| Transport for Wales Rail | |
| Nameforarea: | region |
| Regions: | Wales |
| Franchise: | Wales & Borders |
| Stationsop: | 248 |
| Parent Company: | Transport for Wales (for Welsh Government) |
| Abbr: | AW |
| Predecessor: | KeolisAmey Wales |
| Headquarters: | Pontypridd[1] |
| Map State: | collapsed |
Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail (and), is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government-owned company. It commenced operations of the day to day services of the Wales & Borders franchise on 7 February 2021, as an operator of last resort, succeeding KeolisAmey Wales.
Transport for Wales Rail manages 248 National Rail stations,[2] [3] including all 223 in Wales,[4] and operates all passenger mainline services wholly within Wales, services along the England–Wales border, and some into England.
During May 2018, the Wales & Borders franchise was awarded by Transport for Wales to KeolisAmey Wales.[5] Operations commenced in October 2018; at this point, the franchise was scheduled to run for 15 years.[6] [7]
Within two years, the franchisee had experienced a collapse in revenues and a significant reduction in passenger numbers, which was largely attributable to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic; this trend led to the financial circumstances of the KeolisAmey Wales franchise becoming untenable. In response, during October 2020, the Welsh Government announced that it would be transferring operations of the Wales & Borders franchise from KeolisAmey Wales to an operator of last resort.[8] [9] [10] It was also stated that, despite the early termination of the franchise, KeolisAmey and Transport for Wales would continue a partnership to enact further improvements on the network; specifically, Amey Infrastructure Wales (AIW) would remain involved in the delivery of various key projects, such as upgrading the Core Valley Lines.[11]
On 7 February 2021, the Welsh Government-owned operator Transport for Wales Rail Limited took over running the franchise's services.[12] [13]
Perhaps one of the most prominent undertaking for TfW Rail is the implementation and future operation of the South Wales Metro; this will involve various infrastructure changes, including a brand new depot at Taff's Well, as well as a new fleet of trains built by Stadler Rail.[14] [15] One of the more unusual elements of this programme is the fleet of Class 398 battery-electric tram-trains, which will operate on both on-street tracks and conventional railways.[16]
Since taking on operations, Transport for Wales has introduced numerous changes to ticketing. On 24 January 2021, it launched a pilot scheme involving 90 convenience stores across South Wales to provide a new means of purchasing rail tickets; this scheme operated via a partnership with Payzone and used SilverRail retailing technology. TfW is the first UK-based train operating company to partner with Payzone.[17] During August 2023, this arrangement was extended to North Wales and the Wirral via a partnership between Transport for Wales and numerous local businesses under which train tickets became available for purchase from local retail outlets offering a Payzone facility.[18] That same year, a new ticketing arrangement with Unicard came into effect, enabling Transport for Wales to become the first British train operator outside of London to deploy contactless EMV services.[19]
Funding for Transport for Wales Rail's operations is sourced from both the Welsh and British governments.[20] Cost increases, such as the South Wales Metro's original budget of £738 million having risen to in excess of £1 billion, have been politically controversial.[21] During October 2023, the Welsh government announced that it would provide an additional £125 million for Transport for Wales in response to a revenue shortfall from fares; this funding top-up was a substantial rise at a time of considerably budgetary pressure.[22] [23]
, Transport for Wales Rail operates these regular and daily services Monday to Friday:[24]
| North Wales to South Wales | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | 8 | |
| Marches, West Wales, Crewe–Shrewsbury Lines and Swanline | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | 1 |
|
| to | ||
| to |
| |
| to | ||
| to | 1 | |
| to | ||
| Cambrian Line | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | ||
| to | ||
| Heart of Wales line | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | 4 | |
| North Wales Coast Line | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | ||
| Conwy Valley line | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | 6 | |
| Borderlands line | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | ||
| Llandudno–Manchester, Chester–Crewe, and Liverpool–Wrexham | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | 1 | |
| to | 1 | Shuttle service |
| to | 1 | |
| Maesteg–Cheltenham | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | 1 | |
| Ebbw Valley Railway | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | 1 | |
| to | 1 | |
| Rhondda, Merthyr, City and Butetown branch lines | ||
| Route | Calling at | |
| to | 2 | |
| to via Cardiff Central | 2 | |
| to | 2 | |
| to | 2 | Shuttle service |
| Rhymney, Vale of Glamorgan and Coryton lines | ||
| to | 1 | |
| to | 1 | |