South Wales 'Metro' potential works, expansions and impact of possible road schemes on the railway

[Last Hurrah]

Moderator note: Split from

South Wales 'Metro' updates

I thought it would be worthwhile to start a discussion on the South Wales 'Metro'. Basically, this is the scheme to enhance transport links across south east Wales. One of the key issues that needs to be addressed is what form of transport will be used on the Cardiff Valley lines network -...

www.railforums.co.uk

Is Ely Mill station going to happen even if it follows after Gabalfa ?

The housing estate appears to be nearing completion while the City Line underpass to access the footbridge over the nearby SW mainline to Cowbridge Road is now open

 

[chargesmith]

Is Ely Mill station going to happen even if it follows after Gabalfa ?

The housing estate appears to be nearing completion while the City Line underpass to access the footbridge over the nearby SW mainline to Cowbridge Road is now open

I still think it's proposed only. To my knowledge the only confirmed new stations on the Metro are:

Butetown (under construction)
Crwys Road (planning documents published, no construction start)
Treforest Estate relocation (no plans published but the track has been relocated to allow for an island platform in it's likely location)
Gabalfa (no plans published)

Ely Mill is just one of many places they should consider building new stations on the Metro and once the new tram trains are in service hopefully the case for additional stops will be easier to justify.

 

[CapitalStar378]

Apart from the 1 mile long Bay line, Cardiff has been overlooked in the entire Metro project. Has the Coryton line passing loop progressed at all do we know? A decent 4tph service would take a lot of cars off the road and the current 2tph, with many curtailed, is not encouraging enough people to use the line (albeit it's busier with the new trains). The City line train frequency is connected to the Cardiff West Junction improvements, but Coryton is the Cinderella of the CVL.

 

[John R]

Apart from the 1 mile long Bay line, Cardiff has been overlooked in the entire Metro project. Has the Coryton line passing loop progressed at all do we know? A decent 4tph service would take a lot of cars off the road and the current 2tph, with many curtailed, is not encouraging enough people to use the line (albeit it's busier with the new trains). The City line train frequency is connected to the Cardiff West Junction improvements, but Coryton is the Cinderella of the CVL. It seems like a no-brainer to extend it to M4 J32 for a park and ride too, and it must be relatively cheap with the track bed intact.

The priority in the SW Metro project was to improve connectivity to the more deprived valleys, not relatively affluent North Cardiff.

The funding to put a passing loop in on the branch was only secured a few months ago, along with an enhancement at Cardiff West junction which is an integral part of the scheme.

 

[AdamWW]

Apart from the 1 mile long Bay line, Cardiff has been overlooked in the entire Metro project. Has the Coryton line passing loop progressed at all do we know?

No. Well, not on the ground anyway.

A decent 4tph service would take a lot of cars off the road and the current 2tph, with many curtailed, is not encouraging enough people to use the line (albeit it's busier with the new trains)

it does now have a half hourly service (almost) all evening now though, rather than going to hourly and then worse as it used to.

The City line train frequency is connected to the Cardiff West Junction improvements

Possibly increasing the frequency to Coryton requires that too so you have somewhere to put the extra 2 trains per hour.

 

[chargesmith]

it does now have a half hourly service (almost) all evening now though, rather than going to hourly and then worse as it used to.

And a Sunday service too!

 

[CapitalStar378]

The priority in the SW Metro project was to improve connectivity to the more deprived valleys, not relatively affluent North Cardiff.

The funding to put a passing loop in on the branch was only secured a few months ago, along with an enhancement at Cardiff West junction which is an integral part of the scheme.

Appreciate that the north Cardiff suburbs may be relatively affluent, but the road traffic situation in Cardiff is pretty dire.

Does anyone know when the passing loop works are likely to happen? Is this contingent on Cardiff West junction? Thanks

 

[WelshBluebird]

I am sure people who live near Taffs Well, Llandaff and Cathays stations will slightly disagree that the frequency uplift those stations will see wont help them!

 

[positron]

There's occasional updated on Crwys Road. Last I saw, it was on track (no pun intended) for a 2028 opening. If that's still correct, we may see some work happening by the end of the year. That would be the final original metro piece, although Gabalfa station was also planned and there's been absolutely no movement on that (the land was purchased years ago).

There was also a relocation of Treforest Estate that seems to have gone completely silent. I wonder if COVID has changed the need for this.

Gabalfa was planned to be funded by income from the metro originally so with COVID and overunning metro it's possible the money just isn't there. I expect they might delay that to the 2030s.

 

[AdamWW]

I am sure people who live near Taffs Well, Llandaff and Cathays stations will slightly disagree that the frequency uplift those stations will see wont help them!

And we already have trains every 10 minutes each way at Lisvane, Llanishen and Heath High Level which I think is a considerable improvement.

And a Sunday service too!

Very true. I had forgotten about that.

 

[Smwrff]

Cardiff has heavily benefitted due to increased frequency on some of its lines - but there is plenty of outstanding work to do...

 

[chargesmith]

There was also a relocation of Treforest Estate that seems to have gone completely silent. I wonder if COVID has changed the need for this.

If I was in charge I wouldn't be prioritising this, whilst it is important it's much more impactful to build stations where there currently are none than move one a few hundred metres down the line.

I still think Treforest Estate is an important station for commuting, education and leisure though (and the new location makes a lot more sense for the last two) but you also need to build a new river bridge for access and I don't see that happening for a while.

There's a bit of derelict land where any bridge access would be so interested to see if the new station would have car parking.

They could also make the existing station more attractive with better pedestrian access, especially improved lighting and CCTV on the access paths for a lot less money than a new station. It's not the nicest place to go after dark.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jun 2026 ==

Gabalfa was planned to be funded by income from the metro originally so with COVID and overunning metro it's possible the money just isn't there. I expect they might delay that to the 2030s.

This station has the potential to be very well used with residential access to the north, retail and park and ride access to the south and also the possibility of direct secure access to Talybont student halls.

 

[enapace]

If I was in charge I wouldn't be prioritising this, whilst it is important it's much more impactful to build stations where there currently are none than move one a few hundred metres down the line.

I still think Treforest Estate is an important station for commuting, education and leisure though (and the new location makes a lot more sense for the last two) but you also need to build a new river bridge for access and I don't see that happening for a while.

There's a bit of derelict land where any bridge access would be so interested to see if the new station would have car parking.

They could also make the existing station more attractive with better pedestrian access, especially improved lighting and CCTV on the access paths for a lot less money than a new station. It's not the nicest place to go after dark.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jun 2026 ==


This station has the potential to be very well used with residential access to the north, retail and park and ride access to the south and also the possibility of direct secure access to Talybont student halls.

Where exactly is the Gabalfa station going ?

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

Where exactly is the Gabalfa station going ?

Gabalfa is a bit of a misnomer for it. It's actually on the Mynachdy estate behind Mynachdy Rd.

 

[enapace]

Gabalfa is a bit of a misnomer for it. It's actually on the Mynachdy estate behind Mynachdy Rd.

Oh you mean basically opposite side of tracks to the Aldi ?

 

[Philip Roberts]

Oh you mean basically opposite side of tracks to the Aldi ?

Exactly there. That derelict piece of land was bought up years ago for it

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jun 2026 ==

Oh you mean basically opposite side of tracks to the Aldi ?

It's an old coal yard apparently

 

[Christian Schm]

I still think it's proposed only. To my knowledge the only confirmed new stations on the Metro are:

Butetown (under construction)
Crwys Road (planning documents published, no construction start)
Treforest Estate relocation (no plans published but the track has been relocated to allow for an island platform in it's likely location)
Gabalfa (no plans published)

Ely Mill is just one of many places they should consider building new stations on the Metro and once the new tram trains are in service hopefully the case for additional stops will be easier to justify.

Also confirmed are

• Cardiff East (Newport Road)
• Newport West
• Somerton
• Llanwern
• Magor & Undy

And I have heard that WG have recently said they'll do Cardiff Parkway too (that is, use public money to build it). Not sure if that counts as 'confirmed' though

There's occasional updated on Crwys Road. Last I saw, it was on track (no pun intended) for a 2028 opening. If that's still correct, we may see some work happening by the end of the year. That would be the final original metro piece, although Gabalfa station was also planned and there's been absolutely no movement on that (the land was purchased years ago).

The land necessary for Abertillery station was even bought around 2010. I presume it is still owned by BGCBC...

 

[slowroad]

Also confirmed are

• Cardiff East (Newport Road)
• Newport West
• Somerton
• Llanwern
• Magor & Undy

And I have heard that WG have recently said they'll do Cardiff Parkway too (that is, use public money to build it). Not sure if that counts as 'confirmed' though



The land necessary for Abertillery station was even bought around 2010. I presume it is still owned by BGCBC...

Lots of things that are “confirmed” are then indefinitely postponed or cancelled…..

 

[chargesmith]

Also confirmed are

• Cardiff East (Newport Road)
• Newport West
• Somerton
• Llanwern
• Magor & Undy

And I have heard that WG have recently said they'll do Cardiff Parkway too (that is, use public money to build it). Not sure if that counts as 'confirmed' though

Ah yes of course, in my mind these weren't metro stations but on second thoughts they are even though they are on the main line.

 

[trainspotter4]

Also confirmed are

• Cardiff East (Newport Road)
• Newport West
• Somerton
• Llanwern
• Magor & Undy

And I have heard that WG have recently said they'll do Cardiff Parkway too (that is, use public money to build it). Not sure if that counts as 'confirmed' though



The land necessary for Abertillery station was even bought around 2010. I presume it is still owned by BGCBC...

Slightly on and off topic, has anyone seen or heard any updates for Cardiff Parkway? It got confirmed UK Government will contribute a percentage on the spending review but silence really other than that...?

 

[MikePJ]

Lots of things that are “confirmed” are then indefinitely postponed or cancelled…..

Modern Railways this month has an analysis piece looking at the outcome of the Senedd elections. They point out that if the new Plaid government goes ahead with a relief road in Newport then the justification (in Benefit to Cost Ratio terms) for the Burns stations will collapse and they will likely be cancelled to free up money for the road.

EDIT - adding direct quotes:

If a new road is to be built, the business case for the rail investment will be altered, because the future road alternative will be modelled as faster, more reliable and having more capacity for traffic growth.

When deliberating on whether to cancel the Burns stations, Plaid Cymru ministers might notice the relatively weak Benefit to Cost Radios. In the 2023 business case, the core scheme, where the stations would be served by 3tph, had a BCR of 1.14. Should the service be limited to 2tph, the BCR would be 0.58. However, BCRs can be a poor reflection of the transformative impacts of rail investment.

 

[positron]

Modern Railways this month has an analysis piece looking at the outcome of the Senedd elections. They point out that if the new Plaid government goes ahead with a relief road in Newport then the justification (in Benefit to Cost Ratio terms) for the Burns stations will collapse and they will likely be cancelled to free up money for the road.

I suspect that some will still end up happening, Cardiff East especially Cardiff council will still want for their crossrail future. Also given both will be Capex they could just do both.

More on topic, for crossrail phase 1 I wonder how much provision has been provided for the ramp etc? I wonder if the second line at the bay has been delayed in part, so they can just get the switches etc at Bute town in place from the get go? I notice there's a large part of the embankment to the north with a fancy new wall that looks about the right location for the ramp to go.

 

[MikePJ]

That wall was explicitly mentioned in an earlier TfW press release - it's made from concrete blocks that lock together, so when it needs to be removed to make way for the tram ramp, the blocks can be lifted out and re-sold/re-used, rather than having to torn about and ground up into hardcore.

The Crossrail works programme consists of a Highways work package led by Cardiff Council (so that's utility diversions, road rearrangement, etc) and then a rail/tram package led by TfW.

 

[Dr Day]

Also given both will be Capex they could just do both.

Maybe, but can any additional services that will be needed to serve the new stations operate without subsidy ie 'net opex'? Or are the new 'Metro' stations planned to be served simply by adding calls into the existing services with associated slower journeys? The additional run time could proportionally be quite a lot in say a TfW Gloucester-Cardiff service with 5/6 extra stops between Severn Tunnel Junction and Cardiff, even with an upgraded relief line. But probably straying a bit off topic for an updates thread.

 

[cloakanddagger]

Modern Railways this month has an analysis piece looking at the outcome of the Senedd elections. They point out that if the new Plaid government goes ahead with a relief road in Newport then the justification (in Benefit to Cost Ratio terms) for the Burns stations will collapse and they will likely be cancelled to free up money for the road.

Hasn't the business case already been submitted for the upgrading of the relief lines? Given that it's NR infrastructure I assumed the money pot for that would come from DfT, along with the new stations.

 

[Daniel Boone]

Modern Railways this month has an analysis piece looking at the outcome of the Senedd elections. They point out that if the new Plaid government goes ahead with a relief road in Newport then the justification (in Benefit to Cost Ratio terms) for the Burns stations will collapse and they will likely be cancelled to free up money for the road.

https://nation.cymru/news/gridlock-fears-after-minister-takes-m4-relief-road-off-the-table/

Deputy transport minister Mark Hooper said the proposal for a new stretch of motorway bypassing Newport to the south “isn’t a credible option for us” and Plaid Cymru was “taking it off the table".

 

[Dr Day]

Hasn't the business case already been submitted for the upgrading of the relief lines? Given that it's NR infrastructure I assumed the money pot for that would come from DfT, along with the new stations.

Are they the same business case, or two separate ones?

 

[slowroad]

https://nation.cymru/news/gridlock-fears-after-minister-takes-m4-relief-road-off-the-table/

He said that in respect of the black route rejected by the previous administration. He also said that all other road options remain on the table, and these include other routes. That said I’d be surprised if any were taken forward.

 

[takno]

Hasn't the business case already been submitted for the upgrading of the relief lines? Given that it's NR infrastructure I assumed the money pot for that would come from DfT, along with the new stations.

Not absolutely sure in Wales, but in Scotland the Scottish government are largely in charge of specifying and paying for upgrades on three Network Rail Scotland route

 

[Dai Corner]

Not absolutely sure in Wales, but in Scotland the Scottish government are largely in charge of specifying and paying for upgrades on three Network Rail Scotland route

That's because railway infrastructure is devolved to the Scottish Government. in Wales only the 'core valley lines' are devolved.