Transport for Wales<\/a> to upgrade rolling stock.<\/p>\nChief Customer and Culture Officer Marie Daly said the trains would offer a \u201cvastly improved customer experience\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThese brand-new trains offer greater capacity and reliability and will be a marked improvement on what customers have had before.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Maesteg line is a key part of our network so I\u2019m delighted that the people along the route will be able to travel on our brand-new trains and enjoy the benefits they bring.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Maesteg services run through Cardiff Central and across to Cheltenham Spa, so getting these new trains on the route is another important milestone as we continue with our vision to create customer focused services and to encourage people to choose sustainable travel options.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be a vastly improved customer experience and I look forward to seeing customers onboard soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Class 197 fleet began it\u2019s roll out last year, with 77 ordered via Spanish manufacturer CAF, who have set up a factory in Newport to assemble their UK trains.<\/p>\n
The Deputy Minister for Climate Change with responsibility for Transport, Lee Waters said:\u00a0\u201cThis is great news. Change has been a long time coming, but communities across Wales are now benefitting from our \u00a3800m investment in new rolling stock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make it easier for people to choose rail and these brand new, made in Wales, trains are modern and comfortable, providing a much-improved experience for passengers travelling to and from Maesteg.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nThey will become the backbone of the mainline fleet and can run in formations between 2 and 6 carriages.<\/p>\n
Following the introduction to Maesteg and Cheltenham, we expect the trains to be launched on the Ebbw Vale line and the Pembroke Dock line in time for the summer and on the Cambrian line in 2025.<\/p>\n
As more arrive they will continue to replace the older trains, but customers may see both operating as our transition continues.<\/p>\n
Photo credit: Transport for Wales<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People living in the Maesteg valley are set to benefit from brand new trains after their introduction this week. Assembled in Wales, the Class 197 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":13299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[7,11],"class_list":["post-13298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rail-news","tag-transport","tag-usa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t