Welsh Marches Line to be run by European firms KeolisAmey

KeolisAmey are to run and manage train stations in Monmouthshire. Herefordshire and Shropshire as part of the Wales & Borders Franchise.

The Welsh Government confirmed this morning KeolisAmey’s bid has been successful.

The new franchise will come into effect from October 2018, replacing Arriva Trains Wales who have operated the Wales and Borders franchise for the last 15 year.

Initially there were four bidders for the franchise, Abellio Rail Cymru, had to withdraw from the competition following the collapse of its partner Carillion.

Existing franchise operator Arriva Rail Wales withdrew at an earlier stage of the process.

French company Keolis and Spanish-owned Amey already runs the Docklands Light Railway and Manchester Metrolink.

They will manage and run stations along the Welsh Marches Line including Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster and Ludlow.

Alistair Gordon, Chief Executive of Keolis UK, said: “This will be a transformative new rail service for Wales and its borders which will see Keolis once more combine its worldwide expertise in passenger operations with Amey’s engineering excellence.

“We look forward to the successful completion of the procurement process - this exciting contract will deliver for all of Wales. The procurement process was rigorous, resulting in transformative solutions for the benefit of all in Wales, and indeed, future generations.

“While the proposed changes won’t happen overnight, the railway will be unrecognisable in five years thanks to the vision of the Welsh Government.” 

Andy Milner, Amey’s Chief Executive, said: “Building on our successful partnership with Keolis, which already sees us deliver two high performing services – the Greater Manchester Metrolink and London’s DLR – we are honoured to be asked to operate the Wales and Borders service.

“This is a great opportunity for us to use our joint capabilities to deliver a first-rate service for Wales. We will be focused on working with Transport for Wales to transform the existing infrastructure and introduce new trains to significantly improve the passenger experience, as well as creating hundreds of new jobs and apprenticeship opportunities."