Trains users in Mid Wales are getting an early look at the shape of things to come - after Transport For Wales began rolling out a new look for their trains.

New bilingual wraps which cover the outside of the former Arriva rolling stock, printed in Transport for Wales’ silver and red colours with additional anti-graffiti laminate, are set to give the carriages a new look.

The project involved stripping existing signage, full preparation of the underlying surfaces, corrosion treatment, and repainting, before applying the new wraps.

The company says it will take 12 months to wrap the entire fleet of 127 trains, and the work will also see a refurbishment of the train interiors.

Colin Lea, Transport for Wales customer experience director, said: “We’re delighted with how the trains are looking and we’ve already had dozens of customers telling us how smart they are looking.

“While we will be introducing new trains in the coming years, we recognise how important it is to give customers the best experience as soon possible, which is why we are investing £40 million in the current fleet, transforming them inside and out.

The current fleet of trains will be used until new trains are introduced in 2023, with the new trains set to be branded with Transport for Wales’ full livery.

“Improving the appearance of the trains is one of a number of improvements customers will soon notice as a result of this investment. It will also fund customer experience and accessibility improvements and additional services.

“Sustainability is a guiding principle for Transport for Wales, so we took the opportunity to choose a film with such impressive credentials to update the graphics of our fleet and reduce our carbon footprint.”

The company says work is being carried out in the Alstom train depot in Chester without having to have the trains moved to a special facility.

The work was coordinated with the normal maintenance procedures for the trains, organised as continuous day and night-time shifts over a single weekend for each train set, to ensure zero disruption of passenger services.