Great Western Railway to reintroduce trains to the network and regular service to resume

Regular rail services are expected to resume after operators confirmed trains will be reintroduced to the network following thorough safety checks.

Great Western Railway (GWR) will reintroduce trains back to the network next week and provide a more regular service for passengers after carrying out extensive safety checks on its trains.

Hitachi Rail, train operators and the government agreed a recovery plan yesterday (Thursday) which includes the reintroduction of 800 Series and 385 Series trains to the network following the major disruption to services last week after cracks were found in some trains.

GWR managing director Mark Hopwood said: “Our customers have shown great patience over the past couple of days, and I am grateful for their understanding as we have worked with Hitachi to allow trains to return safely.”

Consistent timetables are expected to resume after the weekend and passengers are advised to continue to check the latest timetables as some routes may be less frequent and train availability may vary.

Hitachi trains will be subject to oversight from the rail regulator to ensure the long-term and safe running of the trains.