Great Western Railway taking urgent action to solve problems after cracks found in trains
Most of GWR's Intercity Express fleet had to be withdrawn from service last weekend
Great Western Railway say they're taking urgent measures to solve problems on their lines after cracks were found in high speed trains.
The company’s managing director Mark Hopwood has replied to a letter sent to him by new West of England Mayor Dan Norris who demanded to know what is happening to solve the problem.
It comes after Hitachi's entire 800 series trains, including the vast majority of GWR’s Intercity Express fleet, had to be withdrawn from service on Saturday when cracks were found in some of them.
Rail journeys to and from Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway are among those worst affected, although Mr Hopwood said 85 per cent of GWR services were local, regional and branch lines and were not impacted.
He said: “The railway industry has come together to help support services and our customers, with other train operators allowing our customers to travel on other routes, such as Crosscountry services into Bristol.
“Crosscountry have also added additional shuttle services to help us move customers between Bristol and Didcot to connect with services into Swindon and beyond.”
Mr Hopwood said GWR had also obtained permission to bring its Thames Valley electric fleet to Swindon, which came into service on Wednesday (12/05).
“This required some staff training, which we are now completing,” he said.
“As you note in your letter we are now looking at what other options might be possible including bringing in trains from other areas.
“We have brought more staff into stations and onto our social media platforms to help with advice.
“Details of the revised timetables are entered into journey planners by Network Rail overnight and are in place for customers to check journeys before they set out.
“We are also providing updates on our website www.gwr.com and have extended ticket validity so that tickets can be used at any time this week, or next weekend.
“We do understand how difficult this is for our customers and we are looking at every possible option to help reduce the impact.”
He suggested a virtual three-way meeting with Mr Norris and Hitachi UK lead Jim Brewin to provide the mayor with updates on plans to get the high-speed trains safely back into service.