Assembled by rolling stock manufacturer CAF at its factory in Newport, the first Class 197 train with its ‘Made in Wales’ tag was revealed to the public, offering a taste of what’s to come for customers in the next few months.
Transport for Wales (TfW) is spending £800m on new trains throughout its network and the Class 197 will be the first of the brand-new stock to enter service in North Wales before the end of this year.
Providing an increase in capacity, reduced emissions, and enhanced comfort onboard, these trains will allow TfW to run faster and more frequent services to key routes including to destinations such as Holyhead, Fishguard and Liverpool.
Deputy minister for climate change with responsibility for transport, Lee Waters said, “I am pleased to welcome the new Class 197 trains to the rail network. These new vehicles represent a real transformational improvement on the trains that they will be replacing, providing comfortable and frequent services, encouraging people to leave their cars behind and move onto a more sustainable form of transport.”
Alexia Course, TfW’s director of transport operations, added, “The construction of our new trains has been four years in the making, and customers and colleagues are incredibly excited to welcome passengers onto them from later this year. It’s also important to recognize that these trains have been made in Wales at the CAF factory in Newport and the building of them has provided jobs and supported the local economy.”