British rolling stock manufacturer Vivarail has been selected to supply a fleet of Class 230 D-Trains to KeolisAmey for the Wales and Borders franchise.
The trains, expected to come into service as part of the new franchise, will be equipped with power supply at all seats, high-speed Wi-Fi, air-cooling, bike spaces and a brand new seating layout.
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Vivarail CEO Adrian Shooter said “This is a very exciting day for us and we are proud to be supplying the first of the new trains for Wales.
“We know that KeolisAmey want to bring the best new trains to their passengers so our interior layout has been designed to do exactly that. As well as the wide and spacious carriages, the trains will have a Universal Access Toilet, WiFi, air conditioning, USB ports and 3-pin sockets.
“There will be a range of seating layouts and plenty of space for bikes and luggage. With KeolisAmey we have been determined to give passengers the very best travelling experience and the trains they deserve: modern, comfortable, reliable and environmentally-friendly.
“In conjunction with our partners at Creactive, we have worked on a livery design that will be seen across the whole fleet.”
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By GlobalDataVivarail is currently designing and building the new three-car trains at two different sites.
The fleet of five trains will be dispatched to Wales for final testing and commissioning in early 2019.
Shooter added: “As the UK’s leading battery train manufacturer we know that emission-free trains are the future and we will continue to spearhead that development.
“With this hybrid fleet, we will deliver a train that is clean, green and reliable making use of GPS systems to cut out the engines in stations and environmentally-sensitive areas.
“Our trains will come into service in summer 2019 and will form the flagship fleet for Wales and Borders and I look forward to taking the first journey in North Wales next year.”
