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94-584: Great Western Main Line The Golden Valley line is the popular name for the railway line connecting Swindon , Gloucester , and Cheltenham Spa in England. Originally constructed as the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway , the line opened between Swindon and Kemble (with a branch to Cirencester ) in 1841; it took an additional four years to complete the remaining sections. The line diverges from

188-588: A car park, but will be remodelled as terminating platforms for services to London Paddington. To achieve rail access to the existing old platforms, the Bristol power box, opened in 1970 and controlling 114 route miles of track, will need to be decommissioned and demolished. Bristol Parkway had a new third platform (Platform 4) completed in 2007 to provide a new platform for trains departing to London and Birmingham and to make services more reliable between London and south Wales . A new fourth platform has been built on

282-426: A cycle path. There will be improvements that will provide capacity for at least four extra trains in each direction every hour. The station received: These plans provide for the future Crossrail and possible Airtrack services at Reading station, building a railway that will be fit for at least the next thirty years. Also, the improvements will allow six new freight trains each day – this could take around 300 lorries

376-732: A day off the roads. While much of the work was carried out in 2010, trains to Devon and Cornwall ran from London Waterloo instead of Paddington, using the South Western Main Line via Basingstoke then the West of England Main Line and Wessex Main Lines . Trains to Bristol, South Wales and Cheltenham were diverted via the Chiltern Main Line (from London to Banbury) where they reversed and returned via Oxford to Didcot Parkway, South Oxfordshire to re-adopt

470-430: A new multi-story car park and a new bus station will be developed outside, replacing the existing Newport bus station . The new north and south concourses opened on 13 September 2010. The development was criticised by Rail columnist Barry Doe for being at the wrong end of the station, having a leaking roof, a lack of seating and generally poor design. Extra platform capacity at Cardiff Central will be introduced in

564-589: A number of announcements and delays, the government announced in March 2011 that it would electrify the line as far as Bristol Temple Meads. Following delays to the work and a large increase in costs, the Conservative government announced in July 2017 that, for the time being, electrification would only be completed as far as Thingley Junction, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Chippenham. Electrification as far as Didcot Parkway

658-458: A railway to be built to help maintain the city's position as the second port of the country as well as the chief one for American trade. More specifically, fearing rising competition from Liverpool and railway developments to its favour, the sought railway was to be preferably built to superior standards as to out-perform any of the lines serving the North West of England . Thus, the line built by

752-473: A route south of the Great Western Main Line to link the airport with Reading. Plans for electrification of the line will make it easier to access Heathrow from Reading, since lack of electrification between Reading station and Airport Junction (near West Drayton station) was a limiting factor. Plans under consideration in 2014 included new tunnels between Heathrow and Langley . Signalling Solutions

846-602: A safety measure. In 1948, the Great Western Railway, and thus the GWML, was merged into the Western Region of British Railways . During the 1970s, the GWML was upgraded to support higher line speeds, as a result of which many sections permitted 125 mph (201 km/h) operations, enabling the newly introduced InterCity 125 high speed train (HST) to make faster journeys. British Rail proposed widespread electrification of

940-470: A series of 12 commissionings, Invensys Rail would re-lock the existing Reading Station and Spur interlockings to three new WESTLOCK interlocking units, re-control the remaining 18 relay interlockings, and move signalling and telecommunications control from Reading Station to the new Thames Valley Signalling Centre at Didcot. The work was due to be completed in December 2010. The Thames Valley signalling centre

1034-500: A series of passing loops allow fast trains to overtake slower ones. This section is signalled for bi-directional running on each line but this facility is usually only used during engineering working or when there is significant disruption to traffic in one direction. The summit of the line is at Swindon, and falls away in each direction: Swindon is 270 feet (82 m) above Paddington, and 292 feet (89 m) above Bristol Temple Meads. The maximum gradient between Paddington and Didcot

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1128-404: A train to check the installation. The system was expected to be able to install 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) of electrification in an eight-hour shift. The vehicles were supplied by German firm Windhoff . In its initial survey, Network Rail identified 113 structures – mainly bridges and tunnels – which required modernisation. In subsequent surveys this increased to 137. The largest structure,

1222-433: A £5   billion modernisation by Network Rail. Reading railway station saw a major redevelopment with new platforms, a new entrance, footbridge and lifts; the work was completed a year ahead of schedule in July 2014. The eastern section from Paddington to Hayes & Harlington was electrified in 1998. The Crossrail project covered electrification of the line from Airport Junction to Maidenhead and, following

1316-491: Is 1 in 1320 (0.75   ‰ or 0.075 % ); between Didcot and Swindon it is 1 in 660 (1.5   ‰ or 0.15%) but west of Swindon, gradients as steep as 1 in 100 (10   ‰ or 1%) are found in places, such as Box Tunnel and to the east of Dauntsey . The line is electrified between Paddington and Langley Burrell (just east of Chippenham) using 25 kV AC overhead supply lines; the Reading to Taunton line (as far as Newbury) and

1410-414: Is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea . The GWML is presently a part of the national rail system managed by Network Rail while the majority of passenger services upon it are provided by the current Great Western Railway franchise. The GWML

1504-561: Is a connecting Transport for Wales boat train to/from Fishguard Harbour for the Stena Line ferry to Rosslare Europort in Ireland . An integrated timetable is offered between London Paddington and Rosslare Europort with through ticketing available. Daytime and nocturnal journeys are offered in both directions daily (including Sundays). Between London and Didcot there are four tracks, two for each direction. The main lines are mostly used by

1598-588: Is because of the deferment of the electrification project. Despite the initial limit of 125   mph, the increased acceleration and operational efficiency are expected to decrease the journey time from London to Bristol Temple Meads by 22   minutes. These new trains bring an estimated 15% increased capacity during the morning peak hours. The bi-mode trains will allow inter-city services to operate from London directly to locations in South Wales and South West England, to which electrification does not extend under

1692-664: Is designed to allow Adjacent Line Operation (ALO) where works can be carried out while trains operate on adjacent tracks. The HOPS has five sections, each of which handles a different aspect of the installation – these can be coupled together to work as one unit, or separated to work independently. The train will be maintained at the High Output Operations Base (HOOB) in Swindon , on the site of former sidings. HOPS will mix and lay 30 m (1,100 cu ft) of concrete per night, and all equipment and personnel will arrive at

1786-511: Is said that the name was coined by Queen Alexandra , wife of King Edward VII , while travelling on a train along this route in June 1909. Since then, the name has become associated with the entire line from Swindon to Gloucester and Cheltenham, as these are the endpoints of the shortest train services along the line. The towns served by the route are: The other intermediate stations and halts were closed to passengers on 2 November 1964. Kemble station

1880-562: Is to resignal the 12 miles (19 km) from Paddington to West Drayton , including the Airport branch, as part of the Crossrail project. There are calls for the reintroduction of Corsham station due to recent growth of the town. The original station was closed to passengers in 1965. A local group is campaigning for the reopening of Saltford station between Bath and Bristol, to coincide with electrification. 21st Century upgrade of

1974-579: The Warship locomotives, which were based on proven West German designs, the British-designed Class 14 , Hymek and Western types. However, these were all eventually withdrawn and replaced with more standard British Rail diesel-electric classes such as the Class 37 and Class 47 . During the 1970s, the line speed of the GWML was upgraded to permit faster operations; this work was in preparation for

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2068-524: The 1979–90 Conservative governments that succeeded the 1976–79 Labour government , the proposal was not implemented. In the mid-1990s, the line between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington was electrified as part of the Heathrow Express scheme, which was officially launched in June 1998. As part of the privatisation of British Rail , the Great Western InterCity franchise

2162-508: The 2011 Budget , the Government announced that funding for the redoubling would be provided, with works initially scheduled for completion by Spring 2014 but later delayed until August 2014. Initial work involved slewing the single track, which had been moved to the center of the trackbed during the singling works. This was followed by excavation, clearance, and the installation of the new track. Level crossing works were also undertaken. The line

2256-696: The ATP (Automatic Train Protection) warning system was under trial. In response to that incident, it became a requirement for all First Great Western trains to be fitted with ATP. When the Department for Transport wrote the specification for the new trains for the IEP in November 2007, it was stated that the Great Western Main Line would be upgraded to ERTMS / ETCS level 2 in-cab signalling and trackside infrastructure. Some or all of

2350-535: The Class 800 trains are slower in diesel mode than under electric power. Network Rail plans to install European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) in-cab signalling on the Great Western line; this is a pre-requisite for the Super Express trains to run at 140   mph (225   km/h). Some of this resignalling work was undertaken during the electrification work. Furthermore, Network Rail has envisaged

2444-668: The Great Western Main Line at Swindon, passes through the Sapperton tunnel , and descends the Golden Valley to Stroud . At Standish Junction, just north of Stonehouse , it merges with the main line running between Bristol Temple Meads and Birmingham New Street . The "Golden Valley" refers to a section of the valley of the River Frome located between Chalford and Stroud, which the railway line follows for part of its route. It

2538-489: The Great Western Railway and engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel was originally a dual track line using a wider 7 ft ( 2,134 mm ) broad gauge . The line's construction costs were considerably higher due to the use of this broad gauge. The route of the GWML includes dozens of listed buildings and structures, including tunnel portals, bridges and viaducts, stations, and associated hotels. Part of

2632-471: The Hitachi A-train family. The "Intercity 125" trains, now operating in shortened formations on services around Cardiff, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth are one of the fastest trains on the network with the ability to operate at up to 125 mph (201 km/h). The new AT300 units have a top speed of 125   mph but will be capable of 140 mph (225 km/h) with minor modifications. The upgrading of

2726-896: The Hitachi Super Express high speed trains, specifically the Class 800 and Class 802 . Due to budget overruns, the British government deferred electrification of the section through Bath Spa from Royal Wootton Bassett to Bristol in 2016. Communities served by the GWML include West London (including Acton , Ealing , Hanwell , Southall , Hayes , Harlington and West Drayton ); Iver ; Langley ; Slough ; Burnham ; Taplow ; Maidenhead ; Twyford ; Reading ; Tilehurst ; Pangbourne ; Goring-on-Thames ; Streatley ; Cholsey ; Didcot ; Swindon ; Chippenham ; Bath ; Keynsham ; and Bristol . The route includes dozens of listed buildings and structures, including tunnel portals, bridges and viaducts, stations, and associated hotels. Presently,

2820-419: The Hitachi Super Express trains could reduce journey times from London Paddington to Swansea by 19   minutes. In an effort to minimise disruption during the electrification works, Network Rail developed new "factory engineering trains" to facilitate the process of installing overhead lines. There are three types of train: the first train to install pylons, followed by a train to hang the wires and finally

2914-471: The Labour government of 1976–1979 , the proposal was not implemented. The line was originally built as a double track, but in 1968, it was reduced to a single track between Swindon and Kemble as a cost-saving measure. It was initially intended that the entire section between Swindon and Standish Junction would be single track, with passing places at Kemble and Sapperton; however, protests led British Rail to abandon

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3008-690: The Midland Main Line were the last of the major main line routes in the UK using diesel as the main source of locomotive power. When the announcement was made in July 2009 to electrify the Great Western (along with the Liverpool-Manchester line ), it represented the first big rail electrification project in the UK for 20 years. The South Wales Main Line section of the GWML was set to be the first electrified cross-country railway line in Wales. The plan to upgrade

3102-626: The Newport area, Cardiff and Port Talbot West. The first phase of the Newport Area remodelling and resignalling began in 2009 and was expected to be completed by the end of 2010. The first phase covered the line between Patchway and Marshfield to the west of Newport. A new South Wales Control Centre, built on the eastern end of Canton Depot in Cardiff, opened in Spring 2009. When the Newport Area resignalling

3196-571: The Severn Tunnel , has good clearances and is relatively easy to electrify. After the 2010 UK general election in May 2010, the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition placed all major government capital expenditure, including the Great Western electrification scheme on hold pending a return-on-investment review. In November 2010, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond gave the go-ahead for

3290-527: The Slough rail accident of 1900, in which five passengers were killed, improved vacuum braking systems were used on locomotives and passenger rolling stock; furthermore, Automatic Train Control (ATC) was introduced in 1908. Further widenings of the line took place between 1903 and 1910; another round of widening works occurred between 1931 and 1932. By the 1930s, trains traversing the GWML were reportedly attaining

3384-711: The Thames Valley , crossing the River Thames three times, including on the Maidenhead Railway Bridge . Between Chippenham and Bath the line passes through Box Tunnel , and then follows the valley of the River Avon . A junction west of Swindon allows trains to reach Bristol by an alternative route along the South Wales Main Line . Other diversionary routes exist between Chippenham and Bath via Melksham and

3478-570: The Wessex Main Line , although this involves a reversal at Bradford Junction; and from Reading to Bath via the Reading–Taunton line . Most services are provided by Great Western Railway (GWR). The stations served by trains between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads are Reading , Didcot Parkway , Swindon , Chippenham , and Bath Spa . Some trains between London and Bristol do not call at Didcot Parkway. The Elizabeth line runs on

3572-639: The 1970s Plymouth PSB, and the 1960s PSB at Gloucester as well as substantial semaphore signalling in Cornwall. The first phase of a £400M, ten-year resignalling scheme in South Wales by Network Rail was carried out on a 22-mile (35 km) stretch between Port Talbot and Bridgend (termed Port Talbot East) in 2006 and 2007. The works provided a new turnback facility in both directions at Port Talbot Parkway if required. The renewals replaced an old British Railways Western Region NX panel installation, dating from 1963. Further signalling renewals were programmed for

3666-568: The 387 units replacing the 165 and 166 units on these services, services which previously locally from Paddington to Oxford now operate short to Didcot Parkway due to the electrification not running on the Cherwell Valley Line between Didcot and Oxford. It was originally planned that Class 365 Networker trains, electric versions of the Class 165/166s previously operated by Govia Thameslink Railway , would cascade from Great Northern services to

3760-597: The Cornish Riviera Express, which again made full use of the wider loading gauge on that route. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Great Western Railway, and thus the GWML, was taken into government control, as were most major railways in Britain. After the conflict, the companies were reorganised into the "big four" companies , of which the Great Western Railway was one. The railways, including

3854-525: The Elizabeth Line when opened in 2022, runs in part on the Great Western line. It has 70 Class 345 trains which are formed of 9 carriages and can carry 1,500 passengers. These electric multiple units can achieve speeds of up to 90 mph (140 km/h) on the surface sections of the route and up to 60 mph (97 km/h) in the tunnels. These trains were built by Bombardier Transportation at its Derby Litchurch Lane Works . Several stations along

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3948-409: The GWML is electrified between London Paddington and Royal Wootton Bassett. In the long term, Network Rail plans to install European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) in-cab signalling across the entire line. The construction of what would become the GWML was motivated by several factors, one of the more influential being the sizeable merchant community of Bristol, which keenly advocated for such

4042-519: The GWML, returned to direct government control during the Second World War before being nationalised to form British Railways (BR) in 1948, thus bringing the line into public ownership. Unlike the other BR regions, which introduced diesel-electric locomotives, the Western Region , to which the GWML belonged, decided to procure a complete range of diesel-hydraulic locomotives to fulfil its type 1 to type 4 power requirements. These included

4136-502: The Great Western Main Line The work included electrification , resignalling , new rolling stock and station upgrades. The programme began in June 2010 and at that time was due to end in 2017. The project was completed in 2020, allowing electric services to run between London Paddington and Cardiff . The project had several delays. Four sections were deferred indefinitely: The Cardiff to Swansea electrification

4230-485: The Great Western Main Line between London and Reading. Fast Heathrow Express trains from Paddington to London Heathrow Airport are operated by GWR on behalf of Heathrow Airport Holdings . CrossCountry operate trains between Reading and Oxford, using the Great Western Main Line as far as Didcot. Great Western Railway also operate a train between London Paddington – Cardiff Central every 30   minutes, with hourly extensions to Swansea . At Swansea/Cardiff there

4324-415: The Great Western Main Line include West London (including Acton , Ealing , Hanwell , Southall , Hayes , Harlington and West Drayton ); Iver ; Langley ; Slough ; Burnham ; Taplow ; Maidenhead ; Twyford ; Reading ; Tilehurst ; Pangbourne ; Goring-on-Thames ; Streatley ; Cholsey ; Didcot ; Swindon ; Chippenham ; Bath ; Keynsham ; and Bristol . From London to Didcot, the line follows

4418-427: The Great Western Main Line. As of February 2015, the regeneration and modernisation of Reading Station is complete. The station now has 15 platforms, each serving their own specialist destination and purpose. The new platforms allow more frequent trains to run through Reading and allow more passengers to join longer trains. The entire Reading Redevelopment project will be completed by 2017. An improvement programme for

4512-414: The Great Western are undergoing redevelopment or have recently been upgraded to cope with growing passenger numbers and to ease rail traffic congestion. Bristol Temple Meads will be expanded into Digby Wyatt's 1870s extension to the original train shed, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1840 as the terminus for the Great Western Main Line. This part of the 'Old Station' building is currently in use as

4606-547: The Great Western between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads in a first phase, then electrifying the rest of the line between Swindon and Swansea at a later date. However, in July 2009, the Department of Transport under the then Labour Government (in the run-up to the 2010 general election ), announced that there would be a £1bn programme to electrify the whole of the Great Western from London to Swansea as well as to Bristol Temple Meads. The Labour government claimed that

4700-571: The South Wales Main Line (as far as Cardiff Central) are also electrified. The line speed is 125 mph (201 km/h). The relief lines from Paddington to Didcot are limited to 90 mph (140 km/h) as far as Reading, and then 100 mph (160 km/h) to Didcot. Lower restrictions apply at various locations. The line is one of two Network Rail -owned lines equipped with the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system,

4794-474: The Thames Valley, but this did not go ahead as planned and the units remained in operation with Govia Thameslink until their withdrawal in 2021. The 387 units replacing the 165 and 166 units has allowed most of the units to be transferred to St Philip's Marsh depot for use on services in the Bristol and South West area (see Bristol Metro scheme below). The western section of Crossrail, which became known as

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4888-486: The autumn". The report stated that costs had tripled from the £874M original estimate to £2.8bn, and was £1.2bn higher than the estimate made a year ago. The main part of the programme will go ahead as planned and should be delivered by March 2019, but the Cardiff to Swansea section will be delayed, to some time between 2019 and 2024. Revised dates for the completion of electrification work were published in early 2016, with electrification to Cardiff via Bristol Parkway, and

4982-539: The connection to Newbury planned by December 2018; the branch to Oxford from Didcot by June 2019; and the branch to Bristol Temple Meads from Wootton Bassett sometime between February 2019 and April 2020. In November 2016, the government announced that electrification work on the sections from Oxford to Didcot Parkway, Bristol Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads, Thingley Junction (near Chippenham ) to Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads, and branches lines to Henley and Windsor had been indefinitely deferred. For Oxford and Bristol,

5076-479: The conventional at-grade crossing of the 'Mains' lines via points, with the aim of alleviating delays due to slow-moving freight services passing through the station. By 2014 the total cost had risen to more than £800M. As well as the reconfiguration of the track, the terminal platforms for services to/from London Waterloo will be altered and the Cow Lane bridge under the tracks has been made two-way and now includes

5170-569: The current electrification proposals, like Carmarthen , Worcester , Gloucester , Cheltenham and the regions to the southwest of Bristol and Newbury. Majority of the fleet are Class 800 units deferred from the Intercity Express Programme which run alongside the Class 802 units, which are essentially a more powerful variant of the Class 800 which are able to cope better with the gradients in Devon and Cornwall. New servicing facilities for

5264-590: The deferral was due to imminent resignalling and remodelling of the existing track layout. In July 2017, it was announced that the Cardiff-Swansea electrification project had been cancelled and that bi-mode trains would be used on the route. The Great Western Main Line was equipped with colour light signalling common to the rest of the United Kingdom. At the time of the Ladbroke Grove rail crash (1999),

5358-528: The deployment of ERTMS to function as the replacement for the aging ATP system. Further capacity improvements are also scheduled at Swindon, adding to recent changes and the new Platform 4. Crossrail services are planned to terminate at Reading. Some of the current suburban services into London Paddington are planned to be transferred to the new Crossrail service, which will free up some surface-level capacity at Paddington. Other more distant aspirations include resignalling and capacity improvements at Reading;

5452-521: The expected passenger traffic associated with the 2010 Ryder Cup . A new passenger bridge and two new terminal buildings were constructed, with each platform being served by a lift. The new bridge is clad in ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), the material which protects the Eden Project in Cornwall , despite which the roof initially gave problems with leaking. The new development at the station includes

5546-412: The faster trains and are on the south side of the route. The relief lines on the north side are used for slower services and those that call at all stations, as only London Paddington, Slough, Maidenhead, Twyford, Reading and Didcot Parkway stations have platforms on the main lines (although a few others have main line platforms that can be used in an emergency). Between Didcot and Royal Wootton Bassett ,

5640-461: The forecourt of Didcot Parkway began in September 2012 and ran for two years. Features included: In 2018, a new multi-storey car park was built at Didcot Parkway, on the site of the original car park. It provides 1800 spaces to cater for the station's role as a park and ride facility for the surrounding area. In 2009, an upgrade to Newport station was started to enable the station to cope with

5734-467: The form of a new bay platform (platform 5) for services between Cardiff and Maesteg along the GWML and one new through platform to the south of the station (platform 8) for the Cardiff urban services to cater for up to 16 trains per hour. This will bring the number of platforms from 7 to 10. Redevelopment of Cardiff Central bus station outside the railway station commenced in 2008. Between 2009 and 2015,

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5828-403: The highest average speeds in the world. A legacy of the broad gauge was that trains for some routes could be built slightly wider than was normal in Britain; examples included the 1929-built " Super Saloons " used on the boat train services that conveyed transatlantic passengers to London in luxury. When the company celebrated its centenary during 1935, new "Centenary" carriages were built for

5922-563: The introduction of the InterCity 125 high speed train (HST). The HST brought about considerable improvements in service and reduced journey times. In 1977, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended considering electrification of more of Britain's rail network and, by 1979, British Rail had presented a range of options that included electrifying the line from Paddington to Swansea by 2000. Under

6016-410: The investment would pay for itself over a 40-year period. The scheme announced by the government on 23 July 2009 stated that "work will begin immediately on the electrification of the Great Western Main Line between London, Reading , Oxford , Newbury , Bristol , Cardiff and Swansea, to be completed within eight years" (2016/2017). The proposed electrified route included: Estimates showed that

6110-659: The last 500 miles of track were converted to standard gauge. Between 1877 and 1899, the original dual tracks were widened to four in numerous places, mainly in the east half of the line: Paddington to Southall (October 1877), Southall to West Drayton (November 1878), West Drayton to Slough (June 1879), Slough to east side of Maidenhead Bridge (September 1884), Maidenhead Bridge to Reading (June 1893), Reading station (1899), Reading to Pangbourne (July 1893), Pangbourne to Cholsey and Moulsford (June 1894), Cholsey and Moulsford to Didcot (December 1892); also short sections between Didcot and Swindon, and at Bristol. Following

6204-526: The line in the late 1970s, although this was not speedily implemented. During the mid-1990s, a stretch of the GWML between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington was electrified using 25 kV AC overhead lines for the Heathrow Express . Further, although not total, electrification was carried out during the 2010s; this permitted the replacement of diesel-powered trains such as the InterCity 125 and Class 180 with electric and bi-mode train sets such as

6298-536: The line is 100 mph (160 km/h). In 1977, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended the electrification of more of Britain’s rail network. By 1979, BR presented a range of options to achieve this by 2000. These options included electrifying various former Great Western routes, such as the Golden Valley line. However, under the Conservative governments from 1979 to 1990 , which succeeded

6392-544: The lines from Oxford via Didcot to London and Newbury to London to be electrified in the next six years. Extension from Didcot to Swindon, Bath, Bristol and to South Wales would be dependent on a further assessment due in 2011 of the costs and implementation requirements of the IEP. On 1 March 2011, Hammond announced that rail electrification from Didcot Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central would go ahead. The section linking Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads would also be electrified. In March 2012, Amey plc

6486-787: The new fleet have been developed at the London North Pole Depot , the Filton Triangle rail depot in Stoke Gifford and at Maliphant sidings in Swansea. Thames Valley commuter services from London Paddington to Reading and Didcot Parkway are all operated by a fleet of 33 Class 387 four-car 110 mph (177 km/h) trains, having replaced the majority of the Class 165 ‘Networker Turbo’ two or three-car DMUs and Class 166 ‘Networker Turbo Express’ three-car DMUs which are capable of operating at 90 mph (145 km/h). Due to

6580-406: The other being the Chiltern Main Line . Major civil engineering structures on the Great Western Main Line include the following. and Bristol Temple Meads Line-side train monitoring equipment includes hot axle box detectors (HABD) and 'Wheelchex' wheel impact load detectors (WILD), sited as follows. (Down Main disconnected December 2016) Since 2011, the Great Western has been undergoing

6674-405: The project after reaching Kemble. Network Rail proposed reinstating the second track in September 2008 and then again in September 2009, but the plans were referred to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). Despite protests by local MPs , the ORR made a preliminary decision that the project would not be included in the 2009–2014 High Level Output Specification plan for new rail infrastructure. In

6768-423: The provision of four continuous tracks between Didcot and Swindon (including a grade-separated junction at Milton, where the westbound relief line switches from the north side of the line to the south); and resignalling between Bath and Bristol to enable trains to run closer together. Access to Heathrow Airport from the west remains an aspiration and the 2009 Heathrow Airtrack scheme, abandoned in 2011, proposed

6862-418: The relief lines between Reading and London had been raised, so that 86% of the line could be used at 90 mph (140 km/h). By 2019, the partial electrification of the GWML permitted the replacement of InterCity 125 and Class 180 sets by new Hitachi Super Express high speed trains – the Class 800 and Class 802 . The procurement programme for these trains, known as the Intercity Express Programme ,

6956-439: The resignalling work would be carried out alongside the electrification work. Signalling Solutions would resignal the 12   miles from Paddington to West Drayton , including the Airport branch, as part of the Crossrail project. In November 2008, Westinghouse (subsequently known as Invensys Rail, and now part of Siemens Rail Automation) was awarded a £20m contract for a 30-month programme of signalling enabling work. Over

7050-660: The rolling stock on the Great Western was included in the IEP announced in 2007, a Department for Transport (DfT) led initiative to replace the ageing fleet of InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 train sets then in use on much of the UK rail network. Passenger timetables introduced electric running from Paddington to Didcot in January 2018, and to Swindon and as far west as Bristol Parkway in January 2019. The same month saw electric services between Reading and Newbury. Electric running to Newport commenced in December 2019 and to Cardiff in January 2020. The Cardiff to Swansea electrification

7144-545: The route passes through and contributes to the Georgian Architecture of the City of Bath World Heritage Site; the path through Sydney Gardens has been described as a "piece of deliberate railway theatre by Brunel without parallel" . Grade I listed structures on the line include London Paddington , Wharncliffe Viaduct , the 1839 Tudor gothic River Avon Bridge in Bristol, and Bristol Temple Meads station . The line

7238-516: The scope of the project. However, the Marlow electrification has been postponed for the foreseeable future due to difficulties at Bourne End. The new NR Series 1 overhead line equipment, designed and manufactured by Furrer+Frey, is a TSI compliant OLE design specified to allow multiple pantograph operation at 140 mph (230 km/h) operation and is being installed using Amey plc 's High Output Plant System (HOPS) and other conventional techniques. This

7332-604: The signalling on the Great Western to in-cab signalling is one pre-requisite to allow the new trains to run at the higher speed. In the 2010 GWML RUS, Network Rail stated that linespeeds in excess of 125   mph west of Reading would be "reviewed in line with electrification and resignalling opportunities as ERTMS becomes deployed across the RUS area" after Control Period 4 (2014–2019). The new AT300 units now used on Great Western inter-city services are bi-modal units that are capable of running on lines with and without overhead wires. This

7426-692: The site on board. The HOPS train was operational by 2014, but had not reached full productivity due to teething problems . By 2015, completion of the electrification project had been delayed, reportedly 1 year behind schedule, with completion expected in 2017. Costs of the electrification were reported to have tripled from an estimated £640M to £1.74bn. In June 2015, the International Railway Journal reported: "Britain's secretary of state for transport, Mr Patrick McLoughlin has asked Sir Peter Hendy to review Network Rail's 2014–2019 capital investment programme, known as CP5 , and report back in

7520-460: The south side of the station. On 10 September 2008, Network Rail unveiled a £400M regeneration and reconfiguration of Reading station and surrounding track, incorporating an overpass to the west of the station; with freight and passenger trains able to transit from the Reading to Taunton Line and Reading to Basingstoke Line to the 'Relief' lines via an underpass beneath the 'Mains' lines, replacing

7614-409: Was a junction for two branch lines serving Cirencester and Tetbury ; both branches closed to passengers on 6 April 1964 and their tracks were subsequently lifted. Passenger services between Paddington and Cheltenham are operated by Great Western Railway . Services run approximately hourly. There are limited services between Swindon and Cheltenham Spa on Mondays to Saturdays. The maximum speed on

7708-562: Was awarded a £700   million contract to undertake the electrification works. In July 2012, the UK Government announced that the final portion of the Great Western from Cardiff to Swansea would be electrified. In addition, as part of the Electric Spine project, the line between Reading and Basingstoke would also be electrified at 25kV AC OHL. The overhead electrification of the branches to Henley, Marlow and Windsor were also added to

7802-457: Was awarded by the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising to Great Western Holdings in December 1995, and it began operations on 4 February 1996. Via multiple contract extensions, this operator, which currently trades as Great Western Railway has been the primary operator of passenger services on the GWML for multiple decades. In August 2008, it was announced that a number of speed limits on

7896-400: Was built by the original Great Western Railway company between 1838 and 1841, as a dual track line in the 7 ft ( 2,134 mm ) broad gauge . The broad gauge remained in use until 1892, after which standard gauge track has been exclusively used. Between 1877 and 1932, many sections of the GWML were widened to four tracks. During 1908, Automatic Train Control (ATC) was introduced as

7990-411: Was cancelled in 2017. Under the Intercity Express Programme (IEP), 21 electric Class 801 trains were ordered as replacements for the ageing InterCity 125 diesels. In May 2016 it was confirmed that the new trains would be built as 'bi-mode' Class 800s instead, meaning they can run on either diesel power or electric overhead wire. At the start of the 21st century, the Great Western Main Line and

8084-590: Was completed in 2011, the Newport signalbox would be closed. Control would pass to the South Wales Control Centre for other parts of the South Wales network as resignalling progressed. Until May 2019, services from London Paddington to South West England and South Wales were served by Class 43 "InterCity 125" train sets. The Intercity 125 trains were built between 1975 and 1982 and due to their age were replaced by Class 800 and Class 802 "AT300" units from

8178-407: Was completed in December 2017, and to Thingley Junction in December 2019. Electrification of associated lines, including Bristol Parkway to Temple Meads and Didcot to Oxford, was also postponed indefinitely; electrification of the route between London and Cardiff was completed in 2019. The government argued that bi-mode trains would fill in the gaps pending completion of electrification, although

8272-407: Was formally abandoned in 2017. As of 2023, the electrification of Didcot to Oxford has yet to happen, after being delayed until track modification and station remodelling at Oxford. Prior to 2009, the only electrified portion of the Great Western was between London Paddington and Airport Junction (west of Hayes and Harlington ). This portion is equipped with a 25 kV AC overhead system which

8366-426: Was highly impacted by the GWML's electrification scheme, particularly the abandonment of diesel-only trains in favour of bi-mode trains, which were elongated and outfitted with a second transformer to maximise their use of the electrified sections. The electrification of the line also allowed the introduction of other rolling stock, such as Class 387 EMUs, to conduct shorter-distance services. Communities served by

8460-512: Was implemented in 1997 in readiness for the Heathrow Express service commencing in early 1998. Electrification was extended from Airport Junction to Maidenhead under the Crossrail scheme. Further electrification west of Maidenhead was announced by the DfT separately, though the work west of Airport Junction (to take Crossrail to Maidenhead) and west of Maidenhead is likely to be undertaken as one scheme. The UK government first considered electrifying

8554-554: Was officially reopened by Anne, Princess Royal in October 2014. The redoubling was an important step in the 21st Century upgrade of the Great Western Main Line , as it provides a diversionary route for trains between London and Cardiff when the Severn Tunnel is closed or during electrification works between Swindon and Severn Tunnel Junction . Great Western Main Line The Great Western Main Line ( GWML )

8648-465: Was opened in stages between 1838 and 1841. The first section, between Paddington Station and Maidenhead Bridge station opened on 4 June 1838, while the final section, between Chippenham and Bath, was opened on completion of the Box Tunnel , the longest railway tunnel driven by that time, in June 1841. The line's alignment was so level and straight it was nicknamed "Brunel's billiard table". The track

8742-600: Was supplemented with a third rail for dual gauge operation, allowing standard gauge 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) trains to also operate on the route, in stages between 1854 and 1875. Dual gauge was introduced as follows: London to Reading (October 1861), Reading to Didcot (December 1856), Didcot to Swindon (February 1872), Swindon to Thingley Junction, Chippenham (June 1874), Thingley Junction to Bathampton (March 1875), Bathampton to Bristol (June 1874), Bristol station area (May 1854). The broad gauge remained in use until 1892, at which point

8836-401: Was to eventually replace older signalling control in the entire English Western region. The London area was due to switch over at the end of 2011, followed by the old Slough PSB ( Power Signal Box ) area. Attention would then be given to abolishing Oxford, Swindon A, Bristol PSBs and the 1990s Swindon B IECC . This would be followed by the elimination of the 1980s PSBs at Westbury and Exeter, and

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