TfW open new training facility

Credit: TfW

Transport for Wales (TfW) have announced the opening of a brand-new training facility which uses a state-of-the-art simulator. One City Place in Chester is where the facility is located. The facility will play a key role in the training of 64 drivers and 56 conductors over the next few year and will also be a training hub for station and ticket office staff, dispatchers, and the depot workforce.

Training simulator

The simulator will allow train drivers to operate brand new Class 197 trains, the first of which are currently in the final stages of testing and colleague training before entry into service this winter.

“We’re delighted to be opening our brand-new training facility in Chester,” Jan Chaudhry-Van der Velde, Managing Director at Transport for Wales, said. “Chester has a long history as a railway city, dating back to the opening of the first railway here in 1840 – our investment in this new facility a stone’s throw away from the station will ensure it will continue to be an important centre for the rail industry for many years to come. One City Place been fitted out to a very high standard, to ensure we’re providing the best possible facilities for our colleagues.”

TfW Managing Director Jan Chaudhry-Van der Velde (right) opens One City Place. Credit: TfW

Investment

TfW is investing more than £800 million in new trains to transform the experience for customers across the Wales and Borders network, allowing TfW to deliver faster, more frequent services with better accessibility and reduced carbon emissions.