TfW ‘Active Travel’ Class 153s

[tfw756rider]

What's the quote? The article is behind a paywall

From another thread the article has been quoted in:

The Welsh Government has instructed Transport for Wales to begin procurement of more new trains, although those ordered in 2018 will not fully be in service for at least a year. To cover additional services in the shorter term, TfW will extend leases on Class 153 DMUs.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales Ken Skates, said TfW’s current programme was taking the overall fleet from 270 vehicles in 2018 to more than 480 next year, but TfW would need more trains as more services were added. “I’ve instructed Transport for Wales to start the process of ordering even more new trains to support these new services,” he said.

Transport for Wales Chief Executive James Price told Modern Railways that leases on Class 153s would be extended while a strategy to bring in additional new trains was developed. “My ambition is that we get to a place where we don’t have legacy rolling stock running repeated services on the network. If we can get better mileage from ‘197s’ and get the ‘230s’ running reliably – and they are at the minute – the legacy stuff will be for use on poor availability days and when there are special events.

“But we still need to order new rolling stock. We’ve had two years of basically 20% passenger growth [per annum].” This growth occurred before the main Core Valley Lines routes have received their four trains per hour service and during years when TfW Rail was buffeted by the premature withdrawal of Class 175s, continuing blockades for CVL modernisation and Class 197s’ late entry into service and poor availability.

Mr Price’s ambition is to develop a long-term plan for the replacement of the ‘Active Travel’ Class 153s, which operate on the Heart of Wales line in tandem with standard ‘153s’. “We will get a few years from them,” said Mr Price, referring to the converted Class 153s. “They’ve all had C6s done. That gives them another five years.” Feedback on the units had been positive.

 

[BenBracken]

Suggests 197s on that route in 5 years time?

 

[DelW]

Suggests 197s on that route in 5 years time?

The original announcement referred to extending the 153's leases by 5 years, implying that the 5 years is measured from the previous end of lease date, rather than from now. I think the existing leases had around five years to run, though that's open to correction if others know better. That would suggest 153s being retained on the HoW until the mid 2030s, when they'll be nearing 50 years old (from their original two-car incarnation).

 

[158822]

Don’t TfW own the remaining 153s anyway so does that mean leases have been extended on the ones stored at Landore?

 

[animationmilo]

Is AT04 on 11:10 Swansea to Shrewsbury
And AT02 on 15:18 Swansea to Shrewsbury
Thank you

 

[sd0733]

Is AT04 on 11:10 Swansea to Shrewsbury
And AT02 on 15:18 Swansea to Shrewsbury
Thank you

AT04 worked the 11:10 to Llandybie where it terminated, it's then run back and is planned to work a Fishguard later.

AT02 did work the 15:18, it's only work today.

 

[animationmilo]

AT04 worked the 11:10 to Llandybie where it terminated, it's then run back and is planned to work a Fishguard later.

AT02 did work the 15:18, it's only work today.

What was up with AT04

 

[sd0733]

What was up with AT04

Headlight failure