Train operators announce extra capacity on peak services

First Great Western (FGW) has announced extra capacity on its peak services from Thames Valley stations to London from next year.

The firm said is had come to a funding agreement with the Government to pay for 48 additional carriages on some of its most overcrowded services running from stations in the Thames Valley to London.

The additional capacity, an extra 4,500 seats on peak morning and evening services, was announced yesterday.

It will be phased in between February 2012 and September 2012. The Government hopes the extra carriages will be deployed in time for next summer’s Olympic Games.

The capacity will mean extra seats on 27 peak daily services calling at Twyford, 28 calling at Maidenhead and 23 calling at Slough.

The cost of improving capacity on the network will be £28.9m.

The funding agreement between FGW and the government will ease overcrowding on services calling at Twyford and Maidenhead, some of the busiest trains travelling to the capital.