The Anonymous Widower

Carew Castle Express Unveiled In Carmarthen

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail UK.

These are the first two paragraphs.

The ‘Carew Castle Express’ has been unveiled to mark the introduction of brand-new Transport for Wales (TfW) trains between Swansea and Carmarthen.

Named as part of TfW’s Magnificent Train Journey competition, the name ‘Carew Castle Express’ was chosen by year 5 pupil Rhys Protheroe from Johnstown Primary School in Carmarthen.

But perhaps, this extract is the most significant statement in the article.

Soon every service west of Carmarthen will be on one of the brand-new trains.

Alexia Course, chief commercial officer for TfW, said: “We’re excited to be running our brand-new trains in West Wales and we’re adding more to our network every few weeks.

CAF and TfW don’t seem to be hanging about in getting these new trains into service.

But then, I suspect some of the trains they replace, will be going to the scrapyard in Newport.

How Will These Trains Be Decarbonised?

My one worry is that these Class 197 trains and the similar Class 195 trains at Northern and the Class 196 trains at West Midlands Trains are diesel powered.

Nothing has been said about how these 141 trains will be decarbonised.

But all three fleets have the same Rolls-Royce mtu 6H 1800 R85L engines, so at least one solution will fit all!

A Thought About LNER’s New Trains

These trains appear to have been delivered quickly.

Did this influence the decision of LNER to buy CAF trains for their fleet expansion?

November 17, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | CAF, Class 195 Train, Class 196 Train, Class 197 Train, Decarbonisation, LNER, Northern Trains, Rolls-Royce mtu, Transport for Wales, West Midlands Trains