FIRST Great Western has denied claims in a national newspaper that it is removing quiet carriages from all its trains.

A spokesman said: “There will be a quiet carriage on all our high-speed trains for the foreseeable future. Claims that there will be no solace for customers who want a quieter journey are simply unfounded.”

But First Great Western confirmed that there will no longer be a quiet carriage for first-class passengers after it redesigns its first-class carriages in the coming months.

Some first-class carriages are being converted into standard carriages on all the company’s long-distance trains, and that will only leave trains with one-and-a-half first-class carriages.

The spokesman said: “To make one of those carriages ‘quiet’ would be madness, but it is a practical decision based on the need to increase the number of standard seats on our services. The renewed first-class carriages will instead be fitted with specially designed headrests and partition screens to keep noise levels to a minimum.”

The changes are part of £13 million investments on First Great Western’s high-speed trains. These include additional standard-class seats with more tables for customers and free wifi from early next year.