11 Oct 2018
Arriva Group says Hwyl fawr (goodbye) to Arriva Trains Wales and joins them in celebrating 15 years of achievement
(London, 11 October 2018) After 15 years of operation, Arriva is saying goodbye to Arriva Trains Wales this Sunday (14 October), when the contract to run the next Wales and Borders franchise transfers to KeolisAmey.
Since taking over and combining four separate franchises in Wales in 2003, annual passenger journeys have grown from 18 million to 33 million and the number of passenger trains per day from 620 to more than 1,000. Arriva’s trains have carried more than 400 million passengers in total.
There has been major investment in key stations, including Cardiff Central, Swansea, Newport and most recently Bridgend Station, which has topped £100m. Further, the 2,300-strong team have hosted some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the Olympics, Champions League final and the Ryder Cup, which have put Wales on the international stage.
Other key milestones include:
- The reopening of the Ebbw Vale line in 2008, at a cost of £30m
- More than 800 people have worked through the full 15 year franchise, many of whom have notched up 20, 30 or even 40 years of service on the railway
- 135 people have achieved the Advanced Framework Modern Apprenticeships, a nationally-recognised qualification
Chris Burchell, Managing Director, UK Trains, Arriva Group, said: “On my visits to Wales, it has been evident just how much people care about the railway and how much passion our people have in giving customers the best possible experience. I am proud of all we have achieved.
“We have invested over £33m in the past fifteen years and created over 500 jobs, so we are leaving the Welsh railway network much stronger and safer than we found it.”
Ken Skates, Welsh Assembly Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport, said: “Arriva Trains Wales staff have shown real commitment to excellent customer service in the face of many challenges, including battling with the repercussions of the ‘Beast from the East’ snow storms in early 2018”.
Tom Joyner, Managing Director, Arriva Trains Wales, added: “Looking back over the past 15 years, we have well and truly defied expectations. Certainly, we have faced challenges along the way, but working with our partners in Welsh Government, the Department for Transport and Network Rail, we have always come through for our passengers.
“I would like to thank our customers and stakeholders for their valued support, loyalty and custom, and especially our 2,300 colleagues who have shown determination, reliance and ingenuity on the journey.”
Bill Kelly, Acting Route Managing Director, Network Rail, Wales & Borders, also commented: “We deliver a better railway when we work together and I hope track and train will continue to work closely in Wales and Borders”.
Professor Stuart Cole, CBE, Emeritus Professor of Transport at the University of South Wales, reflected: “Wales and its border counties were served by 4 separated rail franchises up to 2003. Passenger real time information screens have been installed in over half the stations, new passenger services were opened to Maesteg, Ebbw Vale and through the Vale of Glamorgan along upgraded freight lines – all of which have achieved passenger growth rates to justify that confidence in the railways; to move from a static, even declining railway, was no mean feat.
Arriva Trains Wales are rolling out their #diolch Campaign to Customers, Colleagues and Stakeholders highlighting the major achievements of last 15 years and thanking all who have contributed to making this period a successful one.
ENDS
Notes to editors
About Arriva
Arriva is one of the largest providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing some 60,000 people and delivering more than 2.2 billion passenger journeys every year.
Arriva is part of Deutsche Bahn, one of the world’s leading passenger transport and logistics service providers. Headquartered in Sunderland, UK, Arriva is responsible for Deutsche Bahn's regional passenger transport services outside of Germany.
Arriva operates across 14 European markets: the Czech Republic; Croatia; Denmark; Hungary; Italy; the Netherlands; Poland; Portugal; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia, Spain; Sweden; and the UK.
Group Communications, Arriva plc on +44 (0)191 520 4106.
For media enquiries outside of normal office hours, we can be contacted on our 24-hour media pager service on +44 (0)7623 920 615.
Arriva Trains Wales - year by year highlights
2004
A Welsh language customer service telephone line was introduced and a new £2.5m real-time customer information system installed at 46 stations in Wales, which included bi-lingual audio announcements and visual displays.
2005
A passenger service on the Vale of Glamorgan Line was reinstated, with the opening two new stations - Rhoose Cardiff International Airport and Llantwit Major.
2006
Customer safety was enhanced through the installation of defibrillators at 11 stations. The programme was backed with funding from the Welsh Assembly Government.
2007
The year began with a ‘new-look’ fleet in place, including eight new Class 150s and a full complement of Class 175 Coradia trains running on the main lines, following the return of the Class 158s.
2008
The Ebbw Valley Railway was opened, restoring passenger services to Ebbw Vale after 40 years of carrying only freight. The 19-mile line called at six new stations including Ebbw Vale Parkway. The restoration scheme cost £30m and was subsequently named Welsh Project of the Year by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Factfile: 25,346,832 passenger journeys completed; 306,055 services run.
2009
The integrated South Wales Control Centre (subsequently WROC, the Wales Route Operating Centre) was launched. This £3.8m control room at De Croche Place, near Canton Depot, brought Arrive Trains Wales and Network Rail together and enabled operational control, fleet management and passenger information to work as one unit.
2010
A £7.5m upgrade of Class 158 and Class 153 trains on mainline routes was announced. The makeover, scheduled to take 18 months, was targeted at delivering a “step change in quality” by providing “as new” interiors with new seating, luggage areas and toilets.
The £22m remodeled Newport station, with its two new steel concourse buildings and 45-metre long passenger footbridge, was officially opened.
2011
A rain water harvesting scheme with its 320,000 litre storage system – one of the largest above-ground installations in the UK – went live at Canton Depot.
2012
Station colleagues and more than 30 volunteers were praised for going the extra mile in ensuring the successful management of visitors during the eight Olympic football games held at the Millennium Stadium. At Cardiff Central, 11 different queues were organised to get an extra 100,000 passengers to and from their destination.
2013
Arriva Trains Wales proudly celebrated its 10th anniversary by being recognised as one of the top ‘right time’ performing operators in the UK. Punctuality and reliability had risen from 80 per cent PPM (Public Performance Measure) in 2003 to 94 per cent.
Factfile: 29,617,484 passenger journeys completed; 3320,720 services run.
2014
One hundred places in the Cardiff Half Marathon were secured for employees through company sponsorship of the event.
2015
Rhyl station was refurbished under at £2.5m improvement scheme.
2016
The prestigious Mobile Technology Award was won by Arriva Trains Wales at the UK Rail Industry Awards for its industry-leading Mobil Multi-flex app. The world’s first Platform-Train Interface simulator was created for staff training.
2017
Outstanding Right Time Performance led to Arriva Trains Wales occupying the number one position in the National Performance League Table, for two periods running. The achievement was in part due to an additional Platform 8 at Cardiff Central aiding service recovery after incidents, Fleet’s Project Zero to delivery continued excellence and key changes in the May timetable to maximise capability.
2018
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall joined Arriva Trains Wales to celebrate 150 years of the Heart of Wales line as the ‘Looking after the Heart of Wales’ campaign was launched to put defibrillators on station.
Factfile: Forecast for year end 33,440,248 passenger journeys completed; 329,120 services run.
Contact information
MHPC Arriva
arriva@mhpc.com
