Great Western Coffee Shop

a new fleet of intercity trains due to be introduced during 2018, which will increase capacity by an additional 20 per cent

Mark Hopwood said: "... In the past two years we have added around 7,000 additional seats to our Reading services at peak times, and we are always looking at new ways to secure more. However, given the growth in popularity of our rail services, it is a challenge keeping pace with demand. The long term solution is, of course, the electrification of the main line, which will deliver bigger, faster trains for our customers. ... "

First class campaign by Reading West MP

Alok Sharma's successful campaign to replace unused first class seats with standard class rolls on

(http://i1.getreading.co.uk/incoming/article9994834.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Alok-Sharma-at-Thames-Valley-train-depot.jpg)
Reading West MP at Reading Train Care Depot with First Great Western staff (Left to Right) Jessica Inns, James Crosbie, Sami Elahi, Alok Sharma MP, Richard Powell and Michael Eves

The Reading West MP Alok Sharma is claiming another victory in his campaign to increase the number of standard class seats on trains.

Having campaigned for an increase in the number of standard class seats on trains between Reading Station and Paddington, Mr Sharma has welcomed the latest commitment made by First Great Western (FGW) to declassify all first class seating on its fleet of 165 turbo trains.

It will provide more than 500 extra standard class seats between Reading and the capital every day. This adds to the current extra 3,000 standard class seats already made available through conversion of first class carriages into standard class seating on High Speed Trains.

The work on the turbo trains is due for completion by the end of the year.

Mr Sharma visited FGW^s Reading Train Care Depot, where the London Thames Valley fleet is maintained, and saw first-hand the start of the train company^s work to convert first class carriages on its 165 turbo trains into standard seating.

Mr Sharma has campaigned for a number of years to relieve over-crowding in standard class, first leading a Parliamentary debate on overcrowding in March 2012. Since then he has continued to lobby FGW and the Department for Transport for extra standard class seats and also launched a petition last year, signed by hundreds of local commuters supporting his campaign.

There are now an extra 3,000 standard class seats in service today and all High Speed Trains running through Reading to Paddington have just 1.5 first class carriages.

Following FGW commitment to reduce the number of first class carriages on its HSTs, Mr Sharma asked for further action to be taken to declassify first class seating on all turbo trains in a meeting he organised in January 2015 with FGW managing director Mark Hopwood and Rail Minister Claire Perry.

He said: ^Having campaigned for a number of years for more standard class seats for Reading commuters, especially through declassification of under-utilised first class seating, I am absolutely delighted that FGW have taken on board my latest suggestion, made at a meeting with FGW and the Transport Minister in January, to remove first class entirely from local stopping trains. I know that many of my commuting constituents will welcome these extra standard class seats during peak time.^

He continued: ^I believe Reading would benefit from a dedicated commuter service to Paddington and I will be making that case to FGW and the Department for Transport, especially in respect of any future franchise negotiations.^

Mark Hopwood, managing director of First Great Western said: ^We know that, ultimately, the only long-term solution to busy services is more trains. New Intercity Express trains are on their way, as well as new electric units for our London Thames Valley commuters 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.^

So, who put this press release out? FGW or Mr Sharma?