Transport for Wales celebrates completion of Class 153 refurbishment

The refurbishment of Transport for Wales' fleet of Class 153 railcars is now complete, with the upgrades providing better facilities for passengers across the Wales and Borders network.

The upgrades included a fully refurbished interior alongside accessible toilets, renewed fittings, and seats. The Class 153s now feature Transport for Wales's grey and red livery.

The Class 153 fleet has grown to increase capacity for the customers using the network, the fleet has increased from eight units in 2018 to 26 in 2022.

An additional four units have been purchased by Transport for Wales and will be working on them in due time to join the other 26 units which currently operate on a number of lines such as the Heart of Wales Line.

Kieran Hickman, TfW's Engineering Projects and Interface Manager, said: “It's been a pleasure for us to manage this project despite the challenges we have faced over the last year. We're delighted with the work that has been completed – it's great to see the units gleaming in the summer sunshine! A big thank you to our colleagues at Chrysalis Rail for their hard work on this programme.”

Jerry Howells, TfW's Head of Asset Management, said: “It's fantastic to be able to deliver these improvements for customers, which they rightly expect to see on a modern railway network. The work on the Class 153 fleet has been an important part of our £40 million refurbishment programme, which has also included a refresh of the Class 175, 150 and 158 trains. We're also investing over £800 million on a fleet of brand new trains, which will begin to enter service across the Wales and Borders network later this year.”