Arriva Trains Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Arriva Trains Wales

Franchise(s):	Wales & Borders 8 December 2003 – 13 October 2018
Main {{{nameforarea}}}(s):	Wales
Other {{{nameforarea}}}(s):	North West West Midlands South West
Fleet size:	125 units 3 locomotive hauled sets
Stations operated:	247
Route km operated:	1623.8
National Rail abbreviation:	AW
Parent company:	Arriva UK Trains

Arriva Trains Wales (Welsh: Trenau Arriva Cymru) was a company that ran passenger trains in Wales and parts of England. It was owned by a larger company called Arriva. Arriva Trains Wales operated from December 2003 until October 2018.

The company's busiest train stations included Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, and Newport. Other important stations on their main lines were Shrewsbury, Crewe, Chester, and Wrexham General.

What Arriva Trains Wales Did

Arriva Trains Wales was in charge of the "Wales & Borders" railway area. This meant they operated almost all train services within Wales. They also ran trains into nearby parts of England, like the Welsh Marches, North West England, West Midlands, and South West England.

The company took over these services in December 2003. They helped connect North and South Wales with direct train routes. They also brought back passenger trains on lines that were only used for freight before, like parts of the Vale of Glamorgan Line and Ebbw Vale Line.

Trains and Routes

Arriva Trains Wales used a standard railway track width of 1435 mm. Their trains covered a total distance of about 1691 km (about 1050 miles) of railway lines.

They had a fleet of 253 special train cars called DMUs (Diesel Multiple Units). These trains have their own engines and don't need a separate locomotive to pull them. They also had 22 passenger coaches that could be pulled by locomotives.

While Arriva Trains Wales ran most services in Wales, some longer routes were operated by other train companies. These included:

• Trains from Swansea or Cardiff Central to London Paddington, run by First Great Western.
• Services from Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour and Taunton, also run by First Great Western.
• Trains from Cardiff Central to Nottingham and Manchester Piccadilly, operated by CrossCountry.
• Routes from Holyhead, Bangor, or Wrexham General to London Euston, which were run by Virgin Trains.

Images for kids

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  ATW passenger numbers from 2011 to 2018.

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  A bilingual station sign

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  57314 at Crewe in March 2009

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  67003 at Holyhead in August 2012