Arriva Trains Wales

As the Arriva Trains Wales franchise comes to an end, Nick Wilcock offers up a lavishly illustrated record of its time on Wales' railways.

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Formed in 2003, Arriva Trains Wales was awarded the franchise to run the majority of services in Wales with services also extending over the border to Manchester, Birmingham and Cheltenham.

Coming to an end in October 2018, the franchise has seen a great increase in passenger numbers and this has been aided by the reopening of the Vale of Glamorgan line between Barry and Bridgend and the line to Ebbw Vale to passengers on the Valleys network. Arriva Trains Wales operates a fleet of DMUs made up of classes 142, 143, 150, 153, 158 and 175. They are supplemented by two loco-hauled services, one of these being the daily North to South Wales working between Holyhead and Cardiff that is run under contract from the Welsh government.

This book provides a photographic record of the operations of Arriva Trains Wales spanning the bulk of the franchise and mainly concentrating on the South Wales region.