Response to DfT re additional capacity for FGW

Response to DfT announcement re additional capacity for First Great Western
services

FirstGroup plc welcomes the Department for Transport's announcement concerning
the introduction of 48 additional carriages for First Great Western that will
come into service between February and September 2012.

The agreement will:

- Add a standard class carriage to 15 of First Great Western's long distance
High Speed Trains operating between South Wales, Bristol, Bath, Swindon, Oxford
and Reading and London.
- Introduce Class 180 `Adelante' trains on services between Worcester and
London Paddington on the recently redoubled North Cotswold Line. These trains
are more comfortable and spacious for long distance services than the Turbo
trains currently operating on the route.
- Lengthen weekday commuter services in the London and Thames Valley area using
the Turbo trains currently operating on the North Cotswold route.
- Increase peak capacity on weekday commuter services between Reading and
Basingstoke. These trains will also be used in the Bristol area on weekends to
provide additional capacity for sporting and other special events.
- Increase capacity on the Severn Beach line and between Taunton and Cardiff
and, as trains become available, on Truro-Falmouth and Torbay services.

Vernon Barker, Managing Director of FirstGroup's UK Rail division, said: "We're
delighted at today's announcement by the Department for Transport, which is
good news for First Great Western's customers across the network and will
reduce crowding on the most popular peak services - particularly those into and
out of London, increasing capacity at peak times by some nine per cent, or by
4,500 seats in total."

ends