UK-based Transport for Wales (TfW) has concluded the overhaul of Class 153 railcars in a bid to offer improved passenger experience across the Wales and Borders network.
With the roll-out of the last units from the Class 153 fleet last month, the renovation of rail cars has been completed.
The rail cars now feature a completely revamped interior, with accessible toilet facilities, recovered seats as well as renewed fittings. They have been rebranded into TfW’s grey and red livery.
The Class 153 fleet has increased from eight units in 2018 to 26 units currently.
At present, TfW renovated 26 units that run on the Heart of Wales Line and cover routes in North and West Wales, and the Core Valley Lines to Rhymney, Coryton, the City Line, and Cardiff Bay.
It also bought an additional four units and plans to reconfigure them to offer improved cycle storage on the Heart of Wales Line.
TfW asset management head Jerry Howells 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 £40m refurbishment programme, which has also included a refresh of Class 175, 150 and 158 trains.
“We’re also investing over £800m on a fleet of brand new trains, which will begin to enter service across the Wales and Borders network later this year.”
In 2020, TfW deployed new ticket vending machines and operating smartcards across the Wales and Borders network routes in the UK.
