First Great Western Link was a train operating company owned by First Group that provided train services, on a franchise basis, from Paddington Station to destinations such as Slough, Reading, Didcot, Oxford, Goring and Streatley, Henley-on-Thames, Newbury, Bedwyn, Hereford, Worcester and Banbury. Train services were also provided from Reading to Gatwick Airport (via Guildford and Dorking), and from Reading to Basingstoke. The company also used to operate services to Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon, but these were transferred to Chiltern Railways and the First Great Western Link route curtailed at Banbury. Image File history File links FGWLinklogo. ... The Thames Valley is generally the region that drains into the River Thames, England, but is used in a more specific term by the government. ... Geology of the South East, Chalk is light green (6) A cross-section , showing the Wealden Dome, and relating it to the towns of Kent The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills located in south east England that stretch for 120 miles (190 km) from Hampshire through Surrey... The Cotswolds is the name given to a range of hills in central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, a hilly area reaching over 300 m or 1000 feet. ... First Group PLC (LSE: FGP) is a British transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, with headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland. ... Due to historical differences the railway network of the United Kingdom is split into two independent systems: one on the island of Great Britain and one in Northern Ireland, which is closely linked to the railway system of the Republic of Ireland. ... First Group PLC (LSE: FGP) is a British transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, with headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland. ... Paddington Station, March 2005 during rush hour Paddington station or London Paddington station is a major National Rail and London Underground station complex in the Paddington area of London. ... Slough (pronounced ) is a town and unitary authority (Borough of Slough) in England. ... , Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ... Statistics Population: 25,231 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SU525900 Administration District: South Oxfordshire Shire county: Oxfordshire Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Oxfordshire Historic county: Berkshire Services Police force: Thames Valley Police Ambulance: South Central Post office and telephone Post town... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... Goring and Streatley are twin villages, in the English counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire respectively, separated by the River Thames and joined together by Goring and Streatley Bridge. ... , Henley-on-Thames is a town on the north side of the River Thames in south Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead. ... Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. ... Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in the east of the English county of Wiltshire. ... For other uses, see Hereford (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city of Worcester in England. ... , The modern Castle Quay Shopping Centre in Banbury alongside the Oxford Canal, with Banbury Museum in the background. ... Gatwick Airport (IATA Airport Code: LGW, ICAO Airport Code: EGKK) is Londons second airport and the second largest airport in the UK after Heathrow. ... , For other places with the same name, see Guildford (disambiguation). ... Dorking is a market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately 25 miles south of London, in Surrey in England. ... , Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, UK. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. ... Warwick (pronounced or War-ick (silent w in middle)) is the historic county town of Warwickshire in England and has a population of 25,434 (2001 census). ... Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon is a town in Warwickshire, England. ... Chiltern Railways is a train operating company in England. ...

Prior to April 2004 the franchise was held by the Go-Ahead Group, trading as Thames Trains. First Great Western Link shared a management team with First Great Western, a separately franchised train operating company that ran inter-city services on Great Western Main Line and associated lines. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brighton & Hove Bus Metrobus Scania OmniDekka 447 (YV03 RBF) Southern Class 171 Turbostar Thameslink Class 319 dual voltage unit The Go-Ahead Group is a rail and bus operating company that was created following the liberalisation of the UKs train and bus industries. ... Thames Trains was a British railway company franchised (from September 1996, following the privatisation of British Rail, until 31 March 2004) to run regional and suburban trains from London Paddington station to destinations in the home counties west of London (also to Worcester, Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon), as well... First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd,[1] a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup, which operates services in the west and south west of England and South Wales. ...

On 12 June 2005 Heathrow Connect was introduced as a joint venture between First Great Western Link and BAA plc. is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Heathrow Connect is a train service in London, connecting Heathrow Airport with Paddington station. ... BAA plc is the owner and operator of seven major United Kingdom airports and operator of several airports worldwide, making the company one of the largest transport companies in the world. ...

From 1 April 2006 First Great Western, First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains were merged into the Greater Western Franchise. Three companies - First Group plc, National Express Group PLC and Stagecoach Group - were shortlisted to run this new franchise. On 13 December 2005 it was announced that First Group had won the franchise. The services operated by First Great Western Link are now operated by First Great Western. A new livery was rolled out across the fleet during late 2006. is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd,[1] a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup, which operates services in the west and south west of England and South Wales. ... A Wessex Class 153 A Class 150/2 unit in West Country advertising livery. ... First Group PLC (LSE: FGP) is a British transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, with headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland. ... National Express Group plc (LSE: NEX) is a UK-based transport group that operates airport, bus and rail services in the UK, the US and Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe. ... Stagecoach Group plc (LSE: SGC) is a leading international transport group operating bus, train, tram, express coach and ferry operations. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Routes

• Great Western Main Line
• Cotswold Line
• North Downs Line

Maidenhead Railway Bridge The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington station to Temple Meads station in Bristol. ... A First Great Western Link Network Express Turbo unit at Evesham station on 19th September 2004, with a service for London Paddington. ... The North Downs Line is the name of the passenger train service connecting Reading, on the Great Western Main Line, to Gatwick Airport, on the Brighton Main Line. ...

Fleet

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Built
			mph	km/h
Class 165/1 Network Turbo		diesel multiple unit	90	145	36	1990 - 1992
Class 166 Network Express Turbo		diesel multiple unit	90	145	21	1992 - 1993

Class 165/1, no. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 655 KB)BR Class 165/1, no. ... DMU, type SA108 of Great Poland Voivodship in Poznań, Poland The Transwa Prospector DEMU capable of up to 200 km/h provides a passenger service between Perth, Western Australia and the mining town of Kalgoorlie A Diesel Multiple Unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages... Class 166, no. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 676 KB)BR Class 166, no. ... DMU, type SA108 of Great Poland Voivodship in Poznań, Poland The Transwa Prospector DEMU capable of up to 200 km/h provides a passenger service between Perth, Western Australia and the mining town of Kalgoorlie A Diesel Multiple Unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages...

External links

• First Great Western Link