THE FIRST of the new Class 800 Inter City Express Train rolled into Pembroke Dock weekend (May 26). The scene was captured by local railway enthusiast David Woolnough who photographed the event.
Over the summer Great Western Railway’s new Intercity Express Trains will be running their services down to Pembroke Dock via Tenby on Saturdays, with improved journey times, comfort and reliability promised.
The trains have been gradually replacing the old Intercity 125s over the last 18 months, and came in as part of the electrification of the mainline from Paddington to Cardiff which should be completed later this year.
The new trains run on electricity but can switch to diesel when running on a track that’s not been electrified.
Local train enthusiast Roy Jenkins told The Herald: “Last summer the the new Class 800 train was the first Intercity Express Train to travel from London beyond Exeter in passenger service, marking another milestone in the roll out of the new fleet, when the service arrived at another seaside town at Paignton in Devon.
“The Class 800 Inter City Express Trains are due to run to south Pembrokeshire on Saturdays only between May 25 and September 7, with the first of GWR’s new services due this Saturday (May 25) at Pembroke Dock.
He added: “The trains will be running as a 10 carriage train from London to Swansea made up of two five carriage sets then dividing there with one of the five car sets running down to Pembroke Dock and back.”
