Glastonbury Express at Preston tonight??

[Gathursty]

Disembarking from the Ormskirk Branch for another connection at around 6.40pm tonight, I saw a train consisting of 8 or 9 dark teal Intercity branded carriages with an EWS engine on the front of it at Platform 5 in Preston with a small sign saying 'First Great Western Glastonbury Express' on each carriage.

I never knew they ran such a service, and all the way to Preston (and beyond?).

Can anyone explain more about it?

 

[Eagle]

I'm guessing it'd run to Cary via Birmingham, Bristol and Westbury.

Dark teal makes me wonder if it isn't some of Arriva's array of coaching stock (according to Wikipedia they have 22 Mark IIs... they can't use all that, can they?).

 

[N Levers]

I never knew they ran such a service, and all the way to Preston (and beyond?).

didn't you know First Great Western is now the trading name for Deutsch Bahn British Rail

 

[Gathursty]

didn't you know First Great Western is now the trading name for Deutsch Bahn British Rail

Nope, anything beyond Northern Rail, First Transpennine and Virgin Trains is a bit alien to me. I need to get out of the North West more :P
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
A google search provides me with this ( http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=8902.0 ) but nothing more on the details of the train. I should have took a picture

 

[BigVince76]

I know it was a rail-easy charter that ran Preston-Frome on Wednesday and returned Monday. I am not sure what stops in made on the way but it did call at Stoke-on-Trent. It was £30 each way from Stoke, not a bad deal as it included coach transfer from Frome to the festival.

The website to buy tickets was:

https://glastonbury.raileasy.co.uk/

 

[Eagle]

I like how that map implies that the trains are going to Glastonbury station, which a) is six or seven miles away from the festival site and b) doesn't exist anymore.

Why was this train only running to Frome? Castle Cary is closer and larger.

 

[class377man]

I guess because every man and his dog, or indeed enormous bag and tent, were using Castle Cary.

 

[Yorkswatcher]

I saw a load of Intercity branded carriages on the south bound line between Wakefield & Doncaster last night at about 9ish.

 

[fgwrich]

I know it was a rail-easy charter that ran Preston-Frome on Wednesday and returned Monday. I am not sure what stops in made on the way but it did call at Stoke-on-Trent. It was £30 each way from Stoke, not a bad deal as it included coach transfer from Frome to the festival.

The website to buy tickets was:

https://glastonbury.raileasy.co.uk/

The service was provied by First Group / First Great Western with Cargo & DB Providing the stock / drivers & Rail Easy providing the ticketing...

Original plan was, to use the East Somerset Railways terminus at Cranmore, but for some reason it didnt, and as Castle Carys pretty full during Glasto weekend anyway, im guessing frome was the better bet...

Sort of covered on this thread:
http://railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=45490

Makes sense, and is good to see both the rail industry and First Group pulling together and put on extra specials for events on there network...It's seems to be more of an FGW and Chiltern Thing these days!...