Class 769 at Cardiff Queen Street (Transport for Wales)
Transport for Wales (TfW) is investing £800 million into new trains and tram-trains for the Wales and Borders network and the South Wales Metro.
Progress has been made on the Class 398 tram-trains and work has started on the Class 231 trains - both are being built by Stadler for the South Wales Metro. Meanwhile, Class 197 Civity trains – for use on other Wales and Borders routes – are currently being assembled at CAF’s factory in Llanwern.
Class 398 tram-train body (TfW)
Class 197 DMU (TfW)
Transport for Wales chief executive James Price said: “It’s great to see progress on our brand-new trains. I’m delighted our partners at CAF and Stadler have been able to progress with assembly despite the challenging situation we find ourselves in. COVID-19 will continue to present challenges but we’ve been able to move forward and we’ve now seen huge progress on our trains at our Taff’s Well Depot as well as successful delivery of track transformation work on the Aberdare line. TfW is continuing to deliver on our transformational plans and these faster, more efficient trains are fundamental to improving journey times, service frequency and our sustainability goals.”
Class 398 front (TfW)
Class 197 DMU body (TfW)
TfW is also carrying out testing of the Class 769 trains on the Cardiff to Rhymney line. These larger trains offer more seating and better accessibility and are hoped to be introduced into all-day service by the end of the year.
TfW Transformation Programme Director, Frank Renault, said: “The manufacturing of our new fleets and testing of the Class 769 trains are big steps forward on our transformation journey, in difficult times. I’d like to thank our dedicated project managers and engineering colleagues for their tireless efforts in delivering this project, our delivery partners for their professionalism and resolve, and - most importantly - our passengers for their understanding and support.”