First Great Western is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup. It serves 

Greater London, the South East, South Westand West Midlands regions of England, and 

South Wales. First Great Western's head office is in Swindon in Wiltshire, although like

some other train operating companies, customer service operations are based in Plymouth in

 Devon. All regular services to and from London are operated from London Paddington

station. On 1 April 2006, First Great Western, First Great Western Link and Wessex

Trainswere combined into the new Greater Western franchise. First had been announced in

December 2005 as the operator of the combined franchise for a 7-year period.

 

First Great Western operates high-speed services between London Paddington, the Cotswolds, South Wales and the West Country, commuter services in London and the Thames Valley, regional services between south-east Wales and south-west England, and local services in the south-west of England. It operates 208 stations, and its services call at over 270.

First Great Western operates an all-diesel fleet. High-speed services are operated by British Rail Class 43 (HST) locomotives with Mk3coaches. Commuter services in the Thames Valley use Class 165 and Class 166 Thames Turbo trains, while local services in the south-west are operated with a variety of two- and three-car Diesel multiple unit trains. Intercity trains run to the cities of Cardiff, Swansea,Plymouth, Bristol, Exeter and Hereford, and to the towns of Carmarthen, Pembroke (summer), Newquay (summer), Great Malvern,Penzance, Weston-super-mare and Cheltenham.

 

Evolution of the franchise

 

First Great Western (1998–2006)

Great Western Trains was formed as part of the privatisation of British Rail.^[6] As with all the original franchises, Great Western was formed as a division of British Rail prior to the franchise being let. The sector consisted of the express services out of London Paddington to the West of England (Bristol, Exeter, Penzance) and South Wales (Cardiff, Swansea).

The holding company Great Western Holdings, which was part-owned by the Badgerline bus group, won the new Great Western franchise in December 1995.^[6] Badgerline later becameFirstGroup after a merger with the GRT Group, and in 1998 it bought Great Western Trains outright, rebranding it First Great Western.

 

First Great Western Link (2004–2006)

First Great Western Link was the former Go-Ahead Group-operated Thames Trains franchise that had been operated since April 2004 by FirstGroup. It provided train services from Paddington to destinations such as Slough, Reading, Didcot, Oxford, Goring and Streatley, Henley-on-Thames, Newbury, Bedwyn, Hereford, Worcester, Stratford upon Avon and Banbury. Train services were also provided from Reading to Gatwick Airport (via Guildford and Dorking), and from Reading to Basingstoke.

 

The Thames Valley routes were initially privatised in the mid-1990s and sold partly to the managers who had operated the trains under British Rail, and partly to Go-Ahead Group. They later passed into the sole control of Go-Ahead Group, which operated them as Thames Trains.^[10]

 

Wessex Trains (2001–2006)

Wessex Trains came into being on 14 October 2001 when the former Wales and West and Valley Lines franchises were reorganised. Wales and West Passenger Trains Ltd took on the trading name of Wessex Trains and the operation of services in southwest England. The company was owned by National Express. Wessex Trains ran the majority of local trains in the South West.

 

First Greater Western (2006–2013)

On 1 April 2006, the Great Western, Great Western Link and Wessex franchises were combined into a new Greater Western franchise. FirstGroup, National Express and Stagecoach were shortlisted to bid for this new franchise. On 13 December 2005 it was announced FirstGroup had won the franchise.The new franchise has kept the name First Great Western. Originally, First planned to subdivide its services into three categories based on routes. However, following feedback from staff and stakeholders, the decision was taken to re-brand and re-livery all services as 'First Great Western'.

 

Future franchise

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. FirstGroup stated that, in the light of the £1bn plan to electrify the Great Western route from London via Bristol to Cardiff, it wanted to try to negotiate a longer-term deal. CEO Tim O'Toole said: "We believe we are best placed to manage these projects and capture the benefits through a longer-term franchise."

 

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

 

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;however, it was announced in July 2012 that the franchise would be extended due to the late issue of the Invitation to Tender (ITT).The ITT ran from the end of July until October 2012. The winner would have been announced in March 2013, and taking on the franchise from 21 July 2013 until the end of July 2028.The new franchise will see the introduction of new Intercity Express Trains, capacity enhancements and smart ticketing.The awarding of the franchise was again delayed in October 2012, while the Department for Transport review the way rail franchises are awarded.

 

In January 2013 the government announced that the current competition for the franchise had been terminated, and that FirstGroup's contract had been extended until October 2013.In October 2013 the Secretary of State for Transport announced that a new franchise had been awarded directly to FirstGroup without a competition, and would run for 23 months until September 2015.The DfT plans to negotiate a further directly-awarded contract covering the period from September 2015 to July 2016, and to hold an open competition for a long-term franchise running for 7 to 10 years from July 2016.

 

Routes

First Great Western is the key operator for Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Greater Bristol, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. It also serves Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire, Dorset, Cardiff, Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

 

Intercity routes

First Great Western operates inter-city services to and from London Paddington:

 

·         South Wales:

·         One train per hour calling at: Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon, Bristol Parkway, Newport and Cardiff Central. The London-bound Capitals United service to London Paddington from Swansea avoids calling at Reading.

·         One train per hour calling at: Reading, Swindon, Bristol Parkway, Newport, Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Port Talbot Parkway, Neath and Swansea.

·         The 05:20 London Paddington to Swansea; the 23:30 London Paddington to Cardiff Central services call at Chippenham, Bath Spa andBristol Temple Meads instead of calling at Bristol Parkway. The former also makes an addition stop at Filton Abbey Wood.

·         Most peak services run to/from Swansea and call at Didcot Parkway.

·         Swansea trains are extended to Carmarthen once daily, and three times a day on Sundays, calling at Llanelli and Pembrey and Burry Port. The London-bound morning Monday-to-Friday Carmarthen extension also calls at Kidwelly and Ferryside on request only.

·         Two trains per day on summer Saturdays are extended to Pembroke Dock calling at Whitland, Narberth, Kilgetty, Saundersfoot, Tenby,Penally, Manorbier, Lamphey and Pembroke.

Swansea station is a terminus, at the end of a branch line off the South Wales Main Line and West Wales Line, so all trains from Paddington to Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock must reverse or omit calling there - which is done using a stretch of track bypassing the station completely and connecting the two lines.

 

·         Bristol

·         One train per hour calling at: Reading, Swindon, Chippenham, Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads.

·         One train per hour calling at: Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon, Chippenham, Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads.

·         The 04:47 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington service calls at Bristol Parkway instead of calling at Bath Spa and Chippenham.

·         The 06:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads is the only intercity service that makes an addition stop at Keynsham, calling there at 08:10.

·         There are extensions to Weston-super-Mare calling at Nailsea and Backwell, Yatton, Worle and Weston Milton.

 

·         Devon and Cornwall:

·         One train per hour calling at Reading, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St Davids, Newton Abbot, Totnes and Plymouth, with one train every two hours (approximately) continuing toLiskeard, Bodmin Parkway, Par, St Austell, Truro, Redruth, Camborne, St Erth and Penzance.

·         Some trains omit calls at Tiverton Parkway, Totnes, Par, Camborne and St Erth and three services per day do not call at Taunton: The Cornish Riviera (both ways) and The Royal Duchy (westbound only) - express Penzance services. The London bound Cornish Riviera service also does not call at Newton Abbot

·         Additional calls are also made at stations such as Newbury, Pewsey, Westbury and Castle Cary. Some trains (mainly during peak hours) also call at Theale, Thatcham, Hungerfordand Bedwyn while Frome and Kintbury are served by a few services per day - these slower trains generally do not run to/from Devon and Cornwall. There is a return service (early morning and evening) from Bristol Temple Meads that also serves Bradford-on-Avon and Trowbridge.

·         Dawlish and Teignmouth are served by a limited number of trains that run to/from Paignton calling at Torquay and one train each way calls at Exeter St Thomas, Starcross, Dawlish Warren (Westbound only) and Torre (The latter being served by two express trains each way). Ivybridge is served by five intercity services per day.

·         Services run more frequently to Devon and Cornwall during the summer and there are limited summer-only services run to Newquay.

·         Some Penzance trains additionally call at Saltash, St Germans, Lostwithiel and Hayle.

·         A few Devon & Cornwall trains run via Bristol. These call at Reading, Swindon, Chippenham, Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, (Weston-Super-Mare), Taunton and then as the normal route.

·         An overnight sleeper service called the Night Riviera runs daily (except Saturday nights) between London, Reading and Penzance - calling at intermediate stations in Devon and Cornwall. This is operated using Class 57 locomotives and Mark 3 coaching stock. Single and twin cabins are available as well as seated accommodation.

 

·         Cheltenham

·         Calling at Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon, Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse and Gloucester.

·         Some services also call at Slough.

·         There is normally a direct train every two hours, with a Cheltenham to Swindon train on the alternate hours, when through passengers must change at Swindon. The track between Kembleand Swindon is in the process of being redoubled; work is due for completion in early 2014, and will enable up to four trains per hour to run on the line in each direction.This will be ready in time for the planned diversion of services, as the electrification of the line between Swindon and Swansea takes place.

Two trains per day Monday to Friday, and one train per day at weekends, start and finish at Worcester Shrub Hill. This return service also calls at Maidenhead and Ashchurch for Tewkesbury.

Services on the South Wales Main Line from Swansea are sometimes diverted via Gloucester during essential engineering works in the Severn Tunnel, and then along the Golden Valley Line to reach Swindon and London. These trains serve Gloucester but not Cheltenham Spa railway station, and lead to the Cheltenham/Swindon local trains being removed.

 

·         Oxford and the Cotswolds

·         Calling at Slough, Reading and Oxford.

·         Some services are extended to Worcester and Malvern, calling at Hanborough, Charlbury, Shipton, Kingham, Moreton-in-Marsh, Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern.

·         A limited number are extended to Colwall, Ledbury and Hereford.

 

Named trains

For more details on this topic, see List of named passenger trains of the United Kingdom.

A First Great Western Class 165 in dynamic lines livery at Guildford, with a service to Reading. These are used on shorter distance services in the Thames Valley area.

 

First Great Western operates a number of named passenger trains, including:

·         The Armada (London-Plymouth (and Penzance - Westbound on Fridays only))

·         The Atlantic Coast Express (London-Newquay) (Summer timetable only)

·         The Bristolian (London-Bristol - Westbound only) (Weston Super Mare-London - Eastbound only)

·         The Capitals United (London-Swansea)

·         The Cathedrals Express (London-Hereford)

·         The Cheltenham Spa Express (London-Cheltenham Spa)

·         The Cornishman (London-Penzance)

·         The Cornish Riviera (London-Penzance)

·         The Devon Express (London-Paignton) (Westbound only)

·         The Golden Hind (London-Penzance)

·         The Mayflower (London-Plymouth)

·         The Merchant Venturer (London-Penzance - Westbound only) (Bristol-London - Eastbound only)

·         The Night Riviera (London-Penzance sleeper)

·         The Pembroke Coast Express (London-Pembroke Dock) (Summer Saturday timetable only)

·         The Red Dragon (London-Carmarthen)

·         The Royal Duchy (London-Penzance)

·         The Saint David (London-Swansea)

·         The Torbay Express (London-Paignton)

 

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

 

Commuter routes

First Great Western operates commuter services between London and destinations such as Slough, Greenford, Reading, Didcot, Oxford, Newbury, Bedwyn, Hereford, Worcester and Banbury. Services are also provided from Reading to Basingstoke, and to Gatwick Airport via Guildford and Dorking Deepdene; and from Bristol to Newport and Cardiff.

Trains are run on a range of north-south routes from

 

Cardiff, Gloucester and Worcester to Taunton, Weymouth, Salisbury, Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton. Many of these run via Bristol. The company also operate on the local routes and branch lines in Devon and Cornwall, such as the Looe, Newquay, Falmouth and St Ives branch lines in Cornwall; the Exmouth, Paignton andBarnstaple branch lines in Devon; the Gunnislake branch line, which borders both Devon and Cornwall.

 

Routes operated include: South Wales Main Line (Cardiff-Bristol-Weston-super-Mare-Taunton), Wessex Main Line (Cardiff-Bristol-Bath-Salisbury-Southampton-Portsmouth), Atlantic Coast Line(Par-Newquay), Avocet Line (Exeter-Exmouth), Golden Valley Line (Swindon-Gloucester), Heart of Wessex Line (Bristol-Westbury-Weymouth), Looe Valley Line (Liskeard-Looe), Maritime Line(Truro-Falmouth), Riviera Line (Exeter-Paignton), Severn Beach Line (Bristol-Avonmouth-Severn Beach), St Ives Bay Line (St. Erth-St. Ives), Tamar Valley Line (Plymouth-Gunnislake) and Tarka Line (Exeter-Barnstaple).

 

Livery

A First Great Western Class 158standing in Bristol Temple Meads railway station (with a service to Cardiff Central) pictured in the latest livery in the ex-Wessex Trains franchise area, the local dynamic lines livery made up of names of stations and attractions in the area

 

The first version of the First Great Western livery was a modified version of the Great Western livery, with fader vinyls over the ivory; it also introduced a gold bar containing the FirstGroup "F" and Great Western logos. The power cars carried the FirstGroup Logo.

When the Class 180 Adelante units were delivered, they were painted in the intercity version of FirstGroup corporate livery. This consisted of a blue base, with purple and gold bars and large pink "F"s. The doors were painted white to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The HST fleet was repainted to match as they went through overhaul; however, the livery on the power cars has been altered, following problems with dirt build-up on the large white areas.

The rolling stock used on the Night Riviera sleeper service retained the original green and gold First Great Western livery until the stock forming these services was refurbished in 2007, when they were painted into 'dynamic lines' livery with vinyls advertising that the coaches operated the 'Night Riviera Sleeper'.

The new 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 have also received the new livery while receiving standard maintenance, as a refurbishment was not originally planned.A second livery will be applied to the DMU fleet. This is very similar to the livery used on other services but the 'Dynamic Lines' are replaced by names of local attractions forming the shape of 'Dynamic Lines'. Two Class 150 units were painted in this livery, which is also known as 'Local Lines' but the repaint for the rest of the fleet was put back until they were refurbished.

 

 

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