MORE than 14,000 extra seats are being promised by a train company as a result of launching 25 additional services at weekends.
Great Western Railway recent timetable update aims to boost the number of services, which it says it a response to customer demand and more people using the railways on Saturdays and Sundays.
There are eight extra trains on Saturdays and 16 on Sundays, running between Swindon and London Paddington.
There is also an additional service on Saturday mornings between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington.
GWR says most of these trains are eight-carriage class 387s to Swindon, and timed in the late morning, afternoons and early evenings, when demand is at its greatest.
The firm’s managing director Mark Hopwood said: “In May, we conducted an extensive review and made significant changes, delivering a 5% increase in services every day across the GWR network.
“Following this shake-up, I am excited to say that this new December timetable continues to build on those changes – providing more trains where they are needed most and offering greater value for money.”
In addition, GWR will also increase the number of carriages between London Paddington and Great Malvern from five to nine on seven Sunday services.
GWR is also adding in more extra trains, and extending the calling pattern of far more, between Exeter and Paignton on Saturday evenings, in support of the night-time economy.
Customers to and from Didcot are, however, reminded to check the time of their trains as there are significant changes to those train times, to help create a more clockface timetable and address the slightly uneven distribution of calls.
While still protecting accelerated Bristol services, the new plan creates a four trains-per-hour calling pattern in both directions.
