Testing for the brand new Class 197 trains for the Wales and Borders network has begun.
The first trains came off the production line and testing has begun in North Wales and the north of England.
Due to enter service next year, the Class 197 Civity trains are the first 2 of 77 for long-distance services to Holyhead, Fishguard and Liverpool.
The final assembly of the new trains took place at the CAF factory in Llanwern, Newport. The bodyshells are built in Beasain, northern Spain.
The trains have features such as air conditioning and leather seats in first class, along with a smart seat reservation system, which are downloaded from the reservation computer for each journey.
The CAF factory in Newport opened in 2016 with 12 employees and now has more than 200.
Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, commented: “As we recover from the pandemic and work towards a greener future we need to do all we can to encourage more people back on the train.
“Seeing these new trains coming off the production line is a positive sign of improving the quality of train travel in Wales.”
James Price, Transport for Wales Chief Executive, said: “It's an exciting milestone to have the first brand new trains built by Transport for Wales off the production line and into testing.
“The Class 197s will be an important part of the transformation of the Wales and Borders network and we look forward to welcoming passengers onto the new trains from next year.
“We're delighted with the quality of the trains and proud that final assembly has taken place in Newport, supporting highly-skilled jobs and bringing further employment to the area.”
Richard Garner, CAF's UK Director, comments: “CAF is proud to be playing a key role in delivering Transport for Wales' commitment to transform rail travel. Our ‘Made in Wales' trains put the passengers needs first and will ensure a high-quality, reliable, and comfortable journey across the Welsh rail network.”
Where Next?
RAILADVENT NEWS
The latest railway news
FREE NEWSLETTERS
Signup to our daily and weekly newsletters
RAILADVENT SHOP
Prints, DVD's, Clocks, Mouse Mats and more!
COMPETITION TIME
Enter our latest competition
UK STEAM INFO
Upcoming mainline steam tours/loco movements
Transport for wales
Visit their website
Why is Britain obsessed with end gangway trains.
The European Civity trains don’t have them.
As previously quoted, these are ugly things.
There is no catering provided on ridiculously long journeys, so you don’t need to get to a buffet car.
CAF could continue with the mass production of the Civity fleet including for Southern, Great Western Railway, ScotRail, South Western Railway and other train operators that might want to replace older trains with new trains (electric &/or diesel/hybrid).
Ugly-looking things from the outside front-end view.
Made in Wales from bodyshells imported from Spain. Also, not all 77 units will be for “Holyhead, Fishguard and Liverpool” – 20 will be fitted with ETCS equipment for the Cambrian lines.
How sad they have to be imported.