Taffs Well Mockups
Introduction
When purchasing new rolling stock, manufacturers send wooden mockups to operators to demonstrate the specification. Our community and stakeholder engagement team used these to support a range of activities to learn about the new units and talk about transport.
Well-being goals
Whilst the metro stabling for the new tram-trains was being built next door, Transport for Wales hosted over 800 visitors to the mock ups from across Wales and the Borders, to allow them to experience the trains themselves.
Some of these people have been trainee drivers who would go on to drive the real units across Wales and Borders. We also welcomed stakeholders like Transport for Greater Manchester, Railfuture and Friends of the Earth come to visit them.
Perhaps most importantly, the mockups site also received a great number of students and primary school children, as well as students from schools with additional learning needs. We want to help everyone to understand the changes we are making to the railways so that they can be a part of it, and to generate some excitement around some real life examples of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).
Ways of working
This series of events allowed us to demonstrate our new Class 197 CAF ‘Civity’ and Class 398 Metro ‘Tram-Train’ vehicles, using life-sized mockups, to our colleagues their friends and families. With fun activities delivered by coworkers from across the business, we were able to showcase the future of our fleet, and the transport system we envision.
It’s important to us that our work doesn’t stop at the delivery of transport projects, or the operation of transport services, but that we can create opportunities to learn and generate discussion.
From train drivers to primary school children, government ministers to local resident groups, visitors have enjoyed learning about how Transport for Wales is transforming travel and connectivity, leaving excited for the future.
Jamie Warner
Community Engagement Officer, Transport for Wales
