Passengers across Wales can now enjoy free Icomera Wi-Fi on all Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) services thanks to Welsh Government funding and The Department for Transport.
The £1.5 million Welsh Government investment means the whole ATW fleet including Pacer trains, Class 153’s, and the carriages used on the north-south Express have now been retrofitted to provide free-to-use Wi-Fi for all passengers.
Tom Joyner, managing director for Arriva Trains Wales, said: “We know how important connectivity is and being able to be productive during your journey, check your onward travel plans or simply catch up on social media will make a real difference to our customers.”
Speaking at a launch event to mark the completion of the on train Wi-Fi project, Economy and Transport Secretary Ken Skates said: “This rollout should be a real boon to commuters and business users alike. I expect it to make a real contribution to our ambitions for a growing economy with strong businesses in productive regions set out our Prosperity for All Economic Action Plan”
ATW supplied the following information on the fit out and funding:
Welsh Government funding provided for the full fleet to be fitted, including the following vehicles:
- 30 x “Pacers” – Class 142/143 two carriage units which run as two or four car trains (60 carriages in total) – used mainly on Valley Lines
- 8 x Class 153 single car trains (8 carriages) used on Cardiff Bay, City Line between Coryton and Radyr via Cardiff Central, Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury via Llandrindod, and elsewhere
- 12 Mark 3 carriages (12 carriages) used on north-south Express
- 3 Driver Van Trailers – locomotive power for the north-south Express, which require fitment to enable WiFi on carriages to operate
Total – 83 carriages/vehicles
The Department for Transport funding covered the ATW Class 150, 158 and 175 trains used on the remainder of the network – a total of 190 carriages.
