Transport for Wales Class 197 Review - Does New Mean Better?

In this video, we check out Transport for Wales' new CAF trains from Cardiff Central to Swansea. The question is, are they an upgrade on what they replaced?
Date of travel: Wednesday 31 January 2024.
Class of travel: Standard class.
Rolling stock: Class 197 DMU.
Train identity: 1B33.
Train type: Express Passenger.
Unit number: 197013.
Operator: Transport for Wales (AW).
Ticket type: Off-Peak Day Return.
Ticket cost: £7.30 with railcard discount.
Starting station: Cardiff Central [CDF].
End station: Swansea [SWA].
Additional information:
I forgot to mention in the video that there's no catering on this service, so if you want food and drink, then you'll need to bring your own.
There's also only standard class seating.
All information derived from Realtime Trains.
Realtime Trains: www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/.
OpenTrainTimes: www.opentraintimes.com/maps.
I'm on X (formerly Twitter): / pulsarnix .
#review
#transportforwales
#class197
#caf

[@peterdowden7694]

Disappointing to see trains still being built without level access to the platform. These are part of a previous generation of trains in design terms.

[@Pulsarnix]

I very much agree. It's one of the reasons why I love the Stadler FLIRTs.