Great Western Railway (Train Operating Company) - Great Western Railway Rolling Stock - L

Great Western Railway (Train Operating Company) - L

Great Western Railway Rolling Stock

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

Great Western Railway Inter-City Services

Class 800 Intercity Express Train

Most Great Western Railway intercity services are operated by a fleet of 57 Class 800 trains from the Hitachi A-train family. GWR operates most of its long-distance services between London and destinations such as Swindon, Chippenham, Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Newport, Cardiff Central, Swansea, Carmarthen, Cheltenham Spa, Oxford, Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford, using these trains, which gradually replaced the older InterCity 125 sets between autumn 2017 and spring 2019. On 28 April 2021, six Class 800s were withdrawn from service due to cracks being found during maintenance and were sent to Hitachi for inspection

Class 802 Intercity Express Train

GWR operates most long-distance services between London and destinations in the west of the network (such as Paignton, Newquay, Plymouth and Penzance) using its fleet of 36 Class 802 trains, the first of which was introduced on 20 August 2018.

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

Great Western Railway Overview

Great Western Railway Franchise(s):

InterCity Great Western 4 February 1996 – 31 March 2006

Greater Western 1 April 2006 – 25 June 2028

Main Region(s): Greater London, South East England, South West England, Wales

Great Western Railway Other Region(s): East MidlandsWest Midlands

Great Western Railway Fleet Size:

12 Class 43 HST Castle sets

5 Class 57 diesel locomotives for 2 Night Riviera sleeper sets

19 Class 150 Sprinter units

18 Class 158 Express Sprinter units

36 Class 165 Networker Turbo units

21 Class 166 Networker Turbo units

30 Class 387 Electrostar units

57 Class 800 IET units

36 Class 802 IET units

Great Western Railway Stations Called At: over 270

Great Western Railway Stations Operated: 198

Great Western Railway Parent Company: FirstGroup

Reporting Mark: GW

Great Western Railway Predecessor:

First Great Western Link

Wessex Trains

Great Western Railway Technical Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Great Western Railway Electrification:

25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE

Great Western Railway Length: 1,323.0 mi (2,129.2 km)

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