24 Jan 2022

Transport for Wales (TfW) is celebrating the completion of work to refurbish its fleet of Class 175 long-distance trains.

Train manufacturer Alstom has been working to refurbish the 27 Coradia trains at their Technology Centre in Widnes, Cheshire, as part of TfW’s £40 million investment in its current fleet of trains.

Since the first train re-entered service in the summer of 2019, customers have been benefiting from improved facilities, including USB and electric charging points, brand new toilet seats, re-covered seats, new carpets and new interior fittings. The trains have also been rebranded on the outside with TfW’s grey and red livery.

The Class 175s form the backbone of TfW’s express services, operating services across the Wales and Borders network through South, North and West Wales and the Borders. The refresh of these trains is one part of TfW’s £40 million refurbishment programme – work to refurbish the Class 153 and 158 fleets is nearing completion, and work is also ongoing to refurbish the Class 150 Sprinter trains.

TfW is 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 in 2022.

Stuart Mills, TfW’s Fleet Engineering Manager, said:

"It's fantastic to be able to deliver these improvements for customers, which they rightly expect to see on a modern railway network. We know being able to travel in comfort and charge devices on the go are incredibly important to our customers, whether they are travelling for 20 minutes or four hours, for business or pleasure.

"While we are building brand new trains, they take time to build and we want our customers to have a comfortable experience right now. So the completion of this extensive work is another major step to building a better railway for current and future generations."

Peter Broadley, Alstom’s Managing Director, Services said:

“It’s great news for TfW and its customers that we have completed the refurbishment of the entire Coradia fleet as planned, and its a tribute to the hard work and professionalism of our team at Widnes, and Chester where the trains are maintained.”

David Jordan, Chief Operating Officer of Angel Trains, said:

“After almost three years, it is brilliant to see our final Class 175 unit fully refurbished and ready to get back on tracks. It has been a pleasure to work alongside our industry partners to refurbish this fleet, working together to deliver modern trains that are fit for all TfW passengers.”