minister

British train operating company Great Western Railway (GWR) has launched the first of a new fleet of Hitachi class 800 trains, which aims to transform rail travel in the south-west of the UK and Wales.

The new train has been designed and developed by Japanese multinational conglomerate Hitachi as part of the UK Government’s £5.7bn InterCity Express Programme (IEP).

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The IEP is expected to create more than 700 direct jobs and support thousands of others in the supply chain.

UK Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "The unveiling of Great Western Railway’s first state-of-the-art IEP train offers a glimpse of benefits passengers in the south-west and Wales will enjoy from 2017.

"Passengers will benefit from more seats, greater comfort, better reliability, and faster, more frequent services."

"These include more seats, greater comfort, better reliability, and faster, more frequent services."

To be manufactured in the UK, the trains will feature a greater number of seats, spacious legroom, free Wi-Fi access, power sockets at each seat, LCD reservation indicators, and increased space in overhead luggage racks.

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The 57 Class 800 trains are currently undergoing testing and will commence passenger service on the Great Western Main Line from next year.

Operating on services between London, Reading, Oxford, Swindon, Bath, Bristol, South Wales, and north and south Cotswold lines, the train’s launch was marked by a special service running from Reading to London Paddington with guests including the Transport Secretary and local stakeholders.

Image: Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin at the GWR train launch. Photo: courtesy of Gov.UK.