Great Western Railway (GWR) is pulling out all the stops to commemorate the Coronation with a special named train service fit for a king.
Starting Friday, the 0848 London Paddington to Swansea service will be known as the ‘Flying Carolean'. The train an Intercity Express Train class 802 numbered 802103 will feature King Charles III's official Coronation logo, which will be applied live on the platform at Paddington following its arrival at 07:59 from Cheltenham.
‘Carolean' refers to the name Charles and marks the new Carolean era, while GWR chose this service to pay homage to the King's 59 years as the Prince of Wales.
GWR is not only providing a special train service for the Coronation but also advising passengers to allow plenty of time for their journeys. With an estimated 1.2 million people expected to line the streets of London on Saturday 6 May for the procession to Westminster Abbey, GWR will provide extra early morning trains from South Wales, Devon, and Cornwall, as well as in London and the Thames Valley, to take customers into central London. An hourly, overnight service is being provided on Friday into Saturday.
For the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday, GWR will operate as many trains as possible on the Windsor branch line, between Slough and Windsor, for ticket holders. Three services will run per hour, with an extra carriage providing an increased 33% capacity per journey. Up to 30,000 people are expected to attend the concert within the castle grounds.
Once again, GWR will operate extra late-night/early morning services between Windsor and Slough and between London Paddington and Reading. However, those traveling are being warned to expect to have to queue in the designated area to board trains safely.
This naming follows on from TransPennine Express naming one of its Hitachi trains after the Palace of Hollyroodhouse
Rail Minister Huw Merriman, who will help to unveil the Coronation logo, said: “This tribute will take pride of place on our railway as we approach the Coronation celebrations and pay our gratitude to the King.
“It's an honour to unveil the sign today and particularly fitting it will adorn a service to Wales – a country both His Majesty and Great Western Railway have served for many years.”
GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “We're incredibly excited about the Coronation and have been working hard to ensure we have everything in place to carry passengers in and out of London.
“We want to pay our own special tribute to King Charles III and name a train service which not only reflects the new Carolean era, but also celebrates his long association with Wales, where we are incredibly proud to serve as part of the GWR network.”
Network Rail Interim Western Route Director, David Davidson, said: “We've been working closely with our train partners and others to prepare for the Coronation weekend. We've decked out Paddington station, have volunteers on hand across our stations and will be doing everything possible to give passengers a great experience this weekend.”
For more information please visit www.gwr.com/coronation.
Impressive. Very nice.