Train operator First Great Western is providing thousands of extra seats for this year's Henley Royal Regatta.

More than 10,000 people are expected to travel by train to attend the five-day event from 4 to 8 July 2007. First Great Western will help meet the demand for travel by doubling the number of services between Twyford and Henley-on-Thames to provide two trains every hour on the branch line.

Further direct trains will run from London Paddington to Henley and there are also connections from Oxford and Reading.

Carriage numbers will be doubled and extra staff will be on hand to assist customers travelling to the event. From Wednesday to Friday, 18 additional trains will serve the event delivering 13,392 extra train seats to and from the Regatta. On Saturday, 30 extra train services will provide 29, 352 seats and on Sunday, 24 extra services will create 13,764 seats.

On Saturday evening, some High Speed Trains and local services will interrupt their journeys to London Paddington from the West Country with extra stops at Twyford in order to offer customers more services to London Paddington from the Regatta.

Alison Hanscomb, First Great Western's Station Manager for Twyford and Henley, says: "Every year Henley Royal Regatta attracts big crowds and we're providing enhanced services for the thousands of customers who will be travelling to this major event. Our staff will be working hard to make this busy travel period run as smoothly as possible for our customers."