Transport for Wales has announced a 5-step improvement plan for rail services on the Wrexham to Bidston line in North Wales and the borders.

James Price, Transport for Wales CEO recently visited North Wales to see the new Class 230 trains that operate on the route.  He also had a tour of the train depot in Birkenhead, that TfW has recently invested in to help maintain the new trains.

The 5-step plan includes improving the reliability of the new Class 230 trains through investment into the new depot at Birkenhead, improving customer service and information available during disruption and keeping all rail replacement to a minimum.

Learning from customer feedback, TfW will also make buying tickets as easy as possible and is reviewing all ticketing options, as well as continually reviewing the rail timetable.

James Price, Transport for Wales CEO said:

“We understand the frustrations of passengers using the Wrexham to Bidston line over the past few months.  First the line lost its train service due to a safety issue with engines on our trains and this resulted in replacement buses running.

“Following that, we introduced our refurbished Class 230 trains to the line and unfortunately, we’ve experienced teething problems and technical issues.

“However, I’m happy to announce today that we now have a 5-step improvement plan in place that will focus on stabilising the reliability of our new trains and improving the service.  I’ve visited the new depot in Birkenhead that will allow us to carry out maintenance on our Class 230s at a faster pace and have assured myself that we are doing everything possible to see an improvement in the service over the coming months.”