The ''Premier Service'' is a passenger train service operated by

Transport for Wales Rail Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government-owned company. It commenced operations of ...

between Holyhead and

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

History

On 15 December 2008, the ''Premier Service'' commenced operating between Holyhead and Cardiff Central. Originally named ''Y Gerallt Gymro'' (

Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taugh ...

), it was funded by the

Welsh Government , image = , caption = , date_established = , country = Wales , address = , leader_title = First Minister () , appointed = First Minister approved by the Senedd, ceremonially appointed ...

as a premium service to connect North and South Wales. Grand Central and Wrexham & Shropshire expressed an interest in operating the service; however, the contract was awarded to

Wales & Borders franchise , image_filename = , image_size = , caption = , nameforarea = service area , regions = Wales, North West England, the West Midlands, and Gloucestershire. , operator = Transport for Wales Rail , dates = 14 ...

holder

Arriva Trains Wales Arriva Trains Wales (ATW; cy, Trenau Arriva Cymru) was a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that operated the Wales & Borders franchise. It ran urban and inter-urban passenger services to all railway stations in Wales ...

. Four Class 57s (57313-57316) were sublet from

Virgin Trains West Coast Virgin Trains (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from 9 ...

to operate in top and tail formation, with one Mark 3 and three Mark 2 carriages. By February 2009, the service was being operated by a single Class 57. In March 2012, the Class 57s were replaced by

DB Schenker DB Schenker is a division of German rail operator Deutsche Bahn that focuses on logistics. The company was acquired by Deutsche Bahn as Schenker-Stinnes in 2002. It comprises divisions for air, land, sea freight, and Contract Logistics. Histor ...

Class 67s. The Mark 2 carriages were replaced with Mark 3s at the same time. It originally ran via

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

but, from September 2012, it was rerouted via Wrexham General after a Driving Van Trailer was added; this allowed the train to change direction at

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. In October 2018, operation of the ''Premier Service'' passed with the Wales & Borders franchise to KeolisAmey Wales. In March 2020, the service was suspended due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

with the Mark 3s withdrawn. It resumed in June 2021 with Class 67 hauled Mark 4s and, as of August 2021, 3 trains in each direction now operate five days a week.

Services

The ''Premier Service'' departs Holyhead at 05:33, 11:33 and 16:36 five days a week; they leave Cardiff Central at 06:45, 11:22 and 17:16. It features first-class accommodation and a dining car with a travelling chef. First class customers have the option of purchasing a breakfast, lunch or dinner, cooked to order, by the on-board chef. Normal standard-class fares are valid on the train. This is the only Transport for Wales service to offer first-class accommodation.First Class
Transport for Wales

References

External links

{{commons category-inline Named passenger trains of the United Kingdom Railway services introduced in 2008 2008 establishments in the United Kingdom