Gemini completes GWR Turbo fleet interior overhaul

Gemini Rail Services handed over 166220 to Great Western Railway on September 10, after completing a £10 million interior overhaul on the operator’s fleet of 20 two-car Class 165s, 16 three-car Class 165s, and 21 three-car Class 166s at its Wolverton Works.

The work started in September 2021, with each unit taking four to five weeks to have new floors fitted, an interior repaint, and overhauled seats featuring GWR’s grey and green moquette. Gemini repainted eight Class 166s into GWR green as part of the project.

Angel Trains owns GWR’s Turbo fleet. Chief Operating Officer David Jordan said: “These improvements will make the journey more enjoyable for passengers, which we hope will lead to more people choosing to travel by train in the South West.”

GWR Engineering Director Simon Green added: “This has been a really good demonstration of the railway industry working collaboratively and I’d like to thank Angel Trains and Gemini Rail Services for their diligence over the past three years.”

GWR operates its ‘165’ and ‘166’ fleet across its network - including local services around Bristol and Oxford, on its Thames Valley branch line, to and from Gatwick Airport as well as Gloucester, Frome, Weymouth and Portsmouth. The units date from 1992-93.