KeolisAmey Wales

This article is about the train operating company. For the government-owned regulating body, see Transport for Wales. For the former train operator, see Arriva Trains Wales.

• Transport for Wales
• Trafnidiaeth Cymru

A Class 175 Coradia at Hereford
Overview
Franchise(s)	Wales & Borders franchise 14 October 2018 – 6 February 2021
Main region(s)	Wales
Other region(s)	North West England West Midlands Gloucestershire
Stations operated	247
Parent company	Keolis Amey
Reporting mark	AW
Predecessor	Arriva Trains Wales
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Other
Website	tfwrail.wales (English) trctrenau.cymru (Welsh)

KeolisAmey Operations (Template:Lang-cy), trading as Transport for Wales Rail Services (TfW Rail Services) is a Welsh train operating company owned by Keolis (60%) and Amey (40%) that operates the Wales and Borders franchise.

The government body Transport for Wales (commercially separate from the train operating company) awarded the contract for the Wales and Borders franchise to KeolisAmey in 2018 which commenced rail operations on 14 October 2018. KeolisAmey uses the brand names Transport for Wales and TfW Rail (Template:Lang-cy and TrC Trenau), which are owned by the Welsh Government, for day-to-day operations. The Welsh Government will nationalise the franchise on 7 February 2021, transferring operations to a Welsh government-owned operator, although KeolisAmey will continue to provide a minor role in the franchise.

History

Passenger journeys on the Wales & Borders franchise from 2010–11 to 2018–19.

In October 2016 four bids were shortlisted for the next Wales & Borders franchise: Abellio, the incumbent operator Arriva, a Keolis/Amey joint venture, and MTR Corporation.

In October 2017, Arriva withdrew from the bidding process, followed in February 2018 by Abellio, after the collapse of its partner Carillion. In May 2018, the franchise was awarded to KeolisAmey Wales. It commenced on 14 October 2018 and runs for 15 years.

Unlike the previous franchise, which was awarded by the Department for Transport, the new franchise was awarded by Transport for Wales, on behalf of the Welsh Government.

As of January 2020 Keolis Amey has been fined £2.3 million by the Welsh government for poor performance of rail services. The company is also expected to be criticised by the Welsh Language Commissioner later in 2020 for reportedly breaking legislation on Welsh language provision six times since taking over the franchise in 2018. TfW Rail told the BBC that it did not believe any rules had been broken. Complaints included that Welsh was given lesser treatment on self-service machines, websites, and on the mobile app, that correspondence was not issued fully in Welsh, that train tickets were printed only in English, and that station and train announcements were not always made bilingually.

With a collapse in revenues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic having made the original franchise financially unviable, on 7 February 2021 the franchise will be taken over by the Welsh Governments's operator of last resort, Transport for Wales Rail, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales with KeolisAmey having an involvement in delivering some key projects.

Services

Typical TfW weekday off-peak service is as follows:

North Wales Coast Line
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Cardiff Central to Holyhead	8tpd	Newport, Cwmbran, Pontypool & New Inn, Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster (3tpd), Ludlow (7tpd), Craven Arms (7tpd), Church Stretton (7tpd), Shrewsbury, Gobowen (7tpd), Chirk (7tpd), Ruabon (7tpd), Wrexham General, Chester, Shotton (4tpd), Flint, Prestatyn (7tpd), Rhyl, Abergele & Pensarn (3tpd), Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction, Conwy (3tpd), Penmaenmawr (3tpd), Llanfairfechan (3tpd), Bangor (7tpd), Llanfairpwll (7tpd), Bodorgan (5tpd), Ty Croes (5tpd), Rhosneigr (5tpd) and Valley (5tpd). Only 7 tpd terminate in Holyhead as one turns off at Llandudno Junction and terminates at Llandudno, calling at Deganwy en route.		175
	1tpd	Newport, Cwmbran (Holyhead-bound only), Pontypool (Holyhead-bound only), Abergavenny (Holyhead-bound only), Hereford, Ludlow (Cardiff-bound only), Shrewsbury, Wrexham General, Chester, Flint, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction and Bangor 0534 from Holyhead and 1716 from Cardiff Central is the Premier Service which calls at fewer stops and has 1st class accommodation available with meals included.		67
Birmingham International to Holyhead	1tp2h	Birmingham New Street, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Wolverhampton, Telford Central, Wellington, Shrewsbury, Gobowen, Chirk, Ruabon, Wrexham General, Chester, Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction, Conwy, Penmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan and Bangor		158
Manchester Airport to Llandudno	1	East Didsbury, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown, Warrington Bank Quay, Runcorn East, Frodsham, Helsby, Chester, Shotton, Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Abergele & Pensarn, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction and Deganwy 6 inter-peak trains each day begin/end at the airport, 1 early morning and 2 late evening trains do too, not calling at East Didsbury. Other trains begin at Manchester Piccadilly.		158, 175
Crewe to Chester	1	shuttle		150, 158
Chester to Liverpool Lime Street	1	Helsby, Frodsham, Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway
South Wales – Manchester
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Milford Haven to Manchester Piccadilly	1tp2h	Johnston, Haverfordwest, Clarbeston Road, Clunderwen, Whitland, Carmarthen, Pembrey & Burry Port, Llanelli, Gowerton, Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot Parkway, Bridgend, Cardiff Central, Newport, Cwmbran, Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury, Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport		175
Carmarthen to Manchester Piccadilly	1tp2h	Ferryside, Kidwelly, Pembrey & Burry Port, Llanelli, Gowerton, Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot Parkway, Bridgend, Pencoed, Llanharan, Pontyclun, Cardiff Central, Newport, Cwmbran, Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Craven Arms, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury, Whitchurch, Nantwich, Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport
Fishguard Harbour to Manchester Piccadilly	1tpd	Fishguard and Goodwick, Clarbeston Road, Whitland, Carmarthen, Pembrey & Burry Port, Llanelli, Gowerton, Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot Parkway, Bridgend, Pencoed, Llanharan, Pontyclun, Cardiff Central, Newport, Cwmbran, Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Craven Arms, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury, Whitchurch, Nantwich, Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport		150
Cambrian Line
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Birmingham International to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli	1tp2h	Birmingham New Street, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Wolverhampton, Telford Central, Wellington, Shrewsbury, Welshpool, Newtown, Caersws, Machynlleth... The two portions divide/attach at Machynlleth.		158
		Aberystwyth portion: Dovey Junction and Borth	Pwllheli portion: Dovey Junction, Penhelig, Aberdovey, Tywyn, Tonfanau, Llwyngwril, Fairbourne, Morfa Mawddach, Barmouth, Llanaber, Talybont, Dyffryn Ardudwy, Llanbedr, Pensarn, Llandanwg, Harlech, Tygwyn, Talsarnau, Llandecwyn, Penrhyndeudraeth, Minffordd, Porthmadog, Criccieth, Penychain and Abererch
Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth	-	Welshpool, Newtown, Caersws, Machynlleth, Dovey Junction and Borth Additional trains that run so that there is a service most hours between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth
Heart of Wales Line
Route	tpd	Calling at		Class
Carmarthen to Llandovery	1	Llanelli, Bynea, Llangennech, Pontarddulais, Pantyffynnon, Ammanford, Llandybie, Ffairfach, Llandeilo, Llangadog and Llanwrda		150, 153
Llandrindod to Crewe	1	Pen-y-Bont, Dolau, Llanbister Road, Llangynllo, Knucklas, Knighton, Bucknell, Hopton Heath, Broome, Craven Arms, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury, Yorton, Wem, Prees, Whitchurch, Wrenbury and Nantwich
Swansea to Shrewsbury and Crewe	4	Gowerton, Llanelli, Bynea, Llangennech, Pontarddulais, Pantyffynnon, Ammanford, Llandybie, Ffairfach, Llandeilo, Llangadog, Llanwrda, Llandovery, Cynghordy, Sugar Loaf, Llanwrtyd, Llangammarch, Garth, Cilmeri, Builth Road, Llandrindod, Pen-y-Bont, Dolau, Llanbister Road, Llangynllo, Knucklas, Knighton, Bucknell, Hopton Heath, Broome, Craven Arms and Church Stretton 2tpd extend to/from Crewe, calling at Yorton, Wem, Prees, Whitchurch, Wrenbury and Nantwich
Shrewsbury to Crewe	5	Yorton, Wem, Prees, Whitchurch, Wrenbury and Nantwich creates an every-2-hours service alongside trains beginning further south
Conwy Valley Line
Route	tpd	Calling at		Class
Blaenau Ffestiniog to Llandudno	6	Roman Bridge, Dolwyddelan, Pont-y-Pant, Betws-y-Coed, Llanrwst, North Llanrwst, Dolgarrog, Tal-y-Cafn, Glan Conwy, Llandudno Junction and Deganwy		150
Borderlands Line
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Wrexham Central to Bidston	1	Wrexham General, Gwersyllt, Cefn-y-Bedd, Caergwrle, Hope, Penyffordd, Buckley, Hawarden, Shotton, Hawarden Bridge, Neston, Heswall and Upton		150
West Wales Locals
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Pembroke Dock to Swansea	1tp2h	Pembroke, Lamphey, Manorbier, Penally, Tenby, Saundersfoot, Kilgetty, Narberth, Whitland, Carmarthen, Pembrey & Burry Port, and Llanelli		150, 153, 158
Fishguard Harbour to Swansea	1tp2h	Fishguard and Goodwick, Clarbeston Road, Clunderwen, Whitland, Camarthen, Pembrey & Burry Port and Llanelli
Swanline
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Swansea to Cardiff Central	1tp2h	Llansamlet, Skewen, Neath, Briton Ferry, Baglan, Port Talbot Parkway, Pyle, Bridgend, Pencoed and Pontyclun		150, 153, 158
West Wales-Gloucestershire Line
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Maesteg to Cheltenham Spa	1	Maesteg (Ewenny Road), Garth, Tondu, Sarn, Wildmill, Bridgend, Pencoed, Llanharan, Pontyclun, Cardiff Central, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Caldicot, Chepstow, Lydney and Gloucester Some trains terminate at Cardiff Central, rather than Cheltenham Spa. doesn't run when Fishguard - Gloucester service runs		150, 153, 158, 170, 175
Fishguard Harbour to Gloucester	4tpd	Fishguard and Goodwick, Clarbeston Road, Clunderwen, Whitland, Carmarthen, Ferryside, Kidwelly, Pembrey & Burry Port, Llanelli, Gowerton, Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot Parkway, Bridgend, Pencoed, Llanharan, Pontyclun, Cardiff Central, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Caldicot, Chepstow and Lydney Some trains terminate at Cardiff Central, rather than Gloucester.		150, 158
Ebbw Valley Railway
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Cardiff Central to Ebbw Vale Town	1	Pye Corner, Rogerstone, Risca & Pontymister, Crosskeys, Newbridge, Llanhilleth and Ebbw Vale Parkway		150, 153, 158, 170, 175
Rhymney Line
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Penarth to Bargoed and Rhymney	4	Dingle Road, Grangetown, Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, Heath High Level, Llanishen, Lisvane & Thornhill, Caerphilly, Aber, Energlyn & Churchill Park (2tph), Llanbradach, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, Pengam, and Gilfach Fargoed (1tph). 1tph extends to Rhymney, calling at Brithdir, Tir-Phil and Pontlottyn		142, 143, 150
Merthyr & Vale of Glamorgan Lines
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Bridgend to Aberdare	1	Llantwit Major, Rhoose Cardiff International Airport, Barry, Barry Docks, Cadoxton, Dinas Powys, Eastbrook, Cogan, Grangetown, Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, Cathays, Llandaf, Radyr, Taffs Well, Trefforest, Pontypridd, Abercynon, Penrhiwceiber, Mountain Ash, Fernhill and Cwmbach		142, 143, 150
Barry Island to Aberdare	1	Barry, Barry Docks, Cadoxton, Dinas Powys, Eastbrook, Cogan, Grangetown, Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, Cathays, Llandaf, Radyr, Taffs Well, Trefforest, Pontypridd, Abercynon, Penrhiwceiber, Mountain Ash, Fernhill and Cwmbach
Barry Island to Merthyr Tydfil	2	Barry, Barry Docks, Cadoxton, Dinas Powys, Eastbrook, Cogan, Grangetown, Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, Cathays, Llandaf, Radyr, Taffs Well, Trefforest Estate, Trefforest, Pontypridd, Abercynon, Quakers Yard, Merthyr Vale, Troed-y-rhiw and Pentre-bach
Rhondda Line
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Cardiff Central to Treherbert	2	Cardiff Queen Street, Cathays, Llandaf, Radyr, Taffs Well, Trefforest, Pontypridd, Trehafod, Porth, Dinas Rhondda, Tonypandy, Llwynypia, Ystrad Rhondda, Ton Pentre, Treorchy and Ynyswen		142, 143, 150
City & Coryton Lines
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Radyr to Coryton	2	Danescourt, Fairwater, Waun-gron Park, Ninian Park, Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, Heath Low Level, Ty Glas, Birchgrove, Rhiwbina and Whitchurch		142, 143, 153
Butetown Branch Line
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay	5	shuttle		142, 143, 150, 153

Planned improvements

There are plans to improve services between 2018 and 2033 as part of the new franchise:

North Wales and North West England

• A new hourly Liverpool Lime Street to Chester service was introduced in May 2019, with limited services extended to Wrexham General.
• Class 230 D-Trains are scheduled for introduction on services on the Borderlands, Conwy Valley and Crewe-Chester lines during 2019. The operator had indicated an introduction date of Summer 2019, but this has been pushed back awaiting delivery of the stock from manufacturer Vivarail.
• Twelve refurbished Mark 4 carriages for the Holyhead to Cardiff Central Premier Service by the end of 2019, to replace the Mark 3 carriages. The first Mark 4 sets were released by LNER in July 2019 following the introduction of Azuma services and were released to Transport for Wales by 2020.
• Increase Wrexham Central to Bidston services to 2tph by December 2021, as part of the North Wales Metro.
• Introduction of a new hourly Liverpool to Llandudno and Shrewsbury service, and a new two-hourly Liverpool to Cardiff Central service from December 2022.
• Introduction of a direct Manchester Airport to Bangor service from December 2022.
• Introduce the new fleet of Civity diesel multiple units (DMUs) to the North Wales Coast line and other North Wales routes during 2022.
• Invest in Shotton and Wrexham General stations from April 2024, and in Chester station by 2028.
• Invest to co-fund new station buildings at Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Introduce new Community Rail Partnerships on the North Wales Coast Line and the Crewe to Hereford line.

South West and Mid Wales and the Borders

• Refurbished Class 170 Turbostar two-car DMUs on services to West Wales, Ebbw Vale and Maesteg from 2019, and the Heart of Wales line from 2022, to replace Class 153 Super Sprinters.
• Open a new station at Bow Street in March 2020.
• An additional service every day on the Heart of Wales line from December 2022.
• A consistent 1 tph on the Cambrian line from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth from December 2022.
• New Civity DMUs on the Cambrian line during 2022, to replace the Class 158 Express Sprinters.
• Introduce new two and three-car new diesel multiple units for the Milford Haven to Manchester Piccadilly service by 2023, to replace the Class 175 Coradias.
• A first-class service between Swansea and Manchester from December 2024.
• Additional summer Sunday services from May 2023 between Tywyn and Pwllheli – including a new 1 tph express service between major centres by 2025.
• Invest in Carmarthen and Machynlleth stations in 2021, and Llanelli station in 2025.
• Introduce a new Community Rail Partnership for the West Wales line.

South East Wales

• Ticket machines were introduced at all South Wales Metro stations in 2019.
• Class 769 Flex bi-mode multiple units (BMMUs) were delivered to Cardiff Canton Depot in Summer 2019, and are scheduled to run on the Valley Lines by the end of 2019.
• Replace all Class 142 and 143 Pacers by December 2019.
• 4tph between Cardiff Central and Bridgend (direct, Monday to Saturday) from December 2019.
• Introduce pay-as-you-go for users of smart cards by April 2020.
• Increasing capacity of trains on early morning services to Cardiff Central from 2-car services to 4-car services.
• A new 1 train per hour (tph) Ebbw Vale Town to Newport service from May 2021.
• 4tph between Treherbert, Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Cardiff from December 2022, operated by Citylink tram-trains.
• 6tph between Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay from December 2022.
• Hourly Cheltenham Spa to Cardiff Central services from December 2022.
• Introduce new FLIRT diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs) on the Ebbw Vale and Maesteg lines during 2022.
• Introduce new FLIRT tri-mode multiple units (TMMUs) between Penarth, Barry and Bridgend to Rhymney and Coryton during 2023.
• 2tph between Cardiff and Bridgend via the Vale of Glamorgan Line from December 2023.
• 4tph throughout on the Rhymney line from December 2023.
• Introduce Citylink tram-trains to the City Line during 2023.
• Eliminate diesel use on the Central Metro lines (north of Cardiff Queen Street) by 2024.
• Open new stations at Cardiff Parkway in February 2020, Crwys Road, Loudoun Square and Cardiff Bay by December 2023, Treforest Estate by December 2025, and Gabalfa by 2028.
• Invest in Merthyr Tydfil from April 2020, Abergavenny from April 2023, and Cardiff Central and Chepstow from April 2025.
• Develop a fleet maintenance depot at Taffs Well and a dedicated Infrastructure Management depot in the Valleys.
• Build a Major Events Stabling Line (MESL) and a new station in Llanwern.

Current fleet

Class 143 Pacer at Cardiff Central in 2019 with "These trains will terminate soon" branding

Of its current fleet, TfW Rail inherited the Class 143, 150, 153, 158 and 175 diesel multiple units from Arriva Trains Wales in October 2018, which had been refurbished starting from 2011 and had been fitted with WiFi in 2017.

In 2019 and 2020, some Class 170 units and many more Class 153 units were acquired from some English operators to add to the fleet. These work alongside and with the ex-ATW units, adding capacity and supporting new services.

On 16 November 2020, the first Class 769 unit entered service. Due to heavily delayed introduction, the unit was actually one of the ones ordered under Arriva Trains Wales.

Class 153 Super Sprinters

In April 2019 TfW Rail added 5 153s acquired from Great Western Railway to the 8 it previously had. Four of these entered service the following month, and the fifth returned from works on 5 October 2019 as the first 153 on the whole GB rail network with PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) modifications, and entered service on 21 October 2019.

In October 2019, Porterbrook Leasing Company announced that it will lease a further 9 Class 153 units to TfW Rail for use on a short term basis. These comprise 5 153s from Greater Anglia which were delivered in December 2019 and started to enter service in January 2020, and 4 153s from East Midlands Railway which were delivered in January 2020 and started to enter service in February 2020.

On 5 November 2020, two more 153s transferred from East Midlands Railway to TfW Rail.

It is understood that six 153s from West Midlands Trains will be next to transfer to TfW Rail. On 22 October 2020, two of them had attempted to do so, but they failed en route.

Class 170 Turbostars

In September 2019 Transport for Wales took delivery of the first 3 of 12 Class 170 Turbostar DMUs from Greater Anglia, with 3 more of the units following in November 2019, a further 4 in December 2019 and the last two in January and February 2020 respectively. Driver training had taken place from September 2019.

On 12 December 2019, 3-car 170202 worked TfW Rail's first Class 170-operated passenger services (between Bridgend and Ebbw Vale Town via Cardiff Central), and five units (three 3-car and two 2-car) were in passenger service on 16 December 2019. All units were in service by April 2020, with 3-car 170206 being the last one to enter service.

The units had been refurbished under Greater Anglia and are initially being used by TfW Rail cosmetically unchanged (other than the different operator logos), but as they will be retained for the duration of the franchise, it is planned that they will later receive further refurbishment to TfW Rail specification.

Class 769 Flex units

Nine Class 769 Flex bi-mode multiple units were due to be delivered by 2019, following conversion from Class 319 electric multiple units that were previously in service with Thameslink, by fitting diesel generators and extra electronic equipment to some previously unused below-solebar space.

This work has been delayed for a number of operators who wished to run the Flex units, including Great Western Railway and Northern. The expected delivery date of May was not achieved, and in July 2019 TfW confirmed that regulatory issues with the units were preventing their introduction.

As of 25 August 2020, 8 769s have been delivered, test runs on the Rhymney Line having commenced on 16 March 2020. The first unit to enter service, 769002, eventually did so on 16 November 2020. 769003 followed on 18 November 2020, and then 769006 on 4 December 2020.

Class 142 & 143 Pacers

As of April 2019, all of TfW Rail's Class 142 and 143 Pacer DMUs have had advertising vinyls applied, with the messages 'The start of a new journey', 'The journey is almost over for old trains', and 'These trains will terminate soon', stating rolling stock, infrastructure and service improvements.

These units were intended to be withdrawn and replaced by the 1 January 2020 PRM deadline, but can continue in service until 31 December 2020 (extended from 31 July 2020) under dispensation from law.

The dispensation could have required them to be coupled to PRM compliant units and also could have further limited what routes they can be used on (beyond their line clearance and signed driver depots); it was however decided to not put these restrictions in place as they would not have been practically possible to comply with in TfW Rail's case.

Class 150, 153, 158 and 175 DMUs

The rest of TfW Rail's rolling stock (the Class 150, 153, 158 and 175 DMUs), which will be withdrawn and replaced by 2023 (except the "shorter-term" 153s which will be withdrawn sooner), is in the process of undergoing several changes. These include the application of Transport for Wales livery, and TfW Rail specification interior refurbishment (including new seat moquette, floor coverings and table surfaces, as well as AC and USB power sockets).

In addition, the 150s/153s/158s staying until 2022–23 are receiving PRM-TSI (Persons with Reduced Mobility – Technical Specifications for Interoperability) modifications (the 175s exceed the RVAR they were built to and are accepted without modification).

Fleet summary

Trainset	Class	Image	Type	Top Speed		Carriages	Number	Routes Operated	Built
				mph	km/h
Locomotive hauled stock
Premier Service	67		Loco	125	200	–	6	Currently on test with the Mark 4 carriages	1999–2000
Diesel multiple units
Pacer	142		DMU	75	121	2	10	Valley Lines & Cardiff local routes	1985–87
	143						15	Valley Lines & Cardiff local routes	1985–86
Sprinter	150/2			75	121	2	36	Valley Lines & Cardiff local routes Heart of Wales/West Wales lines Regional services between South and West Wales, North West and South West England	1986–87
	153 Super Sprinter					1	24		1987–88
	158/0 Express Sprinter			90	140	2	24	Cambrian line Regional services between South and North Wales, North West and South West England	1990–91
Bombardier Turbostar	170/2			100	161	2	4	Maesteg Line Ebbw Valley Railway South Wales Main Line	2002
						3	8		1999
Alstom Coradia	175/0 & 175/1			100	161	2	11	Regional services between North West England, North and South Wales	1999–2001
						3	16
Bi-mode multiple units
Flex	769/0 & 769/4		BMU	100	161	4	8 (3 in service)	Valley Lines	2017-2020

Train maintenance depots

TfW Rail's current fleet is stored and maintained at the following depots.

• Cardiff Canton: Class 142, Class 143, Class 150, Class 153, Class 170 and Class 769 units, and locomotive-hauled trains. Also a stabling point for 158s and 175s.
• Chester (Alstom): Class 175 units (main)
• Machynlleth: Class 158 units (main)
• Holyhead: Stabling point (refuelling and light maintenance) for locomotive-hauled trains and DMUs
• Crewe Carriage Sidings (Arriva TrainCare): Class 150, Class 153 and Class 158 units, and locomotive-hauled trains. Stabling point and light maintenance.

Due to space limitations, Chrysalis Rail currently allows TfW Rail to store any unallocated units or carriages at its Landore TMD in Swansea, even if they are not being worked on. This arrangement has been in place since late 2019.

Past fleet

Train types formerly operated by Transport for Wales Rail Services include:

Class 37-hauled Mark 2 sets

From June 2019 to March 2020, TfW Rail hired two Class 37-hauled Mark 2 sets to temporarily operate rush-hour services between Cardiff and Rhymney to add capacity. From January 2020 they were operating under PRM non-compliance dispensation, but were withdrawn in March due to decreasing reliability and replaced with trains formed of multiple Class 153 railcars coupled together, with many more of those now in the fleet.

Mark 3 sets

In July 2020, all of TfW Rail's Mark 3 stock (which had been inherited from Arriva Trains Wales) went off lease and into storage at Long Marston.

Class 142 Pacers

On 29 September 2020, 142082 was the first of TfW Rail's Class 142 Pacer DMUs (which had been inherited from ATW) to be permanently withdrawn from service. Four more of its 142s were withdrawn in October, November and early December 2020.

Fleet summary

Class	Image	Type	Top Speed		Number	Routes Operated	Withdrawn	Built
			mph	km/h
Locomotive hauled stock
37		Loco	80	129	3	Rhymney Line	March 2020	1960–65
Mark 2		Coach	100	161	10			1963–1975
Mark 3			125	201	12	Holyhead–Cardiff Central Holyhead (Llandudno)–Manchester Piccadilly	July 2020	1975–1988
Driving Van Trailer		Control car			3			1988-1990
Diesel multiple units
142 Pacer		2-car DMU	75	121	5	Valley Lines & Cardiff local routes	September-December 2020	1985–87

Future fleet

All of TfW Rail's ATW-inherited and extra temporary fleet is due to be replaced by 2023 (with the exception of the Class 67 locomotives).

Cascades and refurbishments

Class 67-hauled Mark 4 sets

Six Class 67 locomotives have been adapted to work with three sets each comprising four Mark 4 carriages and a Mark 4 Driving Van Trailer, which will replace the Mark 3 stock previously used on locomotive-hauled services. The twelve carriages and three DVTs were able to cascade from London North Eastern Railway, as a result of the introduction of Class 800s on the East Coast Main Line. Testing and training of these sets commenced on 28 January 2020, but it is not yet known when they will enter service. The Mark 4 coaches will retain the Virgin Trains East Coast livery, but with Transport for Wales labels attached. The Mark 4 Driving Van Trailers will be repainted into the new Transport for Wales livery. Four of the six Class 67 locomotives have been repainted into TfW livery.

Class 230 D-Trains

TfW Class 230 on test prior to delivery

The first "new" trains will also join the fleet during 2020 in the form of 5 Class 230 D-Train diesel-battery-electric multiple units, which are being built in England from former London Underground D78 Stock aluminium bodyshells by start-up rolling stock manufacturer Vivarail. The first Class 230 units were delivered to London Northwestern Railway in April 2019, on the Marston Vale Line. The five-month delay for introduction of these services indicated however that the units will also be delayed on the North Wales mainline (they were supposed to be introduced in 2019).

On 9 September 2019, a test unit that was reconfigured to the same configuration as the TfW Rail units commenced test runs in the manufacturer's area, and on 10 April 2020, 230006 was the first TfW Rail unit to undergo testing there. More recently, testing in the area of operation started to occur. The units are currently expected to enter service sometime in 2020.

Orders for 148 brand new units

For the longer term fleet replacement, 148 brand new trains have been ordered. The addition of these trains to the fleet, from 2021–24 but mostly in 2022–23, will allow the 109 (total) Class 150, 153 (13 by then), 158, 175 and 769 units to be withdrawn.

Class 197 Civitys

A total of 77 Class 197 Civity diesel multiple units have been ordered from CAF for long-distance routes. These trains will have end gangways, but fewer toilets than the Class 158 and Class 175 DMUs they replace. They will however be quicker, with more powerful engines and more efficient transmissions for better acceleration, as well as a higher top speed than the 158s.

CAF will undertake fabrication, welding and painting of the Class 197 fleet in their factory in Beasain, Spain. The first Driving Motor carriage vehicle bodyshell had largely passed this stage by 12 February 2020, when it was pictured in the Beasain factory. The painted bodyshells will then be shipped to Newport, South Wales, for further assembly/component-fitment at CAF's new UK factory in Llanwern.

Class 756/231 FLIRTs and Class 398 Citylinks

Also, a total of 35 Stadler FLIRT units have been ordered (consisting of 24 Class 756 tri-modes and 11 Class 231 diesel-electrics) along with 36 Class 398 Stadler Citylink tram-trains. These will be manufactured at the Stadler factory in Szolnok, Hungary and assembled at their plant in Bussnang, Switzerland.

Retention of other units/sets

Alongside the brand new fleet, the 12 170s will be retained for the duration of the franchise but will work different routes, including West Wales services, Shrewsbury-Crewe, and the Heart of Wales line (which will depend on the units being cleared to run on it).

The three Mark 4 sets and five Class 230s will also be retained and will remain on the routes they will work from their date of introduction on TfW Rail services.

Fleet summary

Trainset	Class	Image	Type	Top Speed		Carriages	Number	Routes Operated	Built	In Service
				mph	km/h
Locomotive hauled stock
InterCity 225	Mark 4		Coach	140	225	–	12	North to south inter-city service: Holyhead-Cardiff Central	1989–1992	2020
	Driving Van Trailer		Control car			–	3
Diesel multiple units
CAF Civity	197		DMU	100	161	2	51	Regional services between North, South and West Wales and England (from 2022) Conwy Valley line (from 2022) Cambrian line (from 2022)	From 2020 to TBC	2021–23
						3	26
Diesel-electric multiple units
Vivarail D-Train	230		DEMU	60	97	3	5	Borderlands line	2019–2020	2020
Stadler FLIRT	231			100	161	4	11	Maesteg-Cardiff Central-Cheltenham Spa (from 2022) Cardiff Central/Newport-Ebbw Vale (from 2022)	2021–22	2022
Bi-mode multiple units
Flex	769/4		BMU	100	161	4	1	Valley Lines	2017-2020	2020
Tri-mode multiple units
Stadler FLIRT	756		TMU	100	161	3	7	Services between Caerphilly/Coryton to Penarth	TBC	2023
						4	17	Services between Rhymney to Barry Island/Bridgend via VoG
Tram-trains
Stadler Citylink	398		Tram-train	TBC		3	36	Services to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil	TBC	2022–23

External links

Media related to Transport for Wales (Keolis Amey) at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website