Train service boost for Newbury Winter Festival

Travelling to the Winter Festival at Newbury Racecourse has never been easier thanks to train operators First Great Western and First Great Western Link. More than 60 additional train services will stop at Newbury Racecourse station, a short walk from the racecourse, over the three-day event (25 to 27 November 2005).

Phil West, Special Events Manager for First Great Western and First Great Western Link, says: “The centrepiece of the festival is the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup and with 20,000 people expected to attend it’s the biggest fixture in the Newbury Racecourse diary. Three days of racing this year mean that we will see more customers than ever choose the train as the most convenient and comfortable way to travel. To cope with this demand we’ve dramatically increased the number of services stopping at Newbury Racecourse station to more than 60.”

Race fans can also take advantage of a great value special offer from First Great Western on Saturday 26 November, the day of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup. The train operator is offering an all-inclusive First Class package for just £55 with First Class return travel from London Paddington and admission to the Grandstand enclosure at the racecourse.

The package includes: travel on a special train leaving London Paddington at 10.30am and arriving at Newbury Racecourse at 11.15am; a complimentary glass of Champagne or Bucks Fizz and a choice of pastries and other beverages while on board; entry to the Grandstand enclosure at the racecourse with great views of the course, parade ring and winners’ enclosure; plenty of cover if the weather is wet; a selection of food and drink bars; and the chance to upgrade on arrival at the racecourse to the Premier Enclosure for just an extra £20.

To book the all-inclusive ticket, call First Great Western Telesales on 08456 024123.

For more information on train times and fares visit www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk or call 08457 48 49 50. Further details about the Winter Festival can be found at www.newbury-racecourse.co.uk.
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For further information please contact the First Great Western press office on 01793 499499. Press releases can be found on the company website www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

First Great Western provides customers with nearly 190 high speed services across the South West, South Wales, Bristol, the Cotswolds and to London Paddington every day carrying over 22 million passenger journeys a year.

First Great Western is part of FirstGroup plc, the UK-based international public transport operator, which is the one of the country’s largest train operators, the UK’s biggest bus operator and the second largest provider of yellow school bus services in the United States. First has the clear vision to ‘Transform Travel’ and become the number one public transport provider.

From next April, a new Greater Western franchise will be created combining high-speed rail services, commuter services and inter-regional and local train services. The new franchise will combine the existing First Great Western, First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains operations.

FirstGroup plc is bidding to operate the new franchise and believes that as one of the UK’s largest public transport operator, it is the only company with the knowledge, ability and experience to meet the transport needs of people across the region.

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