Trains for new franchise will be made in Newport
Spanish train-maker Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) has been named as the preferred bidder to build new state-of-the art-diesel trains at a new factory in Newport for the next Wales & Borders rail franchise.
The franchise, from October this year, will be run by KeolisAmey, a joint venture between French transport giant Keolis and Spanish infrastructure management consultancy Amey.
They will also deliver the next phase of the Metro project with around 80% electrification of the core Valley Lines into Cardiff – a network extending to around 120 miles which is now being referred to as Metro Central.
CAF is currently constructing a huge new train factory off the Great Western Mainline at the Celtic Springs Business Park at Llanwern in Newport. The £30m facility, which will employ 300, will be completed this autumn.
CAF is now in final negotiations with KeolisAmey to supply and maintain 44 two-car and 26 threecar units, which will be in service by September 2022, A further seven two-car units will be delivered by September 2024. The high-performance diesel multiple units (DMUs) are based on the UK Civity platform, designed for commuter and regional services.
They will feature the latest safety technology combined with what CAF described as “exacting interior design specifications for customer comfort”, including air-conditioning and Wi-Fi.
Richard Garner, CAF’s UK director, said: “We are delighted to have been selected by KeolisAmey as the preferred bidder to supply trains for the Wales & Borders rail franchise.
“We look forward to working with KeolisAmey and playing our part in delivering its commitment to transform the railway and support the growth of the local economy in Newport and Wales.
“Our high-quality, reliable and comfortable trains will enhance customer experience across this important rail network.”
Colin Lea, mobilisation director at KeolisAmey Wales Cymru, said: “We would like to thank CAF for working collaboratively with us to design trains which, in line with KeolisAmey values, put the passenger needs at their heart, with state-of-the-art passenger features, ample leg-room, and seats aligned with windows to enjoy the wonderful scenery of the routes they will serve.
“These new trains, which will set a new standard of travel comfort and accessibility for the next decade, will be made for Wales and by Wales, as they will be assembled in a new CAF factory in Newport, creating hundreds of new jobs.”
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: “Our £5bn investment in the new rail service will deliver not only vastly improved train services but also very real job opportunities and economic benefits that will be felt in communities right across Wales.
“CAF’s success as the preferred bidder to supply these diesel multiple units really is great news and will mean that that the majority of the new trains running in our transformed rail service will genuinely be ‘made in Wales’, with the economic benefits of their production being retained and enjoyed locally.”
As well as creating 600 new jobs and 400 apprenticeships through the new franchise and £738m Central Metro project, both Keolis and Amey are bringing their own investment projects to Wales, which will bring with them a further 130 jobs.
Keolis will relocate its UK headquarters to south Wales, which is expected to be based in Pontypridd by 2019, as well as its global rail division, currently based in Paris, by 2020.
Moreover, Amey will open a new design hub in Wales where it will offer consultancy services.
Swiss train-maker Stadler Rail Group is the preferred bidder to build more than 50 new tram-trains and trimode trains, which will be capable of switching between diesel, electric and battery modes, for Central Metro and the Vale of Glamorgan Line.
KeolisAmey will finance the cost of the new rolling stock, at around £800m, itself.