South Wales 'Metro' updates

[Kite159]

I wonder how much time they would save running a late running Coryton train nonstop to Coryton from Heath with any passengers on board wanting the intermediate stations told to remain on board for the return from Coryton.

I know it will mean anybody from those intermediate stations heading towards Coryton will get delayed but if otherwise the train is spun at Heath they would still get delayed.

 

[AdamWW]

The exact same happens with Penarth, there was a point failure a couple of weeks ago near Cadoxton they used the Penarth "sidings?" to reverse the Barry Trains, which resulted in services being cancelled, including Coryton, for a points failure many miles away and not even on this line!

Ah yes. I remember them putting a failed train in the Heath "sidings" once.

Also known as the Coryton line, and therefore no service until they'd got it back out again.

I wonder how much time they would save running a late running Coryton train nonstop to Coryton from Heath with any passengers on board wanting the intermediate stations told to remain on board for the return from Coryton.

I know it will mean anybody from those intermediate stations heading towards Coryton will get delayed but if otherwise the train is spun at Heath they would still get delayed.

They skip stops sometimes, but it's rare now. It used to be more common. I don't know why they normally just turn trains round short instead. No doubt TfW have their reasons.

Before Ty Glas closed they would skip stops between Ty Glas and Coryton but for some reason Ty Glas always got a stop.

Not always towards Coryton - sometimes it would be going the other way.

Combined with a quick turnaround at Coryton if I recall correctly this would generally recover an inbound delay of up to around 8 minutes.

I suppose the rationale is to disrupt the least amount of people, delay repay now also gives them a financial incentive as well.

And also perhaps the idea that people can just catch the bus on these routes.

But the current decision making seems to heavily prioritise avoiding the risk of a train leaving the branch even a couple of minutes late at the expense of large disruption on the branch.

 

[Ib5]

Latest guess / plan / estimate for the recontrol of Rhymney Valley signalling from Wales ROC Cardiff to Taff Wells Pebble is now Easter 26.

We’ll see, until this work does happen the Cardiff Bay “improvements” and Queen Street remodelling won’t be commissioned.

 

[trainspotter4]

What remodelling is being done to Queen Street, I check the consultations quite regularly and never seen anything for it but this will definitely be me.
Also can the 398s run on Cardiff Bay without the switch to line of sight which I'm assuming depends upon signalling moving from Wales ROC (as they were hoping end of 25)?

 

[Ib5]

I’m not privy to the plans, but there’ll be a re orientation of the south junction to make the “main” route towards the Bay and the “branch” towards Central.

This will require addtional pointwork, some of it is already in place.

 

[tigermonstera]

Also can the 398s run on Cardiff Bay without the switch to line of sight which I'm assuming depends upon signalling moving from Wales ROC (as they were hoping end of 25)?

Yes — the current plan is for them to run in 'train mode' when they're first introduced on the Bay Line.

Initially the units will operate similarly to their heavy rail predecessors, including on the Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay branch. Subsequently, the branch will close for a period for introduction of line-of-sight operation by ‘398s’, introducing light rail principles to the Core Valley Lines (CVL). The final stage will commence when Phase 1 of Cardiff Crossrail opens in 2029. This will introduce on-street running with Class 398s.

(Source)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Sep 2025 ==

What remodelling is being done to Queen Street, I check the consultations quite regularly and never seen anything for it but this will definitely be me.

Post #6,506 has some details on the works.

 

[tfw756rider]

Yes — the current plan is for them to run in 'train mode' when they're first introduced on the Bay Line.

Modern Railways said: Waiting patiently: a row of TfW Rail Class 398 tram-trains stands at Taff’s Well depot on 3 June. From left to right are Nos 398001/011/004, an unidentified unit, 398015/005, an unidentified unit and 398010. Richard Clinnick

Drivers will be trained in three stages on the fleet of Class 398 Stadler CityLink tram-trains, Transport for Wales has told Modern Railways.

Modern Railways said: Initially the units will operate similarly to their heavy rail predecessors, including on the Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay branch. Subsequently, the branch will close for a period for introduction of line-of-sight operation by ‘398s’, introducing light rail principles to the Core Valley Lines (CVL). The final stage will commence when Phase 1 of Cardiff Crossrail opens in 2029. This will introduce on-street running with Class 398s.

Modern Railways said: The tram-trains are based at a new depot in Taff’s Well and began test running on the CVL in April. On 22 May, Dan Tipper, TfW Chief Infrastructure Officer, said the initial phase had been completed, which entailed making sure the vehicles worked with the infrastructure. “Right now we’ve got proving…

(Source)

Post #6,506 has some details on the works.

Does anyone in here know the date of the article? I can't stand when it's not stated. Also, past dates of "3 June", "April" and "22 May", but all without years.

 

[chrisjo]

Does anyone in here know the date of the article?

Just search on the article title and you'll soon find this...

 

[tfw756rider]

View attachment 188455

Ah, the article is dated the 17/6/25, many thanks. This also means that the "3 June", "April" and "22 May" dates being referred to are the 3/6/25, April 2025 and the 22/5/25, which make a lot more sense than without the years.

That looks like a link/thumbnail from another article, and I did see such links/thumbnails on the page of the 398 one, but I wasn't sure which one to click on that would've caused it to show up.

Daft that the dates for articles other than the one being read are shown, but not the one for the article being read!

 

[John R]

Ah, the article is dated the 17/6/25, many thanks. This also means that the "3 June", "April" and "22 May" dates being referred to are the 3/6/25, April 2025 and the 22/5/25, which make a lot more sense than without the years.

That looks like a link/thumbnail from another article, and I did see such links/thumbnails on the page of the 398 one, but I wasn't sure which one to click on that would've caused it to show up.

Daft that the dates for articles other than the one being read are shown, but not the one for the article being read!

Not really, as the publication will assume that people will have clicked through from a page on its website that will have had the date.

 

[chrisjo]

Daft that the dates for articles other than the one being read are shown, but not the one for the article being read!

Annoying, yes, very. You shouldn't need to do this, but for future reference you can often find a date stamp in the page source. In this case:

 

[tfw756rider]

Here's the fixed (non-paywalled part of the) article, with the date of the article stated before the text, and the inclusion of years in the three past dates mentioned:

Three-stage training for Class 398s

(Modern Railways, 17/6/25)

Waiting patiently: a row of TfW Rail Class 398 tram-trains stands at Taff’s Well depot on the 3/6/25. From left to right are Nos 398001/011/004, an unidentified unit, 398015/005, an unidentified unit and 398010. (caption for the photo, attached, which is by Richard Clinnick)

Drivers will be trained in three stages on the fleet of Class 398 Stadler CityLink tram-trains, Transport for Wales has told Modern Railways.

Initially the units will operate similarly to their heavy rail predecessors, including on the Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay branch. Subsequently, the branch will close for a period for introduction of line-of-sight operation by ‘398s’, introducing light rail principles to the Core Valley Lines (CVL). The final stage will commence when Phase 1 of Cardiff Crossrail opens in 2029. This will introduce on-street running with Class 398s.

The tram-trains are based at a new depot in Taff’s Well and began test running on the CVL in April 2025. On the 22/5/25, Dan Tipper, TfW Chief Infrastructure Officer, said the initial phase had been completed, which entailed making sure the vehicles worked with the infrastructure. “Right now we’ve got proving…

 

[positron]

Is there any update on the driver training of the 398s are we likely to actually get them running to the bay by the end of the year. It'd be a major step towards finishing this phase of the metro project.

 

[tfw756rider]

Not really, as the publication will assume that people will have clicked through from a page on its website that will have had the date.

Annoying, yes, very. You shouldn't need to do this, but for future reference you can often find a date stamp in the page source.

Many thanks both

 

[Cardiff123]

Deleted, posted in error

 

[MikePJ]

When I moved to Penarth in September of 2022, the train service to Cardiff was so unreliable that it was common for two consecutive trains to be cancelled on my journey home from work, so I switched to cycling instead. The rail service on a Sunday used to be two-hourly and finished at 2030. At least now it’s hourly and runs until 2130. Pay as you go has made it cheaper and more convenient, too.

Yes, the project delivery is slow, and the communication could be better, but things are getting finished. There’ll be some more changes in the coming months, including the opening of additional toilets at the TAM line stations.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Sep 2025 ==

Speaking of delays, the Bay line is supposed to have its wires energised this weekend, but there’s no evidence of a shutdown (it’s possible it gets done overnight) - does anyone know if this is going ahead?

 

[positron]

I'm not sure on any go live but when I was last there the OLE looked as complete as it's possible to confirm with an untrained eye. Given there's no level crossings or over bridges I imagine turning it on is quite simple. That being said I'm not aware of any of the usual safety campaigns to educate the locals not to touch the wires.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Sep 2025 ==

Speaking of toilets, I seem to recall recently seeing that Tfw had completed toilets at one of the stations but I can't find which one. Can anyone confirm if this is the case and which station it was that got its new toilet.

 

[tigermonstera]

I believe at least Aberdare, Treorchy, and Merthyr Vale have have had the buildings installed. Not sure if they’re complete yet though.

 

[John R]

I believe at least Aberdare, Treorchy, and Merthyr Vale have have had the buildings installed. Not sure if they’re complete yet though.

Worth noting for those who have criticised TfW for not having completed them yet that at the moment, the rolling stock being used still have toilets, so it’s not as though the delay has disadvantaged anyone.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

I believe at least Aberdare, Treorchy, and Merthyr Vale have have had the buildings installed. Not sure if they’re complete yet though.

Haven't noticed Merthyr Vale but Merthyr Tydfil has got the new building - don't know if it's plumbed in yet.

 

[positron]

Interesting that's different to the most up to date project document I've seen.

According to that, the extras will be

Treherbert, Tonypandy, Abercynon, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, and Radyr.

Perhaps they decided to add some additions if they've got easy to install pods for them.

Merthyr Vale is a good halfway point between Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil for example.

 

[J663738]

I see today's Cable theft has cancelled trains between Rhmney and Bargoed.

Incident: Bargoed | National Rail

Lines reopened: disruption to / from Rhymney: buses replace trains between Bargoed and Rhymney. Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

There was also a cable theft last Thursday night that resulted in Trains between Caerphilly and Bargoed being cancelled on Friday.

Seems a complete coincidence (not), that the line has been closed for signalling and OLE work over the summer.
Does anyone know is it the yet to be energised overhead cables or the trackside ones that are being taken.

Not sure what can be done to stop this?? I know covert cameras are used, but the thieves most likely long gone before the BTP arrive.

 

[Cardiff123]

I see today's Cable theft has cancelled trains between Rhmney and Bargoed.

Incident: Bargoed | National Rail

Lines reopened: disruption to / from Rhymney: buses replace trains between Bargoed and Rhymney. Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

There was also a cable theft last Thursday night that resulted in Trains between Caerphilly and Bargoed being cancelled on Friday.

Seems a complete coincidence (not), that the line has been closed for signalling and OLE work over the summer.
Does anyone know is it the yet to be energised overhead cables or the trackside ones that are being taken.

Not sure what can be done to stop this?? I know covert cameras are used, but the thieves most likely long gone before the BTP arrive.

Fully energised, electrified fences running along both sides of the railway? (I'm not joking)
Electrified 3rd rail would've been ideal in the Valleys instead of OHLE to deter this sort of thing happening. (Yes, I know any new 3rd rail is not allowed now)

 

[chrisjo]

Does anyone know whether they still intentioned to introduce step free access from the street to platform at Heath High Level?

Had a good look at the steps up to the southbound platform at HHL yesterday. It looks to me like the whole lot will be collapsing in the near future anyway. Quite apart from the ongoing crumbling away of the concrete steps themselves, the blocks on which the temporary scaffolding supporting structure rests appear to be on their last legs, the same applies to the similar supports which are holding up the platform itself.

 

[MikePJ]

I’ve just found this pre-announcement of tender saying that TfW are seeking a company to rebuild Heath High Level and construct Crwys Road, with a timescale of March 2026 to November 2027. The full tender is due to come out at the end of September.

Crwys Road and Heath High Level station construction projects - Find a Tender

www.find-tender.service.gov.uk

Description​

Market engagement for the construction projects at Heath High Level and Crwys Road stations for Transport for Wales, as shown in below UK1 notices
Heath High Level OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-055abc
Crwys Road OCID ocds-h6vhtk-055abf

Total value (estimated)​

• £11,399,999 excluding VAT
• £13,680,000 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Contract dates (estimated)​

• 19 March 2026 to 10 November 2027
• 1 year, 7 months, 23 days

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Sep 2025 ==

Further rummaging in tender websites has turned up a tender request for the trackwork at Queen St and on the Bay line, with this being programmed for a posession in “early 2027”. https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP545924

TfW is looking to appoint a suitably qualified and competent contractor to undertake complex track works and associated level boarding works at Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay Stations. The work scope is comprised of various track renewal schemes in the areas of Cardiff Queen Street Station and Cardiff Bay, the primary elements being the remodelling of Cardiff Queen Street and the doubling of the line to Cardiff Bay. The works are naturally linked through their geographical location and through the requirement to deliver the works in a dedicated extended track possession in early 2027. Outside of Cardiff Queen St and Cardiff Bay, there are other remaining track works across CVL (including Pontypridd Station) to be delivered including level boarding sites where design is yet to be completed.

 

[positron]

Further rummaging in tender websites has turned up a tender request for the trackwork at Queen St and on the Bay line, with this being programmed for a posession in “early 2027”. https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP545924

Welp that pretty much confirms 4tph is still over a year away from happening...

 

[tigermonstera]

Good spot — Interesting that the Bay and Queens Street track works are being delivered under a separate tender.

Heath High Level works are described as:

Works relating to construction at Heath High Level Station, including new lift with bridge link to platform, new staircases, rail replacement and platform strengthening works

There is an attached Powerpoint on the CQS and BAY tender detailing the works, including a diagram of the CQS works.

Welp that pretty much confirms 4tph is still over a year away from happening...

I think the latest date is late 2027 for 4tph on TAM.

 

[MikePJ]

Good spot — Interesting that the Bay and Queens Street track works are being delivered under a separate tender.

Heath High Level works are described as:

There is an attached Powerpoint on the CQS and BAY tender detailing the works, including a diagram of the CQS works.


I think the latest date is late 2027 for 4tph on TAM.

Thanks! The powerpoint says works are scheduled for June 26 and April 2027, so definitely no 4tph until mid-late 2027.

 

[Cardiff123]

Thanks! The powerpoint says works are scheduled for June 26 and April 2027, so definitely no 4tph until mid-late 2027.

Hopefully the introduction of the 398s is not dependent on the introduction of 4tph to the heads of the Valleys, as nearly all of the 150s will have dropped dead by then.

 

[John R]

Hopefully the introduction of the 398s is not dependent on the introduction of 4tph to the heads of the Valleys, as nearly all of the 150s will have dropped dead by then.

It's the other way around. The 398s will be introduced (relatively) soon, and only when the whole fleet is ready, and enough staff recruited trained, and any infrastructure work completed that 4tph will be introduced.