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 & 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 Government'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		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		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		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		143, 153
Butetown Branch Line
Route	tph	Calling at		Class
Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay	5	shuttle		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.
• Introduction of twelve refurbished Mark 4 carriages for long distance North-South Wales services.
• 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 direct services between Manchester Airport and Bangor.
• Introduction of a new fleet of 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.
• 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

Transport for Wales Rail inherited a fleet of 15 Class 142, 15 Class 143, 31 Class 150, eight Class 153, 24 Class 158, 27 Class 175 diesel multiple units and eight Mark 3 carriages from Arriva Trains Wales in October 2018.

In 2019 and 2020, more Class 153s, Class 170s and Mark 4s were acquired from other operators. In November 2020, the first Class 769 entered service. These allowed for the Class 142s and Mark 3s to be withdrawn.

Class 143 Pacer

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

As of September 2020, Transport for Wales operate 15 Class 143s. All 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.

From 1 January 2021, the 143s are only able to operate coupled to (a) PRM-compliant unit(s), and the toilets will be locked out of use due to Network Rail no longer wanting waste from non-tanked toilets being dropped onto their tracks.

Class 150, 158 and 175 DMUs

As of September 2020, Transport for Wales operate 36 Class 150, 24 Class 158 and 27 Class 175 units.

Class 153 Super Sprinters

In April 2019 Transport for Wales Rail added five 153s acquired from Great Western Railway to the eight it previously had. Four of these entered service the following month, while the fifth entered service on 21 October 2019 as the first 153 on the whole GB rail network with PRM modifications.

In October 2019, Porterbrook announced that it would lease a further nine Class 153s to TfW Rail for use on a short-term basis. These comprise five 153s from Greater Anglia which entered service in January 2020, and four 153s from East Midlands Railway which entered service in February 2020. In November 2020, two more 153s arrived from East Midlands Railway.

Class 170 Turbostars

In September 2019 Transport for Wales took delivery of the first of 12 Class 170 Turbostar DMUs from Abellio Greater Anglia. As of September 2020, Transport for Wales operate the 12 Class 170s on the Maesteg/Cardiff/Ebbw Vale-Cheltenham routes.

Class 769 Flex

Nine Class 769 Flex bi-mode multiple units were due to be delivered by 2019, following conversion from Class 319 electric multiple units, by fitting diesel generators and extra electronic equipment to some previously unused below-solebar space. The first entered service in November 2020.

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	143		DMU	75	121	2	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	9 (3 in service)	Valley Lines	2019-2020

Train maintenance depots

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

• Cardiff Canton: Class 143, 150, 153, 170 and 769s and locomotive-hauled trains
• Chester (Alstom): Class 175s
• Machynlleth: Class 158s
• 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.

Past fleet

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.

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.

Fleet summary

Class	Image	Type	Top Speed		Carriages	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		DMU	75	121	2	15	Valley Lines & Cardiff local routes	September–December 2020	1985–87

External links

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

• Official website