KeolisAmey has unveiled today its plans for the Wales and Borders rail network and the South Wales Metro, which they are working in partnership alongside Transport for Wales.
KeolisAmey won the rail franchise last month and will take over Arriva Trains Wales, the current operator, from October.
The First Minister, with Transport Secretary Ken Skates, announced the new contract at an event at the Railway Training Centre at Coleg y Cymoedd, Nantgarw.
In the new franchise, the following is going to be down to transform the Wales and Borders network:
- An investment of £738m will transform the valley lines to Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhymney and Coryton. 172km of track will be electrified to improve journey times.
- 95% of journeys will be made on new trains, half of which will be assembled in Wales, from 2023 following a £800m investment.
- 29% more services every weekday, including improvements to the Ebbw Vale, Cambrian and Heart of Wales lines and the North Wales Metro line. 29% is equal to 285 every weekday by 2023.
- A new service will link Cardiff and Liverpool via Wrexham.
- An extra 294 (61%) more services will run across Wales by Dec 2019 on Sundays.
- More than 600 new jobs will be created, including 200 on train staff.
- An investment of £194m in station improvements, and build at least five new stations.
- 1,500 new car parking spaces will be created.
More of the improvements can be found here
What did the officials say?
The First Minister said:
“This is an important moment for transport in Wales and begins a new chapter for rail services in this country.
“The way we shaped this procurement was different. We put passengers’ priorities at the centre of our thinking and threw out a challenge to all of the bidders to address the concerns they had about seat capacity, journey times and service frequency. People said they wanted affordable fares and newer, cleaner trains and we have worked hard to ensure this is reflected in what we are launching today.
“This is a chance not simply to build a modern, forward looking transport system, but to use it as an important tool to shape the life of the nation around us. This is a landmark moment in the future development of Wales.”
Welcoming the benefits for transport and economy in Wales, Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure said:
“This is the first time a rail service has been procured and awarded in Wales, for Wales. It follows over four years of intense work to develop a bespoke, innovative approach and responds to the lessons learned from rail franchising and infrastructure delivery across the UK in recent years.
“Too often in our history, we’ve talked about the ownership models for rail, without also thinking through clearly enough what we wanted to do with the network itself. We now have a once in a generation opportunity here to correct this.
“I will be using the new cross-government delivery board I have set up through the new Economic Action Plan to work with Transport for Wales, ministerial colleagues across government and partners such as the Development Bank of Wales and the Valleys Taskforce to ensure we maximise the economic development opportunity we have in front of us.”
James Price, Chief Executive of Transport for Wales said:
“This is the beginning of an exciting journey of transformation that will dramatically improve rail services throughout Wales and its borders and we’ve put our customers’ needs at the heart of this transformation.
“This is more than a significant investment in rail services, it’s also an investment in the future prosperity of Wales. The people and communities of Wales will be better connected by new and improved rail services, opening up a wealth of employment, leisure and other opportunities.”
UK Rail Minister Jo Johnson said:
“This is a historic day for passengers because it puts more control of regional train services into local hands and benefits rail users on both sides of the border.
“We have worked closely with the Welsh Government to secure the best deal and the new franchise will bring extra services and record investment. We are also investing £125 million to establish a new metro service connecting towns and villages across South Wales.”
Alistair Gordon, Chief Executive of Keolis UK, said:
“We are excited about the transformation we’re going to deliver here in Wales, working alongside Amey once again and in partnership with Transport for Wales.
“For too long the railways in Wales have suffered from under investment and, while the changes we need to make will take time, we are creating a platform for future economic growth and prosperity that will benefit all of Wales now and for generations to come.
“In five years’ time, the railway will be unrecognisable from what it is today thanks to the vision of the Welsh Government. We can’t wait to get started.”
Andy Milner, Amey’s Chief Executive, said:
“Building on our successful partnership with Keolis, which already sees us deliver two high performing services – the Greater Manchester Metrolink and London’s Docklands Light Railway – we are excited to be taking on the Wales and Borders contract.
“This is a great opportunity for us to use our joint capabilities to deliver a first-rate service for Wales and its communities. As well as creating new jobs and apprenticeship opportunities, we will be focused on upgrading the existing infrastructure and introducing new trains to significantly improve the passenger experience.
“We are looking forward to working with Transport for Wales in a partnership which will see the full replacement of all trains, and major upgrades.
“We are also looking forward to working with the very proud and dedicated men and women running the railway in Wales today, who will join us on this exciting journey.”
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Its good that Wales is getting brand new trains. So it doesn’t fall behind from the rest of the UK including England and Scotland (except North of England which has already been fallen behind but extra trains is needed for the North. Than the South of England (including London & Southeast) is getting more new trains).