Transport for Wales fleet refurb arrives on time and under budget
Transport for Wales (TfW) has announced that work to refurbish its fleet of Class 158 long-distance trains has been completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
The work, which has been ongoing at Arriva TrainCare’s facility in Crewe since the start of 2020, included refurbishment of the company’s fleet of 24 trains, which operate on routes throughout the Wales and Borders network, including the Cambrian Line in Mid Wales and services to North and West Wales.
TfW say that since the first train re-entered service in February 2020, customers have been able to benefit from improved facilities, including USB charging points, re-covered seats, new carpets and new interior fittings.
The trains have also been rebranded on the outside with TfW’s grey and red livery.
The company says it has also focused on improving the reliability of the trains, with improvements to the electrical, heating and Wheel Slide Protection (WSP) systems, ensuring the trains are available more frequently for service.
The work is part of TfW’s £40 million refurbishment programme, which has also included a refresh of the Class 175, 150 and 153 trains.
TfW is also investing over £800 million on a fleet of brand-new trains, which will begin to enter service across the Wales and Borders network later in 2022.
Jerry Howells, TfW’s Head of Asset Management, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to deliver these improvements for customers, which they rightly expect to see on a modern railway network.
“We know being able to travel in comfort and charge devices on the go are incredibly important to our customers, whether they are travelling for 20 minutes or four hours, for business or pleasure.”
Neil Morrey, TfW’s Refurbishment Project Manager, said: “While we are building brand new trains, they take time to build and we want our customers to have a comfortable experience as soon as possible.
“We’re particularly proud to have delivered this work 102 days ahead of schedule and under budget.”
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I have used the Chester to Birmingham International route for decades now and I can honestly say I think that the service has never been as good as it has been the last couple of years.
…If they could just get those little dweebs they have hired to hassle people about tickets to change the disgusting attitude each and every one I have come across displays whether as a victim or an observer we would be close to near excellence.
Nice to hear some positive news about railways and Wales. Well done TfW Team.
And which of these refurbished or new trains are being used on the Heart of Wales line? Err… None! We have to put up with elderly Class 153 and 150 units which frequently break down because money needs spending to bring the line up to modern standards. TfW don’t care about lines in rural areas like Powys and Carmarthenshire neither do the political parties. Plaid Cymru run Carmarthenshire; our local councillor is Plaid; our MS is Plaid and our MP is ex-Plaid, and what are they doing to improve the service on the Heart of Wales line? Nothing. Perhaps it… Read more »
The tragedy of Beeching for Wales was always going to be a long haul and difficult fix
An Independent Wales could pro actively start to fix it but as usual our hands are tied by Westminster and we can do without the Conservatives in Wales continually playing the political game against the very people they so often claim to support but in reality care nothing about
TfW is totally committed to Wales
We helped to fund HS2 but will receive no tangible benefit from this enormous expenditure
If the Tories hadn’t stolen our HST2 consequentials we could address all your worries.
I’m sure we’ll be hearing words of praise and congratulations from Natasha and RT very soon indeed.