TfW ‘Active Travel’ Class 153 progress updates

[tfw756rider]

What's the quote? The article is behind a paywall

From another thread the article has been quoted in:

The Welsh Government has instructed Transport for Wales to begin procurement of more new trains, although those ordered in 2018 will not fully be in service for at least a year. To cover additional services in the shorter term, TfW will extend leases on Class 153 DMUs.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales Ken Skates, said TfW’s current programme was taking the overall fleet from 270 vehicles in 2018 to more than 480 next year, but TfW would need more trains as more services were added. “I’ve instructed Transport for Wales to start the process of ordering even more new trains to support these new services,” he said.

Transport for Wales Chief Executive James Price told Modern Railways that leases on Class 153s would be extended while a strategy to bring in additional new trains was developed. “My ambition is that we get to a place where we don’t have legacy rolling stock running repeated services on the network. If we can get better mileage from ‘197s’ and get the ‘230s’ running reliably – and they are at the minute – the legacy stuff will be for use on poor availability days and when there are special events.

“But we still need to order new rolling stock. We’ve had two years of basically 20% passenger growth [per annum].” This growth occurred before the main Core Valley Lines routes have received their four trains per hour service and during years when TfW Rail was buffeted by the premature withdrawal of Class 175s, continuing blockades for CVL modernisation and Class 197s’ late entry into service and poor availability.

Mr Price’s ambition is to develop a long-term plan for the replacement of the ‘Active Travel’ Class 153s, which operate on the Heart of Wales line in tandem with standard ‘153s’. “We will get a few years from them,” said Mr Price, referring to the converted Class 153s. “They’ve all had C6s done. That gives them another five years.” Feedback on the units had been positive.

 

[BenBracken]

Suggests 197s on that route in 5 years time?

 

[DelW]

Suggests 197s on that route in 5 years time?

The original announcement referred to extending the 153's leases by 5 years, implying that the 5 years is measured from the previous end of lease date, rather than from now. I think the existing leases had around five years to run, though that's open to correction if others know better. That would suggest 153s being retained on the HoW until the mid 2030s, when they'll be nearing 50 years old (from their original two-car incarnation).

 

[158822]

Don’t TfW own the remaining 153s anyway so does that mean leases have been extended on the ones stored at Landore?

 

[animationmilo]

Is AT04 on 11:10 Swansea to Shrewsbury
And AT02 on 15:18 Swansea to Shrewsbury
Thank you

 

[sd0733]

Is AT04 on 11:10 Swansea to Shrewsbury
And AT02 on 15:18 Swansea to Shrewsbury
Thank you

AT04 worked the 11:10 to Llandybie where it terminated, it's then run back and is planned to work a Fishguard later.

AT02 did work the 15:18, it's only work today.

 

[animationmilo]

AT04 worked the 11:10 to Llandybie where it terminated, it's then run back and is planned to work a Fishguard later.

AT02 did work the 15:18, it's only work today.

What was up with AT04

 

[sd0733]

What was up with AT04

Headlight failure

 

[The_Train]

I've got a bit lost with all of these, especially with these daft "AT" numbers!

Does anyone have a list of the conversions (completed and planned), when they were converted and when they entered service (if they have) please?

 

[animationmilo]

Is AT01 on 1355 Shrewsbury to Swansea today thank you

 

[Lewisham2221]

Is AT01 on 1355 Shrewsbury to Swansea today thank you

Yes.

Additionally, AT02 is on Crewe-Shrewsbury locals, AT04 is due to work Cardiff-Swansea-Fishguard-Carmarthen commencing 15:43.

 

[animationmilo]

Yes.

Additionally, AT02 is on Crewe-Shrewsbury locals, AT04 is due to work Cardiff-Swansea-Fishguard-Carmarthen commencing 15:43.

Thank you, they get about a bit

 

[Roger B]

Thanks for the gen. Looking at these in RTT, it appears there's no allocation shown - s0 how do you search for these in RTT? I'm off to south Wales in a couple of weeks, and would love to track these down.

Many thanks

 

[BenBracken]

For some reason the Fishguard run never shows up as an AT unit, only that it is pathed for a 15x. Any reason for this? So they can drop in a 150 at the last minute instead?

 

[sd0733]

Thanks for the gen. Looking at these in RTT, it appears there's no allocation shown - s0 how do you search for these in RTT? I'm off to south Wales in a couple of weeks, and would love to track these down.

Many thanks

Simple answer is you can't. If one comes off Canton/Shrewsbury paired with a 150/158 from the depot they show for that section, other than that they dont show at all.
If ask here on the day someone may be able to help

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2025 ==

For some reason the Fishguard run never shows up as an AT unit, only that it is pathed for a 15x. Any reason for this? So they can drop in a 150 at the last minute instead?

Any AT diagram can have a 150 put on it at short notice, Its not unique to that one. Whatever is on the Fishguard one day goes to Heart of Wales the next so isn't just that one diagram that will be swapped.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2025 ==

I've got a bit lost with all of these, especially with these daft "AT" numbers!

Does anyone have a list of the conversions (completed and planned), when they were converted and when they entered service (if they have) please?

Current formations are these. With a bit of tracking back their first dates in service that I can find for each are these, cant guarantee they're right but after trawling through its the earliest I can find for each.

AT01- 153507 153362- First service 02/06/25 08:27 Swansea to Cardiff

AT02- 153528 153353 01/05/25 10:13 Cardiff-Maesteg

AT03- 153531 153303 14/04/25 05:16 Swansea to Llandovery

AT04- 153552 153382 25/02/25 05:16 Swansea to Llandovery

AT05- 153572 153318 30/06/25 08:56 Swansea to Shrewsbury

AT06- 2 from 153327 153312 153568 not yet in service.

With thanks to @animationmilo for some of the first working details.

 

[animationmilo]

AT04 has been around in passenger service since 25 February 2025 when it first worked the heart of wales main service 0856 from Swansea to Shrewsbury

The first working I have noted for AT03 is
AT03 - 153531 - 14 April 2025 - 05:16 Swansea to Llandovery(303)
AT04 - 153552 - 25 February 2025 - 05:16 Swansea to Llandovery(382)
The rest are correct

 

[sd0733]

AT04 has been around in passenger service since 25 February 2025 when it first worked the heart of wales main service 0856 from Swansea to Shrewsbury

Thought it had been around much longer. They're not showing for some reason but will amend the post. Thanks

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2025 ==

The first working I have noted for AT03 is
AT03 - 153531 - 14 April 2025 - 05:16 Swansea to Llandovery(303)
AT04 - 153552 - 25 February 2025 - 05:16 Swansea to Llandovery(382)
The rest are cocorrect

Excellent thank you. Have updated and credited your info.

 

[yorkie]

This thread is for updates regarding the units themselves; there is now a separate thread for diagrams, as follows:

TfW ‘Active Travel’ Class 153 diagrams

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/tfw-%E2%80%98active-travel%E2%80%99-class-153s.264423/ Simple answer is you can't. If one comes off Canton/Shrewsbury paired with a 150/158 from the depot they show for that section, other than that they dont show at all. If ask...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[markglos]

2 sets worked the Cardiff to Cheltenham today AT03 and AT04

 

[MP393]

AT01 (not sure about others) has had an update to it’s auto announcers and now plays a bi-lingual announcement akin to the 197/Mk4s, with the same voices. The wording is are definitely different to those on the newer stock however.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

AT01 (not sure about others) has had an update to it’s auto announcers and now plays a bi-lingual announcement akin to the 197/Mk4s, with the same voices. The wording is are definitely different to those on the newer stock however.

Oh no

 

[BillStampy]

AT01 (not sure about others) has had an update to it’s auto announcers and now plays a bi-lingual announcement akin to the 197/Mk4s, with the same voices. The wording is are definitely different to those on the newer stock however.

Good grief, that'll sound very odd on a sprinter!

 

[chrisjo]

They are all different and different on both sides.

This turns out to be not the case. I caught up with AT04 (2V26) and AT01 (2M08) at Pontarddulais this afternoon, and the wraps on the one side that I saw of each were identical.

Edit: Having trawled through all the pictures I could find online, I believe they are all the same, with one design (including Carreg Cennen, Llandeilo & Cardiff Bay) on one side and different design (including Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and bog-snorkelling) on the other.

 

[childwallblues]

AT03 was operating the Crewe to Shrewsbury shuttle on Tuesday afternoon.

 

[BillStampy]

AT01 (not sure about others) has had an update to it’s auto announcers and now plays a bi-lingual announcement akin to the 197/Mk4s, with the same voices. The wording is are definitely different to those on the newer stock however.

Had the liberty of being on AT04 this morning and it also has it. It sounds very weird on a sprinter and it's also a bit too quiet as I could barely hear it over the sounds of well, a sprinter!

 

[animationmilo]

Do you think 6 sets will be enough as they are still short with 5 sets because they have faults sometimes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Aug 2025 ==

Also after 150217, does anyone know what the next few 150s to go are going to be please

 

[Jez]

Eventually they wont do the Swanline diagram as wont work to Cardiff so it will likely be 4 diagrams (including the Crewe Stopper and Heart of Wales) for 6 sets.

 

[animationmilo]

Eventually they wont do the Swanline diagram as wont work to Cardiff so it will likely be 4 diagrams (including the Crewe Stopper and Heart of Wales) for 6 sets.

My guard this morning seemed to think Canton were keeping them for the long term. It seems that way even from December Timetable. So who knows they change things all the time.

 

[Jez]

My guard this morning seemed to think Canton were keeping them for the long term. It seems that way even from December Timetable. So who knows they change things all the time.

For what benefit? They barely work any services out of Cardiff now and wont be required to work any in the future. I was thinking further down the line when everything is working what its meant to finally, rather than from December.

 

[Caaardiff]

For what benefit? They barely work any services out of Cardiff now and wont be required to work any in the future. I was thinking further down the line when everything is working what its meant to finally, rather than from December.

Where will they be maintained? There's been no official announcement or hint at another Depot maintaining them.