Great Western Railway (Train Operating Company) - Great Western Railway TV Documentary - T

Great Western Railway (Train Operating Company) - T

Great Western Railway TV Documentary

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 as The 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 the Manchester Arena and London Bridge attacks, and several days of severe disruption.

Great Western Railway Future of the Franchise

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. A new contract was agreed on 30 March 2020, running for three years, extendable to four.

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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