Vivarail has today announced that it has been chosen to supply a fleet of new Class 230 D-Trains to KeolisAmey Cymru for its Wales and Borders franchise.
These trains will be the first to come into service as part of the new franchise.
The designing and building of the new 3-car trains are underway at Vivarails two sites.
Orders have also been placed with the leading supplier for Universal Access Toilets, who are based in Cwmbran.
The new fleet of 5 complete trains will move to Wales for final testing in early 2019.
What did the officials say?
Adrian Shooter, CEO of Vivarail, said:
“This is a very exciting day for us and we are proud to be supplying the first of the new trains for Wales.
“We know that KeolisAmey wants to bring the best new trains to their passengers so our interior layout has been designed to do exactly that. As well as the wide and spacious carriages the trains will have a Universal Access Toilet, WiFi, air conditioning, USB ports and 3-pin sockets. There will be a range of seating layouts and plenty of space for bikes and luggage. With KeolisAmey we have been determined to give passengers the very best travelling experience and the trains they deserve: modern, comfortable, reliable and environmentally-friendly.
“In conjunction with our partners at Creative we have worked on a livery design that will be seen across the whole fleet.
“Our aim has always been to provide innovative solutions for operators and to that end, I’m delighted to announce that our trains will be built as battery/diesel hybrids to cut down on emissions and make use of the exciting new technology we have developed over the past two years. As the UK’s leading battery train manufacturer we know that emission-free trains are the future and we will continue to spearhead that development. With this hybrid fleet, we will deliver a train that is clean, green and reliable making use of GPS systems to cut out the engines in stations and environmentally-sensitive areas.
“Our trains will come into service in summer 2019 and will form the flagship fleet for Wales and Borders and I look forward to taking the first journey in North Wales next year.
“I would like to congratulate KeolisAmey in their successful bid and thank our many friends from across Wales for their active support over the last few years.”
Colin Lea, Mobilisation Director, KeolisAmey Wales Cymru, said:
“We are proud to announce that KeolisAmey and Vivarail will provide a step-change in passenger comfort and service quality on three North Wales routes (Wrexham-Bidston, Conwy Valley, Chester-Crewe) by introducing these units, fitted with the latest passenger comfort appliances such as power supply at all seats, high-speed Wi-Fi, air-cooling, bike spaces, and a brand new seating layout reflecting the needs of the passengers on these routes.
“In addition, these innovative hybrid trains fitted with state of the art monitoring systems, will provide a significant change in performance and reliability, helping KeolisAmey to deliver a more reliable service for its customers.”
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The Vivarail Class 230 D-Trains are set to become the future for local and regional railway routes in England and in Wales. With West Midlands Trains ordering some for the Bletchley-Bedford line. And perhaps ordering some Class 230’s to work on the Coventry-Leamington Spa line.
Aswell as KeliosAmey that are also ordering the Class 230’s will be working on Conwy Valley line, parts of the Welsh Valley lines and the North Wales Coast Line so that more extra trains are being introduced for the people and tourists who travel to & from Wales by train and to help with the tourist trade across North Wales.