Richard Benyon has this afternoon welcomed First Great Westerns announcement that there will be an increase in standard class capacity on their High Speed Trains.
The partnership with the Department for Transport will deliver almost 3,000 more standard class seats a day for customers across the network, who will benefit from nearly 16% more standard class accommodation on High Speed Trains into London in the morning peak. The increase in standard seating is through converting some existing first class carriages.
The first completed carriages are expected to be running by June 2014, with the entire fleet completed by late summer 2015.
Richard said, “This is great news. Overcapacity is an issue that is forever in my postbag. I am glad that First Great Western is taking note of my constituents concerns and this is a positive step forward.”
He added, “I will continue to campaign on electrifying the line beyond Newbury to Kintbury and Hungerford, ensure Wi-Fi connectivity is made available and to hold First Great Western to account on punctuality.”