South Wales 'Metro' updates

[s17663]

They said earlier that there was a broken rail and they were waiting for someone to turn up to sort it out but as (some) services seemed to be still running, I'm not sure how broken it actually was.

Nevertheless, on the whole the Valley Lines seem to be quite a lot more reliable at present than they were not so long ago

Another incident today, departure boards said “broken rails in Penarth area” Given this is the second time in 10 days, maybe a track replacement on the Penarth line is needed?

 

[Envoy]

‘Wales This Week’ on ITV Wales tonight at 7.30pm - Friday 2 October 2026 - will be covering transport issues in Wales. Should be of interest?

 

[56xx]

‘Wales This Week’ on ITV Wales tonight at 7.30pm - Friday 2 October 2026 - will be covering transport issues in Wales. Should be of interest?

Anybody able to provide a link to this? Can not get it to play.

 

[CapitalStar378]

Does anyone know what the issue with the Coryton line was yesterday? Lots of cancellations allegedly due to a signalling issue.

 

[Coleridge]

Does anyone know what the issue with the Coryton line was yesterday? Lots of cancellations allegedly due to a signalling issue.

Allegedly? Are you suggesting that TfW is being anything other than completely open and honest with its customers?

There were some signalling issues at Cardiff Central yesterday, which is all TfW usually needs to start cancelling services on the Coryton line. Creative solutions, such as running a shuttle between Coryton and Heath LL to connect to Cardiff and beyond, are probably just too much trouble for them.

I don't actually know the reason. But I live on a branch that has had all its trains cancelled three times in the past month allegedly due to a broken rail.

 

[CapitalStar378]

Allegedly? Are you suggesting that TfW is being anything other than completely open and honest with its customers?

There were some signalling issues at Cardiff Central yesterday, which is all TfW usually needs to start cancelling services on the Coryton line. Creative solutions, such as running a shuttle between Coryton and Heath LL to connect to Cardiff and beyond, are probably just too much trouble for them.

I don't actually know the reason. But I live on a branch that has had all its trains cancelled three times in the past month allegedly due to a broken rail.

I'm very much suggesting that!

Poor old Coryton needs to be upgraded from a sacrificial lamb, it's infuriating and I live in south London, but use it when I'm home. Even as an occasional user I experience so many cancellations.

 

[AdamWW]

Poor old Coryton needs to be upgraded from a sacrificial lamb, it's infuriating and I live in south London, but use it when I'm home. Even as an occasional user I experience so many cancellations.

It's got a lot better. Still not great though.

 

[cloakanddagger]

I tried to use the Coryton line recently when I went for a walk from Radyr station through forest farm country park/long wood nature reserve. The wait for the next train from Coryton when I got there was so long it was quicker to just walk back to Radyr station and get a train from there back to queen street.
The line needs a more frequent and more reliable service, especially given how large of a catchment area it serves. Hopefully a passing loop will remedy some of the line's problems.

 

[Christian Schm]

Chepstow line has only 1tph too, and the spring TfW update suggested that that changing that is not a priority. I really struggle to the case of 4tph when so many other lines haven't even got 2tph...

 

[AdamWW]

I tried to use the Coryton line recently when I went for a walk from Radyr station through forest farm country park/long wood nature reserve. The wait for the next train from Coryton when I got there was so long it was quicker to just walk back to Radyr station and get a train from there back to queen street.

You must walk quite fast!

Unless it was a Sunday or there was a cancellation.

Chepstow line has only 1tph too, and the spring TfW update suggested that that changing that is not a priority. I really struggle to the case of 4tph when so many other lines haven't even got 2tph...

I'd say generally the shorter the journey the more frequency matters in getting people to use trains - it also doesn't take as many additional trains and crews to achieve an increase in frequency.

 

[positron]

Chepstow line has only 1tph too, and the spring TfW update suggested that that changing that is not a priority. I really struggle to the case of 4tph when so many other lines haven't even got 2tph...

Chepstow line absolutely needs more services but the south Wales valleys has a population nearing 1 million. Chepstow, caldicot and lydney has like 50,000, being generous. Some areas absolutely warrant more services than others.

2TPH should be a minimum everywhere though. The fact Maesteg still hasn't got there's is crazy.

 

[Dr Day]

Chepstow line absolutely needs more services but the south Wales valleys has a population nearing 1 million. Chepstow, caldicot and lydney has like 50,000, being generous. Some areas absolutely warrant more services than others.

2TPH should be a minimum everywhere though. The fact Maesteg still hasn't got theirs is crazy.

Chepstow and say Bargoed (one of the bigger places on the Rhymney line) both have a population of around 12k.

TfW don’t even run hourly from Chepstow in the morning peak - Cross Country provide the main commuter service to Newport, Cardiff and Severn Tunnel J for onward journeys with GWR to Bristol. Hopefully GBR will continue this provision and increase it off peak which is probably a more cost effective way for the UK taxpayer of Chepstow getting 2 tph than TfW running additional services.

 

[edwin_m]

Chepstow and say Bargoed (one of the bigger places on the Rhymney line) both have a population of around 12k.

The total population served by a route is more important in determining the demand than the population of one of several settlements served. Also, other things being equal fewer people will travel to the major destination (Cardiff in this case) from origins that are further from it.

 

[Envoy]

Chepstow is at the outer eastward limit of the SE Wales Metro contactless area & hopefully that has encouraged greater use of the railway? To drive from Chepstow to Cardiff is a nightmare what with the M4 at Newport and massive congestion on the A48 Eastern Avenue. A large hike in price between Lydney & Chepstow could well induce Lydney people to drive to Chepstow to catch trains - even though parking is limited. In addition, Lydney only has an hourly service whilst Chepstow has a half hourly frequency at certain times of the day - well, the trains have to slow down to take the sharp bend in anycase.

Having 2 coach trains (TFW & Cross Country) operate on this route can't do much to increase patronage. (I see today that 153’s are on the Cardiff to Cheltenham route).

My photo below shows the Cross Country Cardiff to Edinburgh service pulling out of Chepstow as a TFW Cheltenham to Cardiff train arrives.

 

[The exile]

Also, it's pointless double tracking all the way up the Valleys if the bottleneck of Queen Street north bridge remains.

That would be true if the reason for redoubling were to be to add yet more services. If the point is to improve the reliability / resilience of the service at the maximum throughout of that bridge, then it’s not - though good luck with justifying the cost on those grounds alone!

 

[WelshBluebird]

Re Chepstow one of the burns stations proposals has a 2nd train per hour upto Cheltenham, so presumably calling at Chepstow etc too. So it is being looked at.

 

[cloakanddagger]

You must walk quite fast!

Unless it was a Sunday or there was a cancellation.



I'd say generally the shorter the journey the more frequency matters in getting people to use trains - it also doesn't take as many additional trains and crews to achieve an increase in frequency.

It must've been a cancellation because the next train on the board wasn't due for 50 minutes after I got there.

Chepstow is at the outer eastward limit of the SE Wales Metro contactless area & hopefully that has encouraged greater use of the railway? To drive from Chepstow to Cardiff is a nightmare what with the M4 at Newport and massive congestion on the A48 Eastern Avenue. A large hike in price between Lydney & Chepstow could well induce Lydney people to drive to Chepstow to catch trains - even though parking is limited. In addition, Lydney only has an hourly service whilst Chepstow has a half hourly frequency at certain times of the day - well, the trains have to slow down to take the sharp bend in anycase.

Having 2 coach trains (TFW & Cross Country) operate on this route can't do much to increase patronage. (I see today that 153’s are on the Cardiff to Cheltenham route).

My photo below shows the Cross Country Cardiff to Edinburgh service pulling out of Chepstow as a TFW Cheltenham to Cardiff train arrives.

I was on one of those voyager services earlier this year and it was absolutely rammed. The conductor started allowing standard class passengers into first class to try and reduce crowdedness. It does couple with an extra unit at Birmingham from what I remember but between Cardiff and B'ham it is effectively a 3 carriage unit, still wholly unsubstantial for a service travelling through multiple fairly large towns and cities.

 

[AdamWW]

It must've been a cancellation because the next train on the board wasn't due for 50 minutes after I got there.

That or you hit the train they miss out to provide a path for the rail head treatment train so it doesn't have to do the branch after close of service.

 

[Coleridge]

That would be true if the reason for redoubling were to be to add yet more services. If the point is to improve the reliability / resilience of the service at the maximum throughout of that bridge, then it’s not - though good luck with justifying the cost on those grounds alone!

For the past 15 years, I've been visiting Switzerland several times a year to photograph the Rhaetian Railway (RhB), and in that time have seen them construct or extend countless passing loops for the sole purpose of making the service more reliable. Immediately north of Poschiavo station, for example, the track has been doubled for a distance of about a km, solely in order that a northbound train doesn't have to wait at the station for a minute or two for a delayed southbound train. It's an extraordinary investment, but also evidences an attitude to the operation of a train service that we in south Wales can only dream of.

Of course, it has a downside, too, as double-tracked line is a lot less photogenic than single track, particularly when set against glorious Alpine scenery.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Oct 2026 ==

The TfW website no longer provides an end date for the expected disruption on the Bay line, but merely says that it will continue "until further notice". This has been updated in the past couple of days, which suggests that the 398s might be out of action for a good while yet.

(I posted this in the dedicated thread for the 398s but, because of the double post prevention system, that thread is still stuck halfway down page 2 of the forum.)

 

[Envoy]

I was on one of those voyager services earlier this year and it was absolutely rammed. The conductor started allowing standard class passengers into first class to try and reduce crowdedness. It does couple with an extra unit at Birmingham from what I remember but between Cardiff and B'ham it is effectively a 3 carriage unit, still wholly unsubstantial for a service travelling through multiple fairly large towns and cities.

That is the *lone Cross Country Voyager between Cardiff (departure 9.45 weekdays only) & Edinburgh via York & Newcastle. It therefore is bound to attract longer distance passengers and was pretty full when I travelled on it. Looks to me like it should be a 5 car unit and clearly demonstrates the demand for through services between Cardiff and the NE of England. (Edinburgh is about 1 hour quicker via Crewe and the west coast route). I understand that LUMO plan to run services between Cardiff & York so that will certainly be most welcomed and ease the loadings on the present services.

*The 13.05 from Edinburgh (weekdays only) is the direct Voyager to Cardiff via Newcastle - train splits at Gloucester. Goodness knows why they don't run on Saturdays?

 

[edwin_m]

That is the *lone Cross Country Voyager between Cardiff (departure 9.45 weekdays only) & Edinburgh via York & Newcastle. It therefore is bound to attract longer distance passengers and was pretty full when I travelled on it. Looks to me like it should be a 5 car unit and clearly demonstrates the demand for through services between Cardiff and the NE of England. (Edinburgh is about 1 hour quicker via Crewe and the west coast route). I understand that LUMO plan to run services between Cardiff & York so that will certainly be most welcomed and ease the loadings on the present services.

*The 13.05 from Edinburgh (weekdays only) is the direct Voyager to Cardiff via Newcastle - train splits at Gloucester. Goodness knows why they don't run on Saturdays?

It runs in the path that is a Nottingham 170 in other hours, a 3-car 170 has about the same number of seats as a 4-car Voyager and the 170s are normally pretty full. So I'm not sure how many passengers are using it between Wales and beyond Derby.

 

[Envoy]

It runs in the path that is a Nottingham 170 in other hours, a 3-car 170 has about the same number of seats as a 4-car Voyager and the 170s are normally pretty full. So I'm not sure how many passengers are using it between Wales and beyond Derby.

The 1st Class was also pretty full when I travelled on the Voyager as far as Chepstow. It also stops at Worcestershire Parkway where no doubt it loads more passengers. The Plymouth to Edinburgh also stops at Worcestershire Parkway a few minutes after the Cardiff train so presumably few people get on board. (The two trains dock in Birmingham).

Anyway, we are off topic here so if anyone wants to continue discussing the provision of services between south Wales and the north-east, I guess they should start a new thread.

 

[Bob Price]

Transport for Wales are advertising consultations for an extension from Aberdare to Hirwain. They have a page dedicated to it, the link is below: https://haveyoursay.tfw.wales/aberdare-to-hirwaun

 

[Coleridge]

In its consultation document, TfW says:

The Aberdare line already delivers strong performance, with over 90% of services arriving within three minutes of schedule during 2025/26. The Metro Extension would build on this, extending the benefits of reliable public transport in the Upper Cynon Valley.

I'm not sure that having almost 10% of your local train services arrive more than three minutes late, on lines that are fully owned and carry no other operators' trains, is something to be so proud of. I certainly wouldn't describe it as "strong performance", and don't understand why TfW's expectations of its own operational ability are so low.

As desirable as the extension to Hirwaun might be (the Tower colliery site, alongside the upgraded Heads of the Valleys road, would make an excellent park-and-ride location), I can't imagine it happening. The document admits that there is no funding for it, and the governments in both Cardiff and Westminster have little money and much greater priorities. And TfW is currently demonstrating, right across its network, that it could not run the proverbial party in a brewery.

 

[John R]

As desirable as the extension to Hirwaun might be (the Tower colliery site, alongside the upgraded Heads of the Valleys road, would make an excellent park-and-ride location), I can't imagine it happening. The document admits that there is no funding for it, and the governments in both Cardiff and Westminster have little money and much greater priorities. And TfW is currently demonstrating, right across its network, that it could not run the proverbial party in a brewery.

I think that's rather negative. Hirwaun has always been very high up the list of possible extensions, and given the track was in use until a few years ago, restoration would be relatively cheap, given that it would run (as I understand it) as a tramway.

I would have thought that four new stations would enable better use of the extension though. Maybe they could also be built consistent with the light rail approach to minimise costs.

 

[MikePJ]

Section 106 money from the Tower Colliery redevelopment could well be part of the funding.

 

[Coleridge]

I think that's rather negative. Hirwaun has always been very high up the list of possible extensions, and given the track was in use until a few years ago, restoration would be relatively cheap, given that it would run (as I understand it) as a tramway.

I would have thought that four new stations would enable better use of the extension though. Maybe they could also be built consistent with the light rail approach to minimise costs.

Negative, but (I think) realistic. Nothing is cheap, nor even "relatively cheap" on Britain's railways, and TfW's consultation document details the things that would need to be done:

While the railway corridor remains in place, a significant amount of work would be required before passenger services could return. This includes:
• Replacing railway track
• Upgrading level crossings
• Improving drainage
• Addressing areas affected by landslips and flooding
• Installing signalling and communications systems
• Assessing and repairing existing bridges and structures

Presumably, some electrification work would also need to be done? And it might require more trains, and possibly passing loops, if the promise to operate four tph to the top of each valley is to be kept. (Assuming trains to Aberdare would all continue to Hirwaun/Tower.)

We'd all love to see new railways and new services, but I really think that TfW should focus on improving its existing network before thinking of expanding. Having more than one train per hour on Sundays, and the first train earlier than 9.30, on the Penarth line would be a good start: the current timetable makes it impossible to get to London before midday on a Sunday, and requires a 30-minute wait at Cardiff Central on the outward journey and a full hour on the way back.

 

[Daniel Boone]

I don't see them progressing with this extension for many years.

As far as new stations are concerned, I think that they should prioritise the delivery of promised stations that don't require the extension of the railway, Crwys Road, Ely Mill, Gabalfa etc

 

[positron]

Hirwaun has to happen if Plaid are to ever be taken seriously. They've been asking for it for decades and now have the power to deliver. The infrastructure is mostly all there, level crossings they can part fund from road budget hopefully. Signalling should be trivial given they could use line of sight operation.

Like yes their current system is lacking but if they ever get the 398s running they need to then justify them.

 

[Envoy]

The extension to Hirwaun would be a quick win and help justify the use of Tram-trains. The proposal does not include a station where the line goes under the A4069 - which I would have thought was an obvious place for a station with parking being the nearest point to outlying places such as Penderyn. Ideally, such a station could be served by a bus link to Tower zip line and in the other direction - Penderyn - both for the locals and tourists to the distillery and footpath to Scwd-Yr-Eira Waterfall. (This would also help even out the flow of passengers with commuters heading south to Cardiff & tourists heading north).

Meanwhile - while much progress has been made on valley to coast routes in the SE Wales Metro area, virtually nothing has happened regarding east - west routes. The previous Labour administration got Lord Burns to produce a report focusing on the east - west route & he recommended 5 new stations between Severn Tunnel Junction & Cardiff. Having stopping trains on this route utilising the 4 track electrified railway seems like a helpful solution to easing congestion on the M4. So far nothing has happened - zilch. So all talk and no action to crack on with it. Perhaps if the Welsh Government controlled the rail infrastructure in Wales - they would have got on with it?

Anyway, Mark Hooper - the Plaid Cymru Transport Minister was on Politics Wales this morning talking about the Newport problem (M4) and the Menai Straits - where there is a desire to see a new road bridge. He suggested that M4 junctions around Newport could be sealed off. Perhaps instead of wasting another 18 months for talk and no action, they should seal off the said junctions with cones for a couple of days and see the chaos that will surely ensue? For starters, people from Pontypool wishing to drive east on the M4 would surely divert via Usk to reach the M4. It’s not just Newport that will be jammed but a wider area would be impacted.

You can see the Mark Hooper interview here - a pity he was not asked about the laid up 197’s and the failure to get the 398’s into service despite them being at Taff’s Well for about 3 years:>

Politics Wales - 11/10/2026

All the latest political news from Wales and beyond, presented by Nick Servini.

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