More new trains, increased use of key bus services and innovation in ticketing are amongst some of the highlights in Transport for Wales’ annual report published in July.
The introduction of 46 brand-new trains across the Wales and Borders network and timetable improvements have helped reduce cancellations and increase rail revenue figures, with more people opting to make the most of the comfort, speed and capacity offered by the new trains
Innovation in ticketing has seen the launch of Pay-As-You-Go tickets, initially as a pilot, on rail journeys between Cardiff Central, Newport and Pontyclun, which has now been expanded to include Ebbw Vale. There has also been a 30% growth in ticket sales through the TfW app.
In February 2024 TFW also launched the new Ebbw Vale to Newport service, a game changer for local communities, doubling the number of trains per hour helping to improve connectivity for work, education, and leisure.
In their latest Annual Report (2023/24), the not-for-profit transport organisation also revealed that they’ve seen a 25% increase in passengers using their TrawsCymru bus services.
The flagship T1 service between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth has seen an increase of 65 per cent in passenger numbers, whilst the Sherpa bus service operating in Eryri has seen an increase of 64 per cent compared with 2019. The T8 service in Ruthin has also seen its passenger numbers increase by more than 9,500 a month.
TfW has also successfully delivered GBP 46 million in active travel funding supporting 250 Local Authority active travel schemes across Wales. During 2023/24, over 30 new walking routes from stations were also introduced.
“Over the last five years, we’ve been on a journey of transformation at TfW and we’re now starting to see the benefits of investments. With improved services and better trains, we’ve seen an increase in passenger numbers which has helped to drive up our rail revenue by 15%. We’ll aim to maintain this upward trajectory as we continue to introduce more new trains as part of our £800 million investment, as well as making timetable adjustments.
Our vision is to become ‘Wales’s favourite way to travel’ and we can do this through continuing our investment into an integrated public transport network. We’ve seen a 24% increase in passengers using our TrawsCymru bus services and we recently opened the new Cardiff Bus Interchange, which will improve links between rail and bus.
We’ve distributed GBP 46 million in active travel funding which will improve local walking, cycling and wheeling routes improving local connectivity, and we’ve launched over 30 new walks from our railway stations across Wales,” said James Price, Transport for Wales CEO.
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