TfW class 398 Stadler Citylink tram trains

[chargesmith]

The change of plan presumably being that (for a reason that TfW is unwilling to share) due to the hot weather the Bay service is going back to running as a shuttle service this week.

From https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/tf-w-hot-weather-20260621/, due to the forecast hot weather:

If a new 398 has an unexpected issue or a very old 150 has a failure due to the heat it'll cause a lot more issues that will scupper the rest of the network, sensible decision to protect the other services from delays.

 

[Tram Inn SB]

If a new 398 has an unexpected issue or a very old 150 has a failure due to the heat it'll cause a lot more issues that will scupper the rest of the network, sensible decision to protect the other services from delays.

The Coryton and Bay are both shuttles with a 756 & 150.

 

[AdamWW]

If a new 398 has an unexpected issue or a very old 150 has a failure due to the heat it'll cause a lot more issues that will scupper the rest of the network, sensible decision to protect the other services from delays.

I'm curious - are you privy to TfW's reasoning or is this speculation?

I'm also somewhat puzzled as to why they had to remove the Bay<>Pontypridd services completely, rather than retain the section between the Bay and Queen Street to give the usual badly spaced four trains an hour rather than reducing it to two.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I'm curious - are you privy to TfW's reasoning or is this speculation?

I'm also somewhat puzzled as to why they had to remove the Bay<>Pontypridd services completely, rather than retain the section between the Bay and Queen Street to give the usual badly spaced four trains an hour rather than reducing it to two.

Possibly because, with Pontypridd - Bay services split at Queen Street, they would both need to use the same platform at Queen Street at the same time, so one of them has to go?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jun 2026 ==

First 398 into passenger traffic tomorrow (Tuesday) on a AM only Bay to QS shuttle, the PM services to be a 150.

RTT is still showing through services from Pontypridd to the Bay

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jun 2026 ==

First 398 into passenger traffic tomorrow (Tuesday) on a AM only Bay to QS shuttle, the PM services to be a 150.

When will the last 398 working be (I note that a shuttle is running today, with a 150, with the 1538 from the Bay running to Pontypridd

 

[chargesmith]

I'm curious - are you privy to TfW's reasoning or is this speculation?

I'm also somewhat puzzled as to why they had to remove the Bay<>Pontypridd services completely, rather than retain the section between the Bay and Queen Street to give the usual badly spaced four trains an hour rather than reducing it to two.

Purely my opinion - to me it makes sense to limit the chance of a unit getting into trouble at e.g. Trefforest and holding up all trains on the TAM lines until the blockage is cleared.

If a unit fails on the Queen Street to Bay section its completely isolated from the rest of the network so everything else can still run.

 

[talltaf]

Seen at Pontypridd at 1123

Realtime Trains | 3Q05 1058 Treherbert to Taffs Well Depot | 22/06/2026

Real-time train running information for 3Q05 1058 departure from Treherbert to Taffs Well Depot on 22/06/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Tram Inn SB]

Possibly because, with Pontypridd - Bay services split at Queen Street, they would both need to use the same platform at Queen Street at the same time, so one of them has to go?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jun 2026 ==


RTT is still showing through services from Pontypridd to the Bay

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jun 2026 ==


When will the last 398 working be (I note that a shuttle is running today, with a 150, with the 1538 from the Bay running to Pontypridd

No runs to Pontypridd until tonight.

 

[AdamWW]

Possibly because, with Pontypridd - Bay services split at Queen Street, they would both need to use the same platform at Queen Street at the same time, so one of them has to go?

No because:
1) They're not splitting the service. All they are doing is running between Queen Street and the Bay
2) The Bay line has its own bay platform at Queen Street.

 

[Cardiff123]

TfW must be utterly desperate to get the 398s into passenger service by introducing them during a Red weather warning extreme heatwave. After all this time, delaying by another week surely wouldn't make much difference?
TfW obviously think the risk of bad publicity of one breaking down somewhere with stranded passengers in extreme heat is worth it.
Or they are super confident there are no potential problems with them and they now run faultlessly

 

[Daniel Boone]

TfW must be utterly desperate to get the 398s into passenger service by introducing them during a Red weather warning extreme heatwave. After all this time, delaying by another week surely wouldn't make much difference?
TfW obviously think the risk of bad publicity of one breaking down somewhere with stranded passengers in extreme heat is worth it.
Or they are super confident there are no potential problems with them and they now run faultlessly

Too right. I hope they're not going ahead with the ribbon cutting portion of this introduction.

This does have an opportunity to cause embarrassment for TFW and WG. Saying that they are probably using a unit that has shown itself to be reliable and no doubt one that has seen a number of fixes applied to it.

Here's to hoping things go smoothly, best of luck to the staff on board and those aiding the testing process.

 

[tfw756rider]

From https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/tf-w-hot-weather-20260621/, due to the forecast hot weather:

(now updated)

Direct services between Pontypridd and Cardiff Bay will be cancelled after 13:26 each day. You should use alternative train services, changing at Cardiff Queen Street to complete your journey.

So the 398, tomorrow (Tue 23/6/26) will be doing the (0655 start) Pontypridd-Cardiff Bay-Cardiff Queen Street-Cardiff Bay-Pontypridd circuit afterall?

 

[AdamWW]

TfW must be utterly desperate to get the 398s into passenger service by introducing them during a Red weather warning extreme heatwave. After all this time, delaying by another week surely wouldn't make much difference?

At the moment, tomorrow is "only" amber in Cardiff - it doesn't go red until Wednesday morning.

 

[Snow1964]

TfW must be utterly desperate to get the 398s into passenger service by introducing them during a Red weather warning extreme heatwave. After all this time, delaying by another week surely wouldn't make much difference?
TfW obviously think the risk of bad publicity of one breaking down somewhere with stranded passengers in extreme heat is worth it.
Or they are super confident there are no potential problems with them and they now run faultlessly

Cardiff is on the edge of red alert area, and at Cardiff applies 09:00 Wednesday to 21:00 Thursday

Perhaps there is some contractual or financing obligations to get 398s into service by specific date, the order confirmation is approaching its 8th birthday.

 

[Cambrian359]

TfW must be utterly desperate to get the 398s into passenger service by introducing them during a Red weather warning extreme heatwave. After all this time, delaying by another week surely wouldn't make much difference?
TfW obviously think the risk of bad publicity of one breaking down somewhere with stranded passengers in extreme heat is worth it.
Or they are super confident there are no potential problems with them and they now run faultlessly

Could also be thinking that the optics of cancelling the launch service with new trains because they might not cope with the heat and replacing with a 40 year old train that will cope might not look to good either!

 

[AdamWW]

Could also be thinking that the optics of cancelling the launch service with new trains because they might not cope with the heat and replacing with a 40 year old train that will cope might not look to good either!

Have they actually announced the planned launch tomorrow though?

 

[H&I]

The 06:55 has been updated to show as being operated by 398028 on RTT.

 

[absolutelymilk]

The 06:55 has been updated to show as being operated by 398028 on RTT.

Here's the link for anyone who is following
RTT link

 

[H&I]

A Class 150 is parked in the bay platform at Pontypridd. Could be a spare.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2026 ==

Just got on the first train! There were hardly any enthusiasts as it was a soft launch, even fewer than the 701 inauguration. I got interviewed by someone working for TfW about my first thoughts. I let them know that I love tram-trains and Stadler!

 

[800001]

I thought it was only supposed to be Queen Street to Bay today?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2026 ==

A Class 150 is parked in the bay platform at Pontypridd. Could be a spare.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2026 ==

Just got on the first train! There were hardly any enthusiasts as it was a soft launch, even fewer than the 701 inauguration. I got interviewed by someone working for TfW about my first thoughts. I let them know that I love tram-trains and Stadler!

But, just because you love Stadler, what is your honest opinion after being on one?

 

[talltaf]

Not necessarily, revenue staff are significantly cheaper to employ than Guards.

Not necessarily, definitely. There are already sufficient drivers and conductors to staff the trains (even if some of them require additional training) but with the limited number of revenue staff, the entire hiring process is expensive and time-consuming.

 

[SuperLuke2334]

Do we know what the agreed method of work on these is in relation to door operations now?

 

[BillStampy]

Currently onboard the unit on its way to Pontypridd.
One thing to note is that there's a particularly rough section of track between Cathays and Llandaf.

Apart from that, these are lovely! The seats have a fair bit more padding than they look to have in pictures, sat down and was pleasantly surprised!

 

[Small George]

Had a brief jaunt on the first run from Cathays to the Bay and back to Queen Street - all seemed well, definitely excited for these from a passenger perspective! Very bright and airy with the large windows, feels like a more open 756 (unsurprisingly). Acceleration definitely very strong, and the ride was good at least on that section. Dwell times were much lower than the flirts - overheard train crew chatting with another spotter confirm they're using driver open guard close, but doors also seem slightly faster. Was pretty warm when I got on, definitely not even sub 3C ambient, but it felt like the aircon was slowly kicking in by the time I got off so will see how that goes today.

 

[H&I]

I thought it was only supposed to be Queen Street to Bay today?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2026 ==


But, just because you love Stadler, what is your honest opinion after being on one?

We’re going back to Pontypridd as we speak, after doing a return to Cardiff Queen Street.

For a tram-train, the ride is very smooth, and the hunting oscillations aren’t too severe even at speed. The seats are also pretty comfortable for the short distances the train serves. The gap fillers come out very quickly which helps with dwell time. It’s very quick off the mark as one would expect from a tram-style vehicle. Level boarding is the obvious big benefit over the Sprinters.

All in all, a very good train. I have no major complaints. For minor complaints, I feel like the air conditioning could be stronger, though perhaps I’m used to strong air conditioning on vehicles as someone from Hong Kong. There are a few loose panels which rattle when the train goes over poor quality track. There are a few problems with the information displays. Longer station names, such as Cardiff Queen Street get cut off and some of the staff weren’t too familiar with new systems, but I assume those will be ironed out.

One thing about its aesthetics I find slightly off is how thin and tall it looks. It seems a bit disproportionate but that might just be me.

Overall, despite teething issues, I love this train, and I think it will go its job really well.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2026 ==

Do we know what the agreed method of work on these is in relation to door operations now?

The guard buzzes three times, the driver buzzes three times back and then closes the doors.

 

[BillStampy]

The guard buzzes three times, the driver buzzes three times back and then closes the doors.

It reminds me of the Voyager door procedure in a way. Feels quite similar but obviously is slightly different.

 

[H&I]

We’re going back to Pontypridd as we speak, after doing a return to Cardiff Queen Street.

For a tram-train, the ride is very smooth, and the hunting oscillations aren’t too severe even at speed. The seats are also pretty comfortable for the short distances the train serves. The gap fillers come out very quickly which helps with dwell time. It’s very quick off the mark as one would expect from a tram-style vehicle. Level boarding is the obvious big benefit over the Sprinters.

All in all, a very good train. I have no major complaints. For minor complaints, I feel like the air conditioning could be stronger, though perhaps I’m used to strong air conditioning on vehicles as someone from Hong Kong. There are a few loose panels which rattle when the train goes over poor quality track. There are a few problems with the information displays. Longer station names, such as Cardiff Queen Street get cut off and some of the staff weren’t too familiar with new systems, but I assume those will be ironed out.

One thing about its aesthetics I find slightly off is how thin and tall it looks. It seems a bit disproportionate but that might just be me.

Overall, despite teething issues, I love this train, and I think it will go its job really well.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2026 ==


The guard buzzes three times, the driver buzzes three times back and then closes the doors.

Just confirmed with the guard. It’s “one pause two” and the driver does a visual check before closing the doors.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2026 ==

It’s in service until 13:20, if people want to check it out.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2026 ==

I just noticed this, but the windows have a honeycomb pattern on them. Particularly visible against the sunlight. Not sure what that’s for.

 

[John R]

I just noticed this, but the windows have a honeycomb pattern on them. Particularly visible against the sunlight. Not sure what that’s for.

Maybe in case they ever get reallocated to the Manchester Bee Network....

 

[AdamWW]

I just noticed this, but the windows have a honeycomb pattern on them. Particularly visible against the sunlight. Not sure what that’s for.

FLIRTs have something similar. I have read that it's to improve mobile phone signals. Somehow.

I find it fairly inoffensive unlike a DB unit I went on last year where it was extremely intrusive.

 

[chargesmith]

There are a few problems with the information displays. Longer station names, such as Cardiff Queen Street get cut off and some of the staff weren’t too familiar with new systems, but I assume those will be ironed out.

Whilst these aren't too serious, I expect that a lack of staff knowledge from experience to deal with issues that arise is going to be the main risk to having units taken out of service.

The units are proven to work from the testing runs but if something odd happens during public service and the staff onboard don't know exactly what to do then it'll end up going back to the depot.

Believe this happened quite a bit with the 756s early on.

Either way, getting one out is an important step. I wonder how people are finding the onboard temperature given all the fuss people have made on here about supposedly not having strong enough AC?

 

[H&I]

Whilst these aren't too serious, I expect that a lack of staff knowledge from experience to deal with issues that arise is going to be the main risk to having units taken out of service.

The units are proven to work from the testing runs but if something odd happens during public service and the staff onboard don't know exactly what to do then it'll end up going back to the depot.

Believe this happened quite a bit with the 756s early on.

Either way, getting one out is an important step. I wonder how people are finding the onboard temperature given all the fuss people have made on here about supposedly not having strong enough AC?

The interior is too warm for my liking, and I notice that some the staff were also holding handheld fans as well, so it’s not just me. I can hardly feel the change in temperature when boarding. There isn’t that rush of cool air I’d expect. Hopefully it is a setting issue rather than the air conditioning already being at its limits.