New name, new franchise for First Great Western trains

The new franchise to run Great Western rail services starts on Sunday 20th September with a new name and the promise of half a billion pounds worth of investment to be spent on trains and railway stations.

The change coincides with the rebranding of First Great Western trains. The new company will be called 'Great Western Railway' which was the original name given when it was built by Brunel.

This weekend the new name is being put on the operator's trains at depots. The carriages will be seen throughout the Thames Valley and beyond. ITV Meridian's Transport Correspondent Mike Pearse interviewed the rail operator's spokesman, Dan Panes, about what the change would mean for the passengers that use the network.