzance – Exeter St Davids Exeter Central – Barnstaple Exeter Central – Okehampton [122]	1999–2001
	175/1					16	3
Vivarail D-Train	230		BEMU DEMU	60	97	1	3	West Ealing – Greenford	1978–1981 (LU) 2015–2019 (Vivarail)
						3	2

It was planned for Great Western Railway to operate nineteen Class 769/9 units once they were fully rolled out. The operator intended to run the first services in spring 2019,^[123] but this was delayed by issues faced byPorterbrook in converting the units. However, the first vehicle has been delivered and all were expected to be delivered by the end of 2021.

Although initially planned for use in London and theThames Valley, while 12Class 387 units were modified forHeathrow Express services, the future plan for these units was to be operating on services betweenOxford,Reading andGatwick Airport, which would have meant operating on non-electrified lines,25 kV AC OHLE and750 V DC third-rail routes. To enable this, GWR's allocation ofClass 769 units retained their dual-voltage capability in addition to being fitted with diesel power units. The units also received an internal refurbishment and be fitted with air cooling.^[124]

The first Class 769 to be delivered to GWR was unit 769943, which arrived at Reading TMD in August 2020. It was expected to enter service in early 2021.^[125] The Class 769 was expected to enter squadron service with GWR between June and December 2021,^[126] but this was later delayed to 2022.

In December 2022, GWR announced that the introduction of the Class 769 fleet would be abandoned and the units handed back to Porterbrook in April 2023. This was to comply with DfT mandated cost-cutting and also as a result of dissatisfaction with the reliability of the units on test.^[127]

HST in modified Great Western Trains livery with First Group logo and fader vinyls atReading

A First Great Western Class 150 in the 'Local Lines' livery, worn by former Wessex Trains services

Great Western Trains adopted a livery of dark-green upper body and ivory lower body, with a stylised 'Merlin' bird logo.^[128] Following the rebranding as First Great Western, fader vinyls were added to the lower body, with a gold bar containing the stylised FirstGroupF logo and separate Great Western logotype.^[129] This livery was sometimes known as the 'fag packet' livery.^[130]

When the Class 180Adelante units were delivered, they were painted in the intercity version of FirstGroup's corporate bus livery. This consisted of a purple-blue base, with pink and gold bars and large pinkFs on the carriage sides and white highlights along the roof and around the driver's cab. The doors were painted white to comply with theDisability Discrimination Act 1995. The HST fleet was repainted to match as they went through overhaul; however, the livery on the power cars was progressively altered to a plain blue base with pink and gold stripes, following problems with dirt build-up on the large white areas.^[128]

The new Greater Western franchise involved repainting the HST fleet into FirstGroup's 'Dynamic Lines' livery for intercity and commuter services in the former First Great Western and First Great Western Link areas. The livery was initially applied to the HST fleet as they went through refurbishment, although the Class 180 units did not receive the new livery due to the termination of their lease. The commuter units also received the new livery while receiving standard maintenance, as a refurbishment was not originally planned.^[131]The rebranding of the company as Great Western Railway introduced a new GWR logo and a dark green livery with white stripes and grey doors in September 2015.^[132]

Great Western Railway trains are based at eight depots. Other depots atLandore (Swansea) andOld Oak Common (London) closed in 2018.

Depot	Nearest station	Allocation	Picture	Notes
North Pole	London Paddington	800 802		Operated by Agility Trains
Reading	Reading	165 166 230 387 Mark 3 Coach 57		Rebuilt to the North of its original location for the new flyover.[133][134]
Stoke Gifford	Bristol Parkway	800,802		Operated by Agility Trains
St Phillip's Marsh	Bristol Temple Meads	08 43 150 158 165 166
Exeter TMD	Exeter St Davids	150 158
Laira	Plymouth	08 43 150 802
Long Rock	Penzance	08 43 150 57 Mark 3 Coach
Swansea Maliphant	Swansea	800		Operated by Agility Trains

Depot	Nearest station	Allocation	Picture	Notes
Old Oak Common Depot	London Paddington	08 43 57		Closed 8 December 2018[135]
Landore TMD	Swansea	08 43		Closed for GWR in 2018

Channel 5 broadcast two television series looking into day-to-day challenges of the Great Western mainline, including events at Dawlish (as well as the sea wall destruction), Cheltenham race day and rugby at Cardiff. It was broadcast asThe Railway: First Great Western and the last series aired in 2015. A similar series based on London Paddington started in September 2017 and covered events such as the reaction to theManchester Arena andLondon Bridge attacks, and several days of severe disruption.^{[citation needed]}

The franchise was due to end on 31 March 2020. In November 2017, the DfT announced its intention to negotiate a further extension for the franchise until April 2022 with an option to extend for a further two years.^[136][137] A new contract was agreed on 30 March 2020, running for three years, extendable to four.^[138]

• Great Western Railway, a railway company that existed from 1833 to 1948
• Western Region of British Railways The nationalised division of British Rail from 1948 to 1992

Wikimedia Commons has media related toGreat Western Railway (First Group).

• Official website

• FirstGroup railway companies
• Great Western Main Line
• Railway companies established in 1996
• Train operating companies in the United Kingdom
• 1996 establishments in England
• Railway operators in London

• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from January 2025
• CS1: unfit URL
• CS1 maint: archived copy as title
• Articles with dead external links from September 2017
• Articles with permanently dead external links
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages
• Use British English from July 2025
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Use dmy dates from July 2025
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from April 2023
• Articles with unsourced statements from June 2024
• Commons category link from Wikidata