Members of the public have had a sneak preview of the brand new trains that are promised to transform and improve transport on three routes from Pembrokeshire.

The first Class 197 train with its Made in Wales tag was recently revealed to the public, offering a taste of what’s to come for customers in the next few months.

TfW is spending £800 million on new trains throughout the network and in Pembrokeshire the Class 197 will be rolled out on the Milford Haven to Manchester; Fishguard to Cardiff and Pembroke Dock to Swansea routes.

Offering leather seats, modern air conditioning systems, wider doors and customer information screens, it is said that the new trains will transform the customer experience.

They’ve also been fitted with electronic charging points and disability features for those with limited mobility.

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The Class 197 will offer an increase in capacity, reduced emissions and enhanced comfort onboard.

These trains will allow TfW to run faster and more frequent services to key routes including to destinations such as Fishguard, Holyhead and Liverpool.

The new trains will be the first of the brand-new stock to enter service in north Wales before the end of this year.

“These new vehicles represent a real transformational improvement on the trains that they will be replacing, providing comfortable and frequent services, encouraging people to leave their cars behind and move onto a more sustainable form of transport,” said deputy minister for climate change with responsibility for transport, Lee Waters.

Alexia Course, TfW’s director of transport operations, added: “At Transport for Wales we’re continually moving forward with our transformational plans to improve public transport for the people of Wales and the borders.

“The Class 197s will be an important part of the transformation of the Wales and Borders network, and when they enter service, they will enable us to run more services and carry more customers in comfort.

“It’s also important to recognise that these trains have been made in Wales at the CAF factory in Newport and the building of them has provided jobs and supported the local economy.”

Our trains are being built in Wales to serve the Welsh communities”