South Wales 'Metro' updates

[AdamWW]

The first photograph shows the arrangements before the recent work took place. Passengers walked down the ramp, opened the gate and then turned right onto the crossing. Now there is additional fencing and a "dog-leg" in the path that means you are facing the crossing before you open the gate. This gives you the opportunity to look both left and right down the track before opening the gate

I've just been to have a look.

Curious that there's a dog-leg only on one side. On the other, the "Stop Look Listen" signs are on the rail side of the gate, and indeed there's a stop line painted on the path that suggests they expect you to wait on the rail side of the gate for a train to pass.

And the new surface appears to be peeling off already.

There are also now signs saying that the level crossing is for access to the station only - I presume for legal purposes to avoid establishing a right of way, because clearly they expect and are happy for people to use it otherwise.

it is not clear to me why this work required such a lengthy closure.

The platform extension seems to be coming along nicely anyway.

It's also interesting that despite the lack of trains, the ticket machine will happily sell you a ticket from Ty Glas and the PAYG pole is active.

While I was there, there were a couple of announcements in Welsh but no English version.

 

[MikePJ]

I see the Rhymney line is now booked for a shutdown over the weekend of 6th/7th December, which coincides with the planned energisation of the overhead wires from the recent consultation.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Nov 2025 ==

Cardiff Capital Region (which is the joint organisation made up of all the local authorities in South-East Wales) is voting on a Regional Transport Delivery Plan at a meeting today. The plan being considered today is not currently published, but a previous version was published at their June meeting (see attached - page 47 onwards is the table of schemes to be funded). The plan covers a range of improvements including lots of new cycle/walking routes and road schemes, but there are a few rail-related schemes that relate to station upgrades:

- Caerphilly "interchange" station upgrade (new station building, etc)
- Merthyr Tydfil station upgrade
- Abergavenny bus-rail interchange improvements
- Newport station bus bay upgrades
- Package of bigger rail station upgrades to include: Cogan station; better bus interchange at Cardiff Queen St; Cardiff Central Enhancement Scheme (aka "Metro Central") - new passenger facilities
- Park and Ride upgrades including increasing P&R Capacity in Porth, Pontyclun, Llanharan and Llwynypia.


It's worth noting that whilst the joint authorities have powers over roads, buses and active travel (cycling/walking) schemes they don't have any direct authority over the railway, so that's why no funding is allocated for railway upgrades that aren't to do with access to and from stations.

 

[Cardiff123]

It's worth noting that whilst the joint authorities have powers over roads, buses and active travel (cycling/walking) schemes they don't have any direct authority over the railway, so that's why no funding is allocated for railway upgrades that aren't to do with access to and from stations.

And this final point is why rail infrastructure in Wales needs to be devolved to Welsh Government / TfW ASAP, as there can be no joined up, integrated public transport planning in Wales when buses, roads and active travel are Welsh Government/local authority responsibility, but rail enhancement and renewal schemes are still responsibility of Westminster, and Welsh Govt must take a begging bowl to the UK Treasury every time it wants rail enhancements in Wales, and inevitably to be told "no". (Or as happened this year, get £445m over 10 years, and told to be grateful and champion it as a big win )

 

[Dai Corner]

And since TfW have taken over management of Traws bus routes they have set up lots of through tickets - just put Cardiff and Brecon in the TfW app and you’ll see.

I put that into the TfW website and only got journeys via Neath which takes 2h30m whereas as via Merthyr is just over two hours.

A through Day Return via Neath is £23, a Trawscymru Day Ticket is £13 and Merthyr- Cardiff is £9.20 on a conventional ticket or £8.40 PAYG. so the slower journey is also more expensive.

The bus station in Merthyr has also been moved much closer to the railway station. Though that was before TfW came along, and was my idea.

But why not serve the railway station? There's a bus stop and shelter there

 

[positron]

Did the leg from Merthyr to Cardiff ever actually get subsidy? I was under the impression that was just stagecoach adding a commercial extension to the subsidised T4 section because they felt it was worthwhile doing?

Same reason Stagecoach now still runs an X4 on that southern section.

 

[CapitalStar378]

Well, if that’s the case, the passengers using public transport can always use the hourly bus service that takes 1 hour 20 minutes to reach Cardiff city centre via a circuitous route.

I really can’t understand why the Welsh Government / TFW have not given this line priority for increasing services being as it is the most viable way to reach the airport from both Cardiff and west Wales (via a change at Bridgend).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Nov 2025 ==


Plenty of people who live in Rhoose and Llantwit Major appear to be using the trains on this line. At Rhoose station I have seen lots people with cases making the transfer to/from the shuttle buses to the airport terminal 2 miles away. This line also forms a short cut between Barry and west Wales / Swansea thus avoiding the longer route via Cardiff.

The odds of having a window seat are greater in a single aisle aircraft. Many people will welcome not having to drag up to London to make a trans-Atlantic flight. Landing at Cardiff is also going to be cheaper - hence lower fares.

There are many things which baffle me with the WG but their complete lack of ambition/interest in the airport that they own, and costs them a lot of money, is bizarre.

Will this new CEO be talking to Qatar et. al.? Have TfW been engaged in the airport development plan?

 

[MikePJ]

The shutdown on the Bay branch this week seems to mostly have been for work at Butetown station. The precast blocks that were delivered last week have all been installed to make the new northbound platform. It's difficult to see the platform from street level on the Lloyd George Ave side, but I could see contractors walking about on the new platform and installing fencing. There is a tramway-style crossing being installed at the north end of the platforms, directly opposite the entrance steps. However, this is being fenced off with proper metal fencing (rather than portable site fencing) at the moment, suggesting that the station will likely open with a single platform serving the existing line and under the existing railway rules, before later being converted to double track and tramway rules.

 

[Cardiff123]

Some minor timetable changes for the 'South Wales Metro' area in December, including an hourly Sunday service for Penarth - Coryton and 3 extra services after midnight on Fridays from Cardiff up to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil

 

[John R]

Some minor timetable changes for the 'South Wales Metro' area in December, including an hourly Sunday service for Penarth - Coryton and 3 extra services after midnight on Fridays from Cardiff up to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil

So to be pedantic those extra services are actually on Saturday.

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

Some minor timetable changes for the 'South Wales Metro' area in December, including an hourly Sunday service for Penarth - Coryton and 3 extra services after midnight on Fridays from Cardiff up to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil

They're really going to notice the lack of toilets on the 398s on those late services particularly as hopping off at Ponty won't be an option.

 

[Dai Corner]

They're really going to notice the lack of toilets on the 398s on those late services particularly as hopping off at Ponty won't be an option.

Maybe they should keep a few 150s for those services so they'd have a week to clean before they're needed again?

 

[SWML9102]

They're really going to notice the lack of toilets on the 398s on those late services particularly as hopping off at Ponty won't be an option.

The last service of the day was supposedly going to pause at stations en route which had toilets so passengers could use the facilities. Didn't sound very practical. Maybe that idea has been forgotten about.

 

[MikePJ]

Might it be possible to allocate 756s to the last train of the night and first train in the morning on the TAM lines (would need 3 units) to get around the problem?

 

[Bob Price]

Here's a question? What do they do on the last trains of the day in London, and the Manchester Metrolink, etc. Sorry but they won't be keeping any 150's and having all the drivers retain route knowledge on the 756's for the odd trip is unlikely to happen.

 

[WAB]

Here's a question? What do they do on the last trains of the day in London, and the Manchester Metrolink, etc. Sorry but they won't be keeping any 150's and having all the drivers retain route knowledge on the 756's for the odd trip is unlikely to happen.

Won't the crews retain 756 traction knowledge for the work on the VOG and the Rhymney line?

 

[chargesmith]

Here's a question? What do they do on the last trains of the day in London, and the Manchester Metrolink, etc. Sorry but they won't be keeping any 150's and having all the drivers retain route knowledge on the 756's for the odd trip is unlikely to happen.

I can't see any evidence that they do any extended stops on the Manchester Metrolink late at night - but I can see that the longest end-to-end journey (at least that I could find) was 1hour 20 ish minutes (Rochdale Town Centre to East Didsbury Metro) which is longer than any 398 end to end route which I believe will be just short of one hour (I think Cardiff Central - Treherbert will be 58 minutes once the timetable is tightened up).

 

[Benjwri]

I can't see any evidence that they do any extended stops on the Manchester Metrolink late at night - but I can see that the longest end-to-end journey (at least that I could find) was 1hour 20 ish minutes (Rochdale Town Centre to East Didsbury Metro) which is longer than any 398 end to end route which I believe will be just short of one hour (I think Cardiff Central - Treherbert will be 58 minutes once the timetable is tightened up).

I would say though that that Metrolink journey is unlikely to be carrying anyone from end to end, whereas the TfW is.

 

[chargesmith]

I would say though that that Metrolink journey is unlikely to be carrying anyone from end to end, whereas the TfW is.

It's only one example - there are more extreme examples in light rail out there without onboard toilets - LA Metro A line is over 2 hours end to end and there's a light rail line in Belgium that goes along the coast which is 2h 30 end to end.

I'll leave it there because we are getting off topic though but I do think there's a lot more to be said about the topic which might warrant it's own separate thread.

 

[31160]

Having travelled on thameslink fairly regularly and given how long the journeys on them is far from short, trying to find a working toilet on them can be a issue, just because a train has a toilet fitted doesn't mean they aren't often found locked out

 

[Bob Price]

Won't the crews retain 756 traction knowledge for the work on the VOG and the Rhymney line?

Yes, but they won't continue with route knowledge on the TAM lines.

 

[Dai Corner]

Yes, but they won't continue with route knowledge on the TAM lines.

There are going to be separate Walnut Tree, Canton local and Canton Main Line depots?

 

[edwin_m]

There are going to be separate Walnut Tree, Canton local and Canton Main Line depots?

The Walnut Tree (Taffs Well) depot access tracks have very tight curves that only the tram-trains will be able to use.

 

[BillStampy]

Won't the crews retain 756 traction knowledge for the work on the VOG and the Rhymney line?

Which crews actually operate the VOG services to Bridgend? I vaguely remember it being in the hands of the mainline crews but I could be easily mistaken.

 

[Dai Corner]

The Walnut Tree (Taffs Well) depot access tracks have very tight curves that only the tram-trains will be able to use.

Sorry I meant train crew depots, in the context of route and traction knowledge.

 

[coopermd80]

Some minor timetable changes for the 'South Wales Metro' area in December, including an hourly Sunday service for Penarth - Coryton and 3 extra services after midnight on Fridays from Cardiff up to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil

I wonder why they are only adding the 3 post midnight services on the Friday night, rather than on the Saturday night as well...

 

[John R]

I wonder why they are only adding the 3 post midnight services on the Friday night, rather than on the Saturday night as well...

Saturday night is generally a favourite for engineering work, due to a later start up on Sunday morning. So eating into that extended period with later night services would be problematic.

 

[Christian Schm]

Friday night *and* Saturday night is when decent Metro services run all through the night...

 

[John R]

Friday night *and* Saturday night is when decent Metro services run all through the night...

Manchester’s trams only run until 1am on those days, so clearly that isn’t a decent network either.

 

[MikePJ]

Butetown update: here’s a video showing the new platform.

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

I do wonder who will use Butetown station apart from local residents. I guess it could be useful for CAVC students although that's a pretty rough area to walk through. To be clear, I think it's a useful addition, I'm just not sure how heavy the usage will be to begin with.