Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales (Welsh: Trenau Arriva Cymru) is a train operating company that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches. Its busiest stations are Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street and Newport. Routes are also concentrated on Shrewsbury, Crewe, Chester and Wrexham General.
Overview
The company took over operation of the reorganised Wales and Borders railway franchise from the company of the same name in December 2003. Responsibility for this franchise has been devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government as a result of the Railways Act 2005 and the Transport (Wales) Act 2006, and they work closely with Arriva Trains Wales to develop the railway network within Wales. This has included the introduction of direct services between North and South Wales, and the reintroduction of passenger services on freight-only portions of the Vale of Glamorgan Line and Ebbw Vale Line.
They operate on a gauge of 1435 mm, over a route length: 1691 km, with 253 DMU cars and 22 passenger coaches.
Performance
In October 2006 the company was ranked seventh best (out of 21 companies) with an above average 89.9% of trains 'on time' according to Network Rail statistics. The latest figures released by the ORR (Office of Rail Regulation) rate punctuality (PPM) at 93.8% for the third quarter of the 2009/10 financial year. Their MAA (Monthly Annual Average) figure up to 31 December 2009 is up 0.4% on last year at 94.9%. However, the Cambrian Main Line is still a poor performer, with anecdotal evidence suggesting punctuality levels as low as 60%.