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.jpg) Class 175 Coradia 1000 at Cardiff Central in 2009 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Franchise(s) | Wales & Borders 7 December 2003 – 13 October 2018 |
| Main region(s) | Wales |
| Other region(s) | North West West Midlands South West |
| Fleet size | 125 units 3 locomotive hauled sets |
| Stations operated | 247[1] |
| Parent company | Arriva UK Trains |
| Reporting mark | AW |
| Predecessor | Wales and Borders |
| Successor | KeolisAmey Wales |
| Technical | |
| Length | 1,623.8 km (1,009.0 mi)[citation needed] |
| Other | |
| Website | www.arrivatrains.co.uk |
Arriva Trains Wales[2] (ATW; Welsh: Trenau Arriva Cymru) was a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operated the Wales & Borders franchise. It ran urban and inter-urban passenger services to all railway stations in Wales, including Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, Newport, Swansea, Wrexham General and Holyhead, as well as to certain stations in England such as Hereford, Shrewsbury, Chester, Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street.
In August 2003, Arriva UK Trains was awarded the newly created Wales & Borders franchise by the Strategic Rail Authority, Arrival Trains Wales began operation during December 2003, taking over from Wales and Borders. Following the implementation of the Railways Act 2005 and Transport (Wales) Act 2006, responsibility for the franchise was devolved to the Welsh Government, which worked closely with Arriva Trains Wales during its period of operations. Numerous service changes were made under the company's management; on 6 February 2008, the Ebbw Valley Railway was partially re-opened to passenger services for the first time in over 40 years. Another high-profile change during December of that year was the inauguration of the locomotive-hauled Holyhead to Cardiff Premier Service.
In March 2010, Arriva Trains Wales' application to reinstate a direct Aberystwyth to London Marylebone service was rejected by the Office of Rail Regulation due to concerns over its financial viability, as well as the potential severe revenue abstraction from other operators such as Wrexham & Shropshire. In July 2012, the Department for Transport announced that the Cardiff Valley Lines would be electrified, although this ambition would not be substantiated during Arriva Train Wales' franchise period. During the mid-2010s, as the franchise period was nearing its end, tenders were sought for its next operator; Arriva Trains Wales' publicly withdrew from the process in October 2017 despite having been shortlisted. On 23 May 2018, KeolisAmey Wales was selected as the winning bid. On 13 October 2018, Arriva Trains Wales' franchise came to an end, operations being transferred to successor operator KeolisAmey that same day.
- ^ "Our Company". Arriva Trains Wales. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ "Arriva Trains Wales/Trenau Arriva Cymru Limited: company no. 4337645". Companies House extract. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2022.