No decision made on Talerddig crash Class 158s as Transport for Wales accepts new units

The two diesel multiple units involved in the Talerddig head-on collision in October (158824/841) remain at Machynlleth depot, where they remain as part of the investigation into what happened.

Given that the Class 158s are due to be retired in the next few months, there is little likelihood of both being repaired. But it is possible that the ‘good’ vehicles of each unit could be used either to form a hybrid unit or to strengthen other Class 158s to three-car sets.

Transport for Wales has confirmed that apart from the six Class 153/5 ‘bike units’, which will be retained for working on the Central Wales line in pairs with other Class 153s, all Class 150s, ‘153/0s’, ‘153/9s’ and ‘158s’ will be returned to their owners once all the Class 197s, ‘398s’ and ‘756s’ have been accepted into passenger use.

The modified bike trains will be paired with another ‘153’, and not with a ‘197’. There will be ten bike spaces on the modified unit, with 42 fixed seating spaces plus two more bike spaces on the second unit.

TfW has now accepted more of the Class 197s, with just two-car 197022/023/025-028/032/036- 041 and three-car 197123/126 still to be added to the fleet.

Once in use, that will give TfW 51 two-car Class 197/0s and 26 three-car Class 197/1s, of which 197003/022-041 have European Train Control System (ETCS) fitted to allow Class 158s to be replaced on the Cambrian lines west of Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli.

While initial trials of ETCS Class 197s have started on the Cambrian lines, using ETCS units, they have yet to start working trains on the routes, although several are now entering traffic on other routes.

TfW said: “We are actively looking to introduce new trains earlier than planned between Shrewsbury and Birmingham. Every effort is being made to get them into service to alleviate some of the crowding problems customers are seeing. We are planning for the first to enter service in spring 2025.

“Because the Cambrian line uses a specialist signalling system, further operational work is required to introduce the trains between Pwllheli, Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury. But we expect to complete this towards the end of 2025.”

The plan to eliminate Class 150s has been ongoing since the middle of last year, with 150227 stood down in July. It was followed by 150230/237 in September and 150250 in December. On January 7, 150237 was taken by road for scrapping, followed by 150230 the day after.

The plan for the run-down of the fleet should lead to 150253 being stood down in February, 150229 in March, 150240 in April, 150235 in May, 150255 in June, 150231 in July, 150257 in August, 150213 in September, and 150217 in October or November. The plan is to have the fleet down to 21 units by the end of the year.

As of the end of December 2024, 756105-108/111/114-117 had all been accepted into passenger use, while crew training and testing on the new Class 398 tram-trains is expected to start in the first half of 2025.

Having electrified the Merthyr, Aberdare and Treherbert lines, including the route from Pontypridd to Cardiff via Llandaff and Ninian Park, the remaining parts of the network to be energised are Coryton to Cardiff Queen Street and Caerphilly to Cardiff Queen Street.

Both are due in February, to be followed by Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay in the spring and Caerphilly to Rhymney in late 2025.