South Wales 'Metro' updates

[Kite159]

"Transport for Wales has now electrified 99% of the railway lines in South East Wales as part of the South Wales Metro."

99%, really?

Including all those massive gaps around Cardiff Queen Street & other places where they decided overhead wiring would be too hard. I guess they are not classing the Ebbw Vale line as part of South East Wales

 

[Bob Price]

"Transport for Wales has now electrified 99% of the railway lines in South East Wales as part of the South Wales Metro."

99%, really?

Including all those massive gaps around Cardiff Queen Street & other places where they decided overhead wiring would be too hard. I guess they are not classing the Ebbw Vale line as part of South East Wales

Yes, 99% of the wires they have planned to put up are complete. Just the Butetown branch left.

Seriously people need to understand PR and marketing.

 

[Christian Schm]

Or maybe TfW should try to out press releases that are meaningful in themselves, and don’t require readers to ‘understand’ marketing?

Like: ‘TfW has now completed 99% of the electrification planned as part of the South Wales Metro programme’

 

[Smwrff]

"Transport for Wales has now electrified 99% of the railway lines in South East Wales as part of the South Wales Metro."

99%, really?

Including all those massive gaps around Cardiff Queen Street & other places where they decided overhead wiring would be too hard. I guess they are not classing the Ebbw Vale line as part of South East Wales

The electrification of the CVL lines was never intended to be 100%. It was always planned to be discontinuous in places, including around Queen Street and Caerphilly Tunnel. But the CVL lines as a whole are electrified, meaning electric trains are being used (albeit using battery power in places).

The metro outside of the CVL is not electrified, including Ebbw, Vale of Glamorgan, Maesteg lines - because the infrastructure of these lines are controlled by the dead hand of Network Rail. Dont blame TfW for this.

 

[Dai Corner]

The electrification of the CVL lines was never intended to be 100%. It was always planned to be discontinuous in places, including around Queen Street and Caerphilly Tunnel. But the CVL lines as a whole are electrified, meaning electric trains are being used (albeit using battery power in places).

The metro outside of the CVL is not electrified, including Ebbw, Vale of Glamorgan, Maesteg lines - because the infrastructure of these lines are controlled by the dead hand of Network Rail. Dont blame TfW for this.

The EU Regional Development Fund paid most of the cost of electrifying the CVL as they fell within the West Wales and the Valleys area which was deemed deprived enough. I'm sure Network Rail would do the rest if somebody came up with the money. The Welsh Government did pay them for improvements like the partial redoubling of the Ebbw Vale branch.

 

[John R]

The EU Regional Development Fund paid most of the cost of electrifying the CVL as they fell within the West Wales and the Valleys area which was deemed deprived enough. I'm sure Network Rail would do the rest if somebody came up with the money. The Welsh Government did pay them for improvements like the partial redoubling of the Ebbw Vale branch.

And indeed further improvements are on the way, including Cardiff West Jn doubling and the upgrading of the relief lines between Cardiff and the Severn Tunnel and construction of new stations.

 

[AdamWW]

The first regular Sunday service on the Coryton line started today. Does anyone know when there was last a regular Sunday service?


Photo of a 756 in Coryton station; the first train to operate a regular Sunday service on this route for a long time.

 

[Cardiff123]

The EU Regional Development Fund paid most of the cost of electrifying the CVL as they fell within the West Wales and the Valleys area which was deemed deprived enough. I'm sure Network Rail would do the rest if somebody came up with the money. The Welsh Government did pay them for improvements like the partial redoubling of the Ebbw Vale branch.

Any pragmatic UK Government would've realised that the lines to Penarth, Barry & Bridgend via the Vale are part of a wider through running network from the Valleys and given Network Rail the funding to electrify and upgrade those lines to create a joined up network........

 

[MikePJ]

RAIL magazine this week has a feature about the plans for junction and linespeed upgrades at Queen Street, which will require a 3-week blockade in April 2027.

Quoting some bits of it:

The aim is to increase the number of trains that can pass through the station from 14 to 18

(presumably per direction per hour!)

Sixteen crossings will be replaced, while a second connection to the Cardiff Bay line will be installed to increase capacity. Meanwhile, line speeds into platforms 2 and 5 will be increased from 15mph to 25mph.

While the track is removed, waterproofing eight bridge deck spans will be carried out, along with resurfacing platforms 2-5 to enable level boarding. There will also be major signalling changes to complement the new track layout. This includes close-up signalling which will allow train movements on adjacent platforms for the first time, thereby enabling trains to run closer together.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Dec 2025 ==

Any pragmatic UK Government would've realised that the lines to Penarth, Barry & Bridgend via the Vale are part of a wider through running network from the Valleys and given Network Rail the funding to electrify and upgrade those lines to create a joined up network........

All this was in scope until Chris Grayling got told to cut costs by the Treasury because the mainline electrification had gone way over budget.

 

[5021]

The first regular Sunday service on the Coryton line started today. Does anyone know when there was last a regular Sunday service?

View attachment 193868
Photo of a 756 in Coryton station; the first train to operate a regular Sunday service on this route for a long time.

According to the BLS the ONLY previous regular Sunday service on the Coryton branch was in 1987 but it was very short-lived as it was a 'complete failure' - in terms of patronage, presumably.

 

[AdamWW]

According to the BLS the ONLY previous regular Sunday service on the Coryton branch was in 1987 but it was very short-lived as it was a 'complete failure' - in terms of patronage, presumably.

I think that's incorrect though I suppose it depends what you call the "Coryton branch".
I have a book with 1911 and 1921 timetables for the line when it ran as far as Rhydyfelin showing a Sunday afternoon service - also shown in my Bradshaws reprint from 1922.

I think travel needs on a Sunday have changed a lot from 1987.

 

[John R]

I think that's incorrect though I suppose it depends what you call the "Coryton branch".
I have a book with 1911 and 1921 timetables for the line when it ran as far as Rhydyfelin showing a Sunday afternoon service - also shown in my Bradshaws reprint from 1922.

I think travel needs on a Sunday have changed a lot from 1987.

Most notably the Sunday Trading laws. Though whilst a train might be acceptable for shoppers who can time their journeys to fit in with the timetable, I’m less sure an hourly service will work for shop workers, who will probably prefer a more frequent bus service.

 

[778]

Why did Merthyr Tydfil station not get electrified?

 

[John R]

Why did Merthyr Tydfil station not get electrified?

The project didn't include electrification of bits that were more complex, or where other infrastructure interventions would be costly or highly disruptive to those living in the locality. But having equipped the units with batteries, it's quite possible that they then judged that it wasn't necessary to electrify all the way to the terminus, as the batteries would be more than sufficient from the end of the wires to the end of the line and back again.

 

[tigermonstera]

Why did Merthyr Tydfil station not get electrified?

It's also worth noting that there are proposals to rebuild Merthyr Station at some point in the future — not sure whether that was a deciding factor though.

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

It's also worth noting that there are proposals to rebuild Merthyr Station at some point in the future — not sure whether that was a deciding factor though.

It's a very sad terminus for such a major Welsh town. The shopping arcade that replaced the old station has clearly seen better days so, in the longer term, a rethink seems sensible.

 

[positron]

I believe it was probably partly the potential move in future, but also I think the viaduct near the station approach probably played a part too. They could just cut stop the wires short of the viaduct and there's no need to run anything up to the station for a short run on that end.

 

[The exile]

Yes, 99% of the wires they have planned to put up are complete. Just the Butetown branch left.

Seriously people need to understand PR and marketing.

The problem is that when PR, marketing and political spin are seen to be dishonest it undermines trust in everything. The line between someone’s objection being pure pedantry and the whole house of PR cards collapsing is very thin.

 

[Lyndon666]

The problem is that when PR, marketing and political spin are seen to be dishonest it undermines trust in everything. The line between someone’s objection being pure pedantry and the whole house of PR cards collapsing is very thin.

As far as ordinary passengers are concerned, the lines are electrified. They have electric trains running under electric power.

Nobody knows, or cares, that there are a few gaps under bridges.

 

[Daniel Boone]

As far as ordinary passengers are concerned, the lines are electrified. They have electric trains running under electric power.

Nobody knows, or cares, that there are a few gaps under bridges.

Exactly this.

 

[AdamWW]

As far as ordinary passengers are concerned, the lines are electrified. They have electric trains running under electric power.

But the Rhymney Line doesn't. The wires may be live now, but the only trains running north of Caerphilly are diesel.

Nobody knows, or cares, that there are a few gaps under bridges.

The "few gaps" also include Barry Island and Penarth to north of Queen Street.

I suppose by this definition the Ballater branch was once electrified since it had electric trains running on it under electric power.

 

[The exile]

Exactly this.

If it were purely "a few gaps under bridges" (and tunnels etc) then I would be inclined to agree - and it is also true that powers of observation very dramatically, but it doesn't take much to spot the difference between somewhere where there are wires and somewhere where there aren't (like Queen Street, which will be observed by many). It wouldn't have been difficult to say "99% of the planned electrification is now complete" - which, assuming the "99%" is correct, doesn't sound very different to those who neither notice nor care, and makes all the difference to those who do!

 

[Tom125]

What difference does it make if there are wires or not? The train is still battery/ electric. As a regular passenger I really don't care! What I do love though is how quiet the new trains are. I also love how quiet and fast they are to accelerate out of stations- It is so nice not to hear noisy diesel trains running through town!

 

[Lyndon666]

If it were purely "a few gaps under bridges" (and tunnels etc) then I would be inclined to agree - and it is also true that powers of observation very dramatically, but it doesn't take much to spot the difference between somewhere where there are wires and somewhere where there aren't (like Queen Street, which will be observed by many). It wouldn't have been difficult to say "99% of the planned electrification is now complete" - which, assuming the "99%" is correct, doesn't sound very different to those who neither notice nor care, and makes all the difference to those who do!

If the trains were firing up the diesels to cover the gaps you might have a point, but since they are seamlessly using battery power (electricity!) to do it I really don't understand what your objection is.

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

If it were purely "a few gaps under bridges" (and tunnels etc) then I would be inclined to agree - and it is also true that powers of observation very dramatically, but it doesn't take much to spot the difference between somewhere where there are wires and somewhere where there aren't (like Queen Street, which will be observed by many).

Really? You think ordinary passengers at Queen Street are looking up and thinking 'hum, where are the wires?'
Seems a heck of a stretch to me!

 

[chargesmith]

RAIL magazine this week has a feature about the plans for junction and linespeed upgrades at Queen Street, which will require a 3-week blockade in April 2027.

You can access the full article at this link (account required): https://www.railmagazine.com/news/t...treet-blockade-to-improve-capacity-here-s-how

It also has before and after track diagrams.

 

[CapitalStar378]

The time scale for the Queen St work seems less than ambitious, and assuming this is when the 2nd platforms will open on the Bay branch, this tiny branch upgrade will have taken more than 4 years!

 

[Zoomer]

Can anyone tell me if we'll need to wait for Queen St works to be finished before the TAM lines can switch to 4 tph?

 

[chargesmith]

The time scale for the Queen St work seems less than ambitious, and assuming this is when the 2nd platforms will open on the Bay branch, this tiny branch upgrade will have taken more than 4 years!

Can anyone tell me if we'll need to wait for Queen St works to be finished before the TAM lines can switch to 4 tph?

I suspect so. AFAIK there's nowhere for the extra trains to go until the capacity constraints at Queen Street / the Bay line are removed.

 

[MikePJ]

Can anyone tell me if we'll need to wait for Queen St works to be finished before the TAM lines can switch to 4 tph?

Yes, that is explicitly stated in the article. The problem is the need to route the extra trains to and from the Bay, and the current junction can’t cope with those extra movements.