On June 4, 2018, the Welsh Government appointed KeolisAmey, a joint venture created by Keolis and Amey, to manage the operation of its national railway network.
1,623 killimeters long, this railway network comprises 247 stations and over 2,000 employees. Over the life of the contract, KeolisAmey is envisaging the creation of 600 new jobs and 450 new apprenticeships (30 every year).
For the next 15 years, KeolisAmey and Transport for Wales will share the ambition to propose a renewed, modernized mobility offer to the 32 million annual passengers travelling on the network, in particular thanks to the renovation of railway infrastructure and rolling stock.
2.1 billion euros ($2.46) will therefore be invested from October 2018 to:
- renovate the 247 existing stations and create 4 new ones,
- replace a large part of the existing fleet with 148 new trains. By 2023, the average age of the fleet will therefore fall from 25 years to 7 and 95 percent of the journeys will be carried out on new trains,
- create extra services on Sundays (+61 percent), thereby switching to a continual 7-day service for the first time,
- invest in new technologies to optimise the overall performance of the network,
- develop new digital services (new website, application, on-board Wi-Fi).
This is therefore a major win for the Group, as it allows it to become one of the leading players of rail in the UK while also reinforcing its expertise in rail.
Keolis reinforces its presence in the UK
Based in the UK since 1996, Keolis, which already employs 13,300 people in the country, has become a benchmark operator with the award of several emblematic contracts, notably in London, Manchester and Nottingham. Keolis has partnered with various British companies and created several joint ventures to operate five other networks.
KeolisAmey, the joint venture created by Keolis and the British company Amey in 2014, already operates:
- The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) elevated automatic metro system in London, since 2014: 40 km of track, 45 stations and 125 million annual passengers.
- Greater Manchester’s Metrolink, the UK’s largest tram network, since 2017: 96 km of track, 93 stations and 41 million annual passengers.
With its British partner the Go-Ahead Group, through the Govia joint venture, Keolis operates:
- The Southeastern railway network, in the London area, since 2006: 1,751 km of track, 176 stations and 82 million annual passengers.
- The Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) network, in the London area, since 2014: 1,186 km of track, 239 stations and 327 million annual passengers.
- Finally, with the company Wellglade Limited through the Tramlink Nottingham joint venture, Keolis operates:
- The Nottingham tram network, since 2011: 32 km of track, 51 stations and 18 million passengers per year.
