New trains serving north Wales clock up five million miles

Nation.Cymru staff

The fleet of new trains introduced on services between north Wales and London has passed five million miles in service less than two years after entering operation.

Avanti West Coast’s Class 805 trains, which were introduced in June 2024, have reached the milestone while operating primarily on the route linking Holyhead, Bangor, Llandudno Junction, Rhyl, Chester and London Euston.

The 13 bi-mode trains were brought into service to replace older diesel-only trains and have become the mainstay of Avanti’s North Wales route.

The operator said the five million miles travelled is equivalent to circling the Earth around 40 times.

One of the key features of the fleet is its ability to switch between electric and diesel power.

Because large sections of the North Wales Coast Line remain unelectrified, the trains run on electric power for much of the journey before switching to diesel west of Crewe.

According to Avanti, almost two-thirds of the route between London and Holyhead can now be completed using electric power.

The company said the new trains have significantly reduced carbon emissions compared with the diesel-powered Class 221 trains they replaced. In the year to April 2026, the Class 805 fleet produced almost two-thirds less carbon per vehicle kilometre than its predecessor.

The introduction of the trains also enabled Avanti to increase services between Chester and London last year, creating an hourly weekday service and improving connections for passengers travelling to and from north Wales.

Each five-carriage train has around 16% more seats than the fleet it replaced and includes additional luggage space, improved accessibility features and more leg room.

While primarily associated with north Wales services, the trains also operate on some routes to the West Midlands.

Earlier this year they were used on diversionary services via the Settle-Carlisle line while engineering work closed part of the West Coast Main Line between Preston and Carlisle. More than 59,000 miles were completed on the historic route during the closures.

Owain Morgan, Avanti West Coast’s Senior Performance Manager, said the milestone reflected the reliability of the fleet since its introduction.

He said the trains had brought significant changes for passengers travelling to and from North Wales, providing more modern rolling stock and increased capacity on one of Wales’ most important rail links to England.

The Class 805s form part of Avanti’s wider Evero fleet, which also includes 10 electric-only Class 807 trains operating elsewhere on the West Coast Main Line.