First Great Western this week won recognition for its major £143 million investment programme to improve its high-speed train fleet.

The company won two awards at the annual HSBC Rail Business Awards in London on Wednesday 27 February.  They recognise the company's unprecedented investment to raise the standard of its inter-city train fleet, significantly improving the reliability of the trains, as well as creating extra seating capacity, and enhancing the on-board environment for customers.

First Great Western won both the Rolling Stock Excellence of the Year category and the Engineering Excellence of the Year category.

The Engineering Excellence award is for the completion of a comprehensive £80 million re-engining programme for 117 high speed train (HST) Class 43 power cars including replacing the existing engines with an MTU engine.

The new engines increase reliability, extend service life, improve safety and deliver environmental benefits. All the re-engineering work was completed on time and on budget.

The power cars are now delivering a dramatic increase in reliability and the engine system is currently operating at around five times the previous miles-per-casualty levels, which give great business benefits.  The power cars now have a further 10 to 12 years of life and the work will pay for itself in approximately five years.

The project was a joint initiative with Brush Traction, which engineered the installation design and has carried out the conversion work at its Loughborough factory.

The Rolling Stock Excellence award is for the company's £63million refresh of the interiors of its entire fleet of high speed trains (HST), covering 53 sets of 407 carriages. This has greatly improved the service life and performance of the fleet including increased seating capacity.

To both increase the size of the fleet and refresh the lot in such a challenging time frame has never been done before by any train operating company.

The complete redesign covers everything from seats, lighting, toilets and power points to livery and improved catering services.  Improving safety standards has been paramount throughout the refresh programme.  

In addition external liveries were updated and laminated glass was installed.  Simultaneously a comprehensive £80 million re-engineering programme for 117 power cars has also been undertaken, making a total investment of £143 million on this flagship fleet.

The feel and tone for the new carriages was developed by one of the world's leading industrial designers, ex Porsche and award-winning Eurostar designer Michael Rodber. The concept was for a warm and welcoming environment for customers that was both lighter and brighter. Bombardier Transportation in Derby completed the new look interiors for the carriages.

Graham Boot-Handford, Engineering Projects Director at First Great Western, says: "We are thrilled to have won.  These are two of the biggest projects ever undertaken by any train operator and they have been delivered on time and on budget.  This is testimony to the enthusiastic and professional way our team has worked together and with colleagues from Bombardier Transportation and Brush Traction.

"As a result of this work we have seen a measurable increase in the performance and reliability of our fleet and a step change in the levels of comfort and cleanliness inside our high speed trains."