UK: First Great Western increases Standard capacity

First Great Western (FGW) has pledged to reduce the number of First Class carriages on all High Speed Trains providing direct services from Reading to London. When all the work has been completed, there will be 3,000 extra Standard Class seats into London Paddington during the morning peak, nearly a 16% increase in capacity.
The first “composite carriage” – a carriage made up of a mixture of First Class and Standard seating – has been available since 23 February, with two more such carriages to be put into use until the end of this month.
“We know that, ultimately, the only long-term solution to busy services is more trains. New Intercity Express trains are on their way, however, it is still some time before they will be ready for service. The conversion of these carriages to create more standard class seating is crucial in the interim period,” Mark Hopwood, Managing Director of First Great Western, said.