Trafnidiaeth Cymru | |
Abbreviation | TfW |
---|---|
Predecessor | Strategic Rail Authority (2001–2005) Welsh Government (2005–2016) |
Formation | 1 April 2016 |
Type | Private company limited by guarantee |
Legal status | Wholly owned subsidiary of the Welsh Government |
Purpose | Transport authority |
Headquarters | 3 Llys Cadwyn Pontypridd CF37 4TH [1] |
Region served | Wales and the England–Wales border |
Owner | Welsh Government |
Chief Executive Officer | James Price |
Main organ | Wales & Borders franchise |
Subsidiaries | Transport for Wales Rail Ffeibr |
Website | tfw |
Transport for Wales (TfW; Welsh : Trafnidiaeth Cymru; TrC) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. [2] TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Transport for Wales Rail, the train operator of the Wales & Borders railway franchise; Pullman Rail Limited; and TfW Innovation Services Limited, a joint venture between TfW (51%) and former operator KeolisAmey Wales (49%). [3]
TfW contracted KeolisAmey Wales in 2018 to run using the trading name Transport for Wales Rail Services. Due to a fall in passengers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a Welsh-government owned company, Transport for Wales Rail Limited, took over day-to-day operations of the franchise on 7 February 2021. [4] [5] [6]
TfW was established as an arms-length body by the Welsh Government to provide support and expertise to the transport projects in Wales. [7] In 2017, it procured the new Operator and Development Partner for the Wales & Borders railway franchise [8] under powers delegated to the Welsh government under the Government of Wales Act 2006. [9]
The company introduced the Transport for Wales brand to replace the now defunct Arriva Trains Wales brand on the Wales & Borders franchise from 14 October 2018. The franchise was fully operated by KeolisAmey Wales. [10] [11] [12]
In the Summer 2020 the Welsh Government withdrew the Bus Services (Wales) Bill that they were developing, which would have provided local councils with the statutory power to franchise bus routes in Wales. This was because they aimed, as part of other reasons "to utilise Transport for Wales as the main delivery and procurement body for the bus system, transferring the roles from local authorities, in return for the local authorities becoming part ‘owners’ of TfW". [13]
On 22 October 2020, the Welsh Government announced that the Wales and Borders rail franchise was to transfer operations to a Welsh-government owned rail operator of last resort, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all staff, operations, and branding was transferred to the new company on 7 February 2021. [14]
On 10 August 2021, TfW announced the acquisition of Cardiff-based engineering service provider Pullman Rail Ltd from Colas Rail. TfW stated this was to ensure their Canton depot "will have the required capacity and resilience to support the introduction of TfWs flagship Metro scheme alongside new rolling stock for the Wales and Borders network." [15]
TfW is responsible for the development of the South Wales, North Wales and Swansea Bay and West Wales Metros. Both are multi-modal systems, integrating the heavy and light rail networks with local bus services, active travel and other modes of transport. [16]
A North-South railway has been suggested to better link North and South Wales. [17] [18] [19]
As part of the Welsh Government's Llwybr Newydd strategy. [20] On 18 May 2020, Fflecsi, a demand-responsive transport service was launched in Newport in co-operation between TfW, Newport Bus and Newport City Council. The service has since expanded to multiple principal areas of Wales. Fflecsi is part of TfW's increased investment in alternative transport modes, with further expansion planned across Wales following good progress and popularity of the service in Newport and Cardiff North. In 2021, Fflecsi expanded operations to Blaenau Gwent and Flintshire, although the Newport service was discontinued from 25 September 2022. [21]
Arriva Trains Wales 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.
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company operates transport services in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Rail transport in Wales began in the early 19th century initially used for industrial purposes and shortly began to be used for commercial purposes. The Beeching cuts had a significant impact on rail transport in Wales, closing a large number of railway stations. Since then some stations have reopened in Wales and following Welsh devolution, the Wales and Borders passenger rail franchise was established in 2001 and the operator was taken into public ownership by the Welsh Government in 2021.
The British Rail Class 175Coradia 1000 is a type of diesel-hydraulic multiple unit (DHMU) passenger train from the Alstom Coradia 1000 family.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is a local government body responsible for co-ordinating transport services throughout Greater Manchester in North West England. It is an executive arm of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the city region's administrative authority. The strategies and policies of Transport for Greater Manchester are set by the GMCA and its Greater Manchester Transport Committee (GMTC). The committee is made up of 33 councillors appointed from the ten Greater Manchester boroughs, as well as the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Keolis is a French transportation company that operates public transport systems all over the world. It manages bus, rapid transit, tram, coach networks, rental bikes, car parks, water taxi, cable car, trolleybus, and funicular services. Based in Paris, France, the company is 70% owned by SNCF and 30% owned by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.
Newport Bus is the main provider of bus services in the city of Newport, Wales. A limited company whose shares are wholly owned by Newport City Council, it is one of the few remaining municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom.
Amey plc, previously known as Amey Ltd and Amey Roadstone Construction, is a United Kingdom-based infrastructure support service provider.
The South Wales Metro is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network currently being developed in South East Wales around the hub of Cardiff Central railway station. The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are currently under way, with a new depot under construction at Taff's Well and new trains being built by Stadler Rail in Switzerland. The development will also include the electrification of the core Valley Lines and new stations. All nine lines will be electrified, and the service is expected to be in operation by the end of 2024.
The Wales & Borders franchise is a railway franchise for passenger services in the United Kingdom operated since 7 February 2021 by publicly owned operator, Transport for Wales Rail. The franchise covers the majority of rail services in Wales, with some services in the bordering English regions and counties, notably North West England, the West Midlands, and Gloucestershire.
The North Wales Metro is a rail and bus transport improvement programme in north Wales. Styled as a "Metro", it is conceptually a multi-modal system with a combination of bus, heavy rail, and light rail services. It was initially focused on linking major settlements and employment areas of the north-east of Wales with the North West of England, with its hubs located in Wrexham, Chester and Deeside, although the programme has since expanded, with proposals extending to Anglesey in the north-west of Wales. The existing Borderlands line forms a core rail component of the network, where projects to increase connections, integrated access, and service frequency between Wrexham, Deeside and Liverpool are centred upon. The proposals were put forward in 2016 as is part of Welsh Labour's plan for north Wales. Labour has pledged to open the system by 2035. The proposals were included in the 2018 Wales & Borders franchise contest. It is the second of the three regional metros proposed by the Welsh Government to go ahead, after the South Wales Metro, and before the Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro. The project is described to be in its initial phases.
Keolis Amey Operations, trading as Transport for Wales Rail Services was a Welsh train operating company owned by Keolis (64%) and Amey (36%) that operated the Wales & Borders franchise between October 2018 and February 2021.
The Premier Service is a passenger train service operated by Transport for Wales Rail between Holyhead and Cardiff Central in Wales.
An operator of last resort is a business in the United Kingdom that operates a railway franchise, on behalf of the government, when a train operating company is no longer able to do so, and are nationalised on an interim basis. Since the last appointment in June 2023, there are now six such operators of seven rail services in England, Wales and Scotland.
The British Rail Class 197 is a class of diesel multiple unit passenger train built by CAF, based on its Civity platform. They are operated by Transport for Wales Rail (TfW), split into 51 two-car units and 26 three-car units.
The British Rail Class 231 is a class of eleven diesel-electric multiple units of the FLIRT family, which have been built for Transport for Wales by Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail. The first units entered service on 18 January 2023.
The Class 398 Citylink is a fleet of 36 tram-train multiple units being built for Transport for Wales Rail by Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail.
Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail, 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.
Fflecsi is a trial demand-responsive bus service administered by Transport for Wales (TfW) and local authorities, operated by local bus operators across Wales. Pilot trials of the service are conducted across Wales, which included a city-wide trial in Newport until September 2022. The effectiveness of the service is being monitored as full bus services resume in Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pilots, fflecsi will replace some pre-existing scheduled bus routes in the service areas where it operates. The technology behind the service is made by ViaVan, and the pilot is funded by the Welsh Government, to invest in new approaches to public transport in Wales as part of their Llwybr Newydd strategy. The pilot was included in Welsh Labour's manifesto for the 2021 Senedd election, as part of their plan to increase investment in bus services, and reducing Wales' carbon emissions.
Bus transport in Wales is a significant form of public transport in Wales. In 2021–22 52.3 million journeys were travelled in Wales on local buses.
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