chargesmith
Member
I know I've said this 3 times now but it looks like a 398 will actually be out tomorrow:
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TfW class 398 Stadler Citylink tram trains
- Thread starter Bob Price
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StripeyNick
Member
Was on 398030 when it got taken out of service earlier today at Taffs Well with an MCB fault (according to the driver). Quite a minimal delay. It was sent straight into the depot and a 756 picked everyone up about 5 minutes later.
Looks like 398031 came out to take over the diagram
Looks like 398031 came out to take over the diagram
Kite159
Veteran Member
Would be good if it does pop out so I can hopefully give one a try
should be 31
chargesmith
Member
Yeah 031 is on the diagram today. First Sunday service by a 398.
EveningStarr
Member
398023 out in service for the first time today I believe, starting with 3B00 Taff Dep - CDQ, then 2B00 0632 CDQ-CDB. Diagram TW302.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G39044/2026-09-08/detailed#allox_id=0
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G39044/2026-09-08/detailed#allox_id=0
StripeyNick
Member
Yup, first passenger turns for that one. Another for the list.
22 was soon fixed!
trainspotter4
Member
Not sure if I'm reading this right but just looking through RTT then, all the units which left this morning for service have been pulled and are in the process of being swapped out or have stopped moving, is there a wider issue?
tfw756rider
On Moderation
Thanks for letting us know both
The entry-to-service of 398023 'today' (Tue 8/9/26) now means that 11 (of 36) 398s have been in service:
398017-018, 398021-025, 398028-031
The number of 398s still to enter service is down to 25:
398001-016, 398019-020, 398026-027, 398032-036
=============================
The overall number of new Transport for Wales (TfW) trains that have been in service is now up to 122 (of 148):
76 (of 77) 197s
All 11 231s
11 (of 36) 398s
All 24 756s
This leaves 26 new TfW trains still to enter service:
1 197
25 398s
Markdvdman
Member
25 398s yet to be in service is a joke when they said 2023! For all the ex moaning and complaining how bad the 398s are this is not a good look! Less than a third in testing is bad! However, they do have no choice and we need to see testing of 3+3 units for peak times that is the game changer! Sort that and we have half a chance!
chargesmith
Member
All looks OK at the moment but we now have 022, 029 and 030 out so it looks like two units were swapped. Appears to have happened at different times so likely two separate issues.
Chris125
Established Member
What would you have done differently?
Philip Roberts
Member
What is the next milestone? Is it working in tandem?
XCTurbostar
Established Member
- Joined
- 13 Sep 2014
- Messages
- 2,509
Has the ORR approved interoperability with pairs yet? That will come first.
These three units have been out before, so it's still only 11 out of 36 units that have seen public service.
I think it's now safe to say that TfW's very public announcement last spring that the 398s would be introduced on the Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr lines "later this summer" was overoptimistic. A forum member who said at the time that the timescale was unachievable, and that it would more likely be 2027, was vilified for saying so.
There is clearly something very wrong with these units, and with the entire project, and I can't help feeling that there is a wilful blindness on this forum to those issues and a refusal to even discuss them. That, to me, would be a much more interesting discussion than cheering every time one more unit manages to make its way out of the depot.
I'd really like to know, for example, why two of the three units that were out in public service yesterday were apparently pulled during the day and replaced with other units, but anyone with inside knowledge that is not upbeat and positive gets treated very badly here.
chargesmith
Member
This could happen as early as next week:
That forum member made some unbelievably outlandish claims, completely destroying any credibility. These units seem to be being introduced carefully, which given the recent history of new trains seems entirely sensible. Take a look at the 810 thread if you want a real horror story
chargesmith
Member
The careful approach likely also explains why units are being taken out of service so frequently, especially as whenever it happens the same units are often out again the next day.
My theory is that any issue (no matter how small) leads to a return to depot for investigation.
Even the one that actually needed to be rescued has been out again since.
Peter Sarf
Established Member
+
+
Thanks all. List duly updated.
Surely a new low in the railway making recovery of a failed train farcically difficult!
chargesmith
Member
How would you have recovered the failed unit from the Queen Street bay platform?
craigybagel
Established Member
- Joined
- 25 Oct 2012
- Messages
- 5,826
You could question the reliability of any TOCs announcements about introducing a new fleet over the last 10 years. It was hardly a master stroke suggesting that there were likely to be issues here. It was the other posts, many of which were demonstrably inaccurate, that got the poster "vilified".
As painful as it is, it's hardly the first time a broken train has required both top&tailing and a 5mph speed limit. If the nature of the fault means the brakes can't be relied upon, then you either do that or load it on the back of a truck.
Amongst the many things that forum member said, was, in Post 1559, after a list of things that were apparently wrong:-
Well here we are four months later with 3 units performing all day diagrams, and on the face of it, with reasonable reliability for a brand new fleet. Yes of course there will be some failures, but TfW are being very sensible in phasing their introduction with a route where a failure will have minimal impact, allowing a shakedown of the units in service for any problems to emerge that weren't seen in non-passenger testing (which often happens).
BillStampy
Established Member
TfW seem to have withdrawn the TAM line running plans for next week, which I'm not entirely shocked about, but hopefully it's still not long away. We shall see! (Paths have now disappeared on RTT and replaced with paths from Canton for a 756 to do the diagram instead)
As an outsider looking in for a little while it does seem that the units and the introduction has been pretty troubled and still appears to be so despite the best efforts of the maintenance teams I`m sure and even more so than the 197s ?
On a personal note I would like to know the technical problems encountered each time and if they are reoccurring on a regular basis ?