Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm the age of the new rolling stock that was announced by him for the Welsh rail network on 17 July 2017?
The 5 Class 319 units coming into the Wales and Borders franchise were manufactured in 1987 – 1988. They are specifically to provide short term relief for capacity issues caused by the inflexible existing rail franchise which we inherited from UK Government.
They have all undergone scheduled body shell exterior and interior overhauls in the last 32 months. The units have been enhanced to comply with the Persons of Reduced Mobility (PRM) requirements with fitment of an accessible toilet, passenger information systems, priority seating, wheelchair spaces, revised door sounders and applicable colour contrast compliance.
As well as providing much needed additional capacity for passengers, the Class 319 units will create headroom to allow rest of the fleet to undergo their own essential PRM upgrades. Until UK Government reach a final agreement to transfer franchising functions to Wales (the date of which has repeatedly slipped) these upgrades are technically the responsibility of UK Government, who have taken no action on this issue despite requests from Welsh Government. Welsh Ministers have taken the decision to step in to avoid significant elements of the existing fleet being taken out of service on 1 January 2020. These new trains will allow a refurbishment programme to take place, as well as providing capacity enhancements, protecting Welsh rail users from a cliff edge caused by DfT's repeated slippages in devolving rail franchising powers and unwillingness to take responsibility for the PRM upgrades.
These trains are a very welcome addition, however they are not the long term proposition for Wales & Borders. That is a matter for our bidders who are being asked to put in place a sustainable, low carbon, efficient and above all customer friendly solution for all of Wales.