Transport for Wales (TfW) has completed the refurbishment works for its fleet of Class 153 railcars, set to offer passengers enhanced facilities and comfort as they enjoy their journeys throughout the Wales and Borders Network.
The upgraded rolling stock was completed in Chrysalis Rail’s Landore facility in June, seeing full refurbishment works completed that include accessible toilet facilities, recovered seats with renewed fittings and rebranding into TfW’s grey and red livery.
The Class 153 fleet has more than tripled in size since 2018, rising from just 8 units to 26 units today, seeing rolling stock capacity increase across the rail network providing more service available for passengers. These 26 units operate along the Heart of Wales Line, routes throughout the North and West of Wales, Core Valley Lines to Rhymney, Coryton, the City Line and Cardiff Bay.
Kieran Hickman, TfW’s Engineering Projects and Interface Manager, said:
“It’s been a pleasure for us to manage this project despite the challenges we have faced over the last year. We’re delighted with the work that has been completed – it’s great to see the units gleaming in the summer sunshine! A big thank you to our colleagues at Chrysalis Rail for their hard work on this programme.”
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. The work on the Class 153 fleet has been an important part of our £40 million refurbishment programme, which has also included a refresh of the Class 175, 150 and 158 trains. We’re 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 this year.”
TfW have recently purchased another 4 units to add to its ever-growing fleet and are currently awaiting reconfiguration works that will afford enhanced cycle storage on the Heart of Wales Line.
Want to know more about the opportunities to become a key supplier to the UK rail industry? Attend TransCityRail and access an exclusive marketplace of buyers from Network Rail, HS2, Train Operators, Major Contractors, and all other tiers of the supply chain. For more information and to secure your place click here.
