An intercity train named in honour of King Charles has been unveiled at Paddington station.
Great Western Railway marked the Coronation by naming its 8.48am service to Swansea the Flying Carolean.
The train - Intercity Express Train 802103 – departed on Friday morning, bearing the monarch’s Coronation logo alongside its new name.
At Swansea, where it was due to arrive in just under three hours, its Welsh name “Y Carolean Hedegog” will be applied to the opposite side of the train. It also pays homage to Charles’s 59 years as Prince of Wales.
Carolean is the name of the era under kings named Charles. GWR is the second rail firm to name a train or service in such a way – London North Eastern Railway’s 11am Carolean Express service from King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley will make its inaugural journey on Coronationm day, May 6.
Today we are commemorating the Coronation in style with a train service fit for a King!
— GWR (@GWRHelp) May 5, 2023
The 0848 London Paddington to Swansea service became known as the Flying Carolean with IET 802103 featuring King Charles III’s official coronation logo along with its new name. #coronation pic.twitter.com/r6ILxS81Qb
Rail Minister Huw Merriman, who unveiled the Coronation logo at Paddington, said: “This tribute will take pride of place on our railway as we approach the Coronation celebrations and pay our gratitude to the King.
“It’s an honour to unveil the sign and particularly fitting it will adorn a service to Wales – a country both His Majesty and Great Western Railway have served for many years.”
GWR managing director Mark Hopwood said: “We’re incredibly excited about the Coronation and have been working hard to ensure we have everything in place to carry passengers in and out of London.
“We want to pay our own special tribute to King Charles III and name a train service which not only reflects the new Carolean era, but also celebrates his long association with Wales, where we are incredibly proud to serve as part of the GWR network.”
Network Rail interim western route director David Davidson said: “We’ve decked out Paddington station, have volunteers on hand across our stations and will be doing everything possible to give passengers a great experience this weekend.”
GWR is providing additional trains and extra carriages for the Coronation but advises passengers to allow plenty of time for their journeys.
There will be extra very early morning trains from South Wales, Devon and Cornwall, as well as in London and the Thames Valley, to central London. An hourly, overnight service is being provided overnight on Friday.
On Sunday, when the Coronation concert will be held at Windsor Castle, GWR will operate “as many trains as possible” on the Windsor branch line, between Slough and Windsor. Three services will run per hour, with an extra carriage providing an increased 33 per cent in capacity per journey.
GWR will operate extra late night/early morning services between Windsor and Slough and between London Paddington and Reading.
There will also be extra South Western Railway services from Windsor & Eton Riverside to and from Waterloo.
However, the London Underground will close around midnight on Sunday – meaning passengers relying on the Tube to get home are at risk of being stranded.
