This is the update sent out by TfW today detailing delays to service enhancements originally planned for December 2023:
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Fleet and timetable update from TfW
As we continue rebuilding in a post pandemic world, we know that so much has changed in terms of how, where and when people want to travel.
Some routes and times are now far busier than ever before, whilst others are quieter.
We are continuing to review what our customers and communities want and need from our services to make sure the commitments made at the start of our Transport for Wales journey are still relevant.
This will help us achieve our aims of encouraging sustainable travel, promoting economic recovery and growth and building a more prosperous Wales for current and future generations.
As you will know, a huge part of this is our work to transform rail services, and we are getting in touch to provide an update on some of the progress in this space.
December 2023 Timetable Update
We are proud to have overseen the introduction of more than 25 brand new trains on the Wales and borders routes this year, with more becoming available every month.
This, coupled with the arrival of the refurbished Cl 230 fleet and additional Mk 4 carriages, has allowed us to take important steps forward in improving the experience for our customers.
Despite these positives, we have seen a significantly slower delivery of the brand new Cl 197 fleet than we would expect, which in turn, has a knock on effect on training and introduction to key routes.
We are working hard with our partners CAF on improving the delivery time for these trains, but our key targets for delivering timetable enhancements will now not be met until 2024. This is so we can focus on providing the most reliable service possible which we know has been impacted by our fleet issues.
As such, our timetable provision will remain consistent in December to ensure we can deliver a regular and reliable service to our customers.
The impact of these delays is that a number of frequency enhancements will now take place in 2024 when we are in a position to deliver these with reliability and confidence.
These include:
We recognise that these delays will come as a disappointment to stakeholders and customers on these routes and we are working as hard as possible to bring these new trains into service as quickly as possible.
- Cardiff to Cheltenham Spa enhancement to 1tph
- Chester to Liverpool reinstatement of 1tph
- 1tph Manchester Airport – Llandudno service diverts to Bangor & 1tph Liverpool Lime St – Chester extended to Llandudno
- Ebbw Vale to Newport 1tph. The aim is to deliver this service from late December subject to the completion of infrastructure works
As soon as we are in a position to introduce these increases we will look to do so.
In the interim we are pleased to announce we have trained more than 280 drivers and 350 conductors on the brand new trains meaning we will be ready to get these into service as soon as they become available, replacing trains that are, in some cases, more than 30-years-old.
We are doing everything possible to deliver on these services, once we are confident we can deliver them safely and consistently.
We are training drivers and conductors on brand new trains which will form the backbone of a world class railway for years to come, so we want to get things right.
Various operational challenges with the introduction of the new fleet around training and the importance of maintaining existing services to customers has impacted on timescales.
We want to be open and honest with you and reassure you that we are absolutely focused on improving performance in line with delivering our long term improvements.
We are doing everything possible to deliver on these services, once we are confident we can deliver them safely and consistently. We thank you for your support on our journey to transforming transport across Wales and it’s border counties.
You can view the TfW timetables here: www.tfw.wales/timetables
Please note the timetable booklets are a guide as they do not include planned engineering work or any on the day disruption. Please use online journey checkers to plan your journey.
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