TfW sees record usage on key cross-border Wrexham to Bidston line

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, travelled on the Wrexham to Bidston railway line earlier this week to see the results of recent service improvements and hear directly from passengers.

A full 100% of journeys on the key cross-border line are now operated by new trains, while train cancellations have dropped to just 1.8%.

Across North Wales more than 87% of rail journeys are now on the upgraded fleet, according to Transport for Wales (TfW).

Since the timetable revision in December 2024, the Borderlands Line – which runs through Flintshire, Wrexham, and into the Wirral – has seen significant changes including the addition of eight extra trains a day.

This has helped reduce delays and cancellations and improve reliability.

[Class 230 at Shotton Railway Station]

Passenger usage on the line has also surged. March 2024 saw 31,482 people using the service – the highest monthly total since before the pandemic – and 21,000 more than in March 2023.

Ken Skates said: “It is great to see our £800m investment in brand new trains come into fruition and hear first-hand from passengers how the changes we have made to this important line is making a real difference to their journeys.

“After listening to customer feedback, we worked closely with rail user groups and TfW to understand what passengers wanted so that we could bring about much-needed change. The Wrexham–Bidston line is a key cross-border link, and it’s good to see these positive changes.”

The line now runs a mix of Class 230 and Class 197 trains, replacing ageing 1980s Sprinter units.

The Class 230s, introduced in early April 2023, are hybrid diesel/battery trains built using retired London Underground components.

Despite a delayed rollout and ongoing reliability challenges, they have helped increase the number of services.

Brand new Class 197 diesel units were brought onto the line in November 2023.

[Class 197, leaving Shotton Railway Station]

These trains, combined with a revised timetable introduced in December, have aimed to stabilise the service and allow more efficient turnarounds.

In June 2023, TfW published a five-step plan to address concerns over poor performance on the line. At the time, Deputy Minister for Transport Lee Waters said it was important for the government “to face the music” over the criticisms, admitting the situation had been “awful.”

The Wrexham to Bidston service has long been viewed as a vital element of the wider £50 million North Wales Metro programme, which set out to transform public transport across the region. However, much of the broader programme appears to have stalled in recent years.

Plans to double the frequency of services on the Borderlands Line to two per hour by May 2022 were delayed due to a clash between applications from TfWRL and GB Railfreight, raising questions about future capacity management on the route.

Despite these challenges, TfW and the Welsh Government say the recent improvements are a step towards more sustainable, cross-border connectivity for passengers in North East Wales.