 Owned by Angel Trains, they were originally leased to First North Western, before transferred to Arriva Trains Wales and then Transport for Wales.In July 1997, North West Trains placed an order with Alstom for 27 sets.The original order was for eleven two-carriage units with a top speed of 100 mph, seven three-carriage units with a top speed of 100 mph and nine three-carriage units with a top speed of 125 mph.