South Wales 'Metro' updates

[ExeBlueBird27]

Hirwaun was always on the table as the first (of hopefully many over the course of time) real extension of rail services. Hope Plaid can make this happen, in a world of diminiahing oil resources and sky high diesel prices we need these projects to come to fruition.

 

[Snow1964]

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).

The consultation appears to include 2 stations : Hirwaun and Llwydcoed

But I agree, shame there isn't a park and ride by Gellitaw Farm where the line crosses under A465 Heads of the Valleys Road or where it crosses A4069

Public engagement opens on proposed Aberdare to Hirwaun Metro extension

Transport for Wales (TfW) in partnership with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, has launched public engagement on proposals to extend passenger rail services from Aberdare to Hirwaun.

news.tfw.wales

 

[Farigiraf]

A not particularly important question that's nonetheless been on my mind: The Hirwaun extension is being designed as a tramway (to cut costs) and will be served by tram-trains. However, the rest of the route is a National Rail service run on heavy rail through proper NR stations. Will Hirwaun and Llwydcoed stations be National Rail stations or not?

Either way it'd be a bit strange. You'd either have 2 tram stops served by trams that are officially NR stations (while Rotherham Parkgate and Magna aren't) or you'd have a National Rail service that stops at two tram stops at the end of the route, which would be a bit of a nightmare for the rail ticketing system and Darwin to handle.

 

[John R]

A not particularly important question that's nonetheless been on my mind: The Hirwaun extension is being designed as a tramway (to cut costs) and will be served by tram-trains. However, the rest of the route is a National Rail service run on heavy rail through proper NR stations. Will Hirwaun and Llwydcoed stations be National Rail stations or not?

Either way it'd be a bit strange. You'd either have 2 tram stops served by trams that are officially NR stations (while Rotherham Parkgate and Magna aren't) or you'd have a National Rail service that stops at two tram stops at the end of the route, which would be a bit of a nightmare for the rail ticketing system and Darwin to handle.

I would have thought the legal definition of how the railway is run will have absolutely no impact on how the railway is marketed (which is effectively what National Rail is).

So I would expect the two new stations to be treated in exactly the same way as all the other valley line stations.

 

[AdamWW]

Either way it'd be a bit strange. You'd either have 2 tram stops served by trams that are officially NR stations (while Rotherham Parkgate and Magna aren't)

I don't think you need to wait for the Hirwaun extension to happen. Unless I've misunderstood or plans have changed, Cardiff Bay and Butetown station will in due course be on a line operating under line of sight operation, tramway style. Of course the stations will still have heavy rail high platforms, though I think Cardiff Bay will have a foot crossing that wouldn't be appropriate for a heavy rail line.

Personally I don't see it as being all that strange.

 

[Akela]

A not particularly important question that's nonetheless been on my mind: The Hirwaun extension is being designed as a tramway (to cut costs) and will be served by tram-trains. However, the rest of the route is a National Rail service run on heavy rail through proper NR stations. Will Hirwaun and Llwydcoed stations be National Rail stations or not?

Either way it'd be a bit strange. You'd either have 2 tram stops served by trams that are officially NR stations (while Rotherham Parkgate and Magna aren't) or you'd have a National Rail service that stops at two tram stops at the end of the route, which would be a bit of a nightmare for the rail ticketing system and Darwin to handle.

The station infrastructure being built to light rail standards doesn’t really impact the way they’ll appear in the ticketing system. I don’t see why they wouldn’t be “National Rail” stations and appear as a destination in ticket machines or apps etc.

Important to note however they won’t be Network Rail stations, as they’re on the CVL network which is owned and operated by TFW directly, a bit like how the Elizabeth Line core section is owned by TFL.

 

[MikePJ]

The consultation appears to include 2 stations : Hirwaun and Llwydcoed

But I agree, shame there isn't a park and ride by Gellitaw Farm where the line crosses under A465 Heads of the Valleys Road or where it crosses A4069

Public engagement opens on proposed Aberdare to Hirwaun Metro extension

Transport for Wales (TfW) in partnership with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, has launched public engagement on proposals to extend passenger rail services from Aberdare to Hirwaun.

news.tfw.wales

I suspect that the additional station that's mentioned for the Tower Colliery site might include a large car park as part of the redevelopment.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Tuesday at 20:22 ==

The wording of the consultation document (attached below for future reference as they often disappear) says:

• Up to four trains per hour between Aberdare and Llwydcoed
• Up to two trains per hour between Hirwaun and Cardiff
• Direct Metro connections between Hirwaun, Aberdare, Pontypridd and Cardiff

That sounds like only half of the trains arriving from Aberdare continue to Hirwaun, with the rest terminating at Llwydcoed?

 

[WelshBluebird]

Not sure if this fits here, or the Class 398 thread (as the timetable change is dependent on the rollout of the new trains) but it looks like RTT has now been update pushing back the date that the Treherbert line will get 4tph (with the new two to Cardiff Bay). This initially was in RTT for the middle of January but now looks to be from the 5th Feb instead. I wouldn't be surprised to see that get pushed back again tbh.

 

[MikePJ]

The delay to the 398s is possibly also allowing the late-running work on the station toilets to get finished. Here's an update to my last summary of the situation in August:

Aberdare toilets: yes, completed (as of August 2026)
Merthyr Vale toilets: yes, completed (as of October 2026)
Treorchy toilets: not sure (National Rail and TfW's website says no)
Merthyr Tydfil toilets: yes, completed (as of October 2026)
Abercynon toilets: yes, completed (as of October 2026)
Tonypandy toilets: not sure (National Rail and TfW's website says no)
Cwmbach toilets: not sure (National Rail and TfW's website says no)
Llwynypia toilets: not sure (National Rail and TfW's website says no)

Additionally, we now have toilets at Trefforest and Radyr (again, according to TfW's toilets webpage).

So that means that the Merthyr line now has all its planned toilets; the Aberdare line is waiting on toilets at Cwmbach and Penrhiwceiber and the Treherbert line is still waiting on all its toilets (Treherbert, Treorchy, Llynypia, Tonypandy and possibly Porth, though I think the latter is a toilet in the adjacent bus station). Not sure why the Rhondda needs so many facilities but there we are.

So I can see that perhaps introducing the 398s on the Rhondda service might wait for more loos to be ready, especially if work's in progress. Does anyone have any updates?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Today at 08:57 ==

A couple of other quick updates from the Cardiff Bay line this morning: Butetown station now has handrails on the concrete staircases on the Lloyd George Avenue side (in TfW red and black, they look very smart) and at Cardiff Bay, the contractors were unloading metal fence panels which will presumably be installed soon to provide a permanent fence around parts of the site. Some of the hoardings have come down and been replaced with "portable" site fencing.

 

[AdamWW]

The delay to the 398s is possibly also allowing the late-running work on the station toilets to get finished. Here's an update to my last summary of the situation in August:

Additionally, we now have toilets at Trefforest and Radyr (again, according to TfW's toilets webpage).

So that means that the Merthyr line now has all its planned toilets; the Aberdare line is waiting on toilets at Cwmbach and Penrhiwceiber and the Treherbert line is still waiting on all its toilets (Treherbert, Treorchy, Llynypia, Tonypandy and possibly Porth, though I think the latter is a toilet in the adjacent bus station). Not sure why the Rhondda needs so many facilities but there we are.

So I can see that perhaps introducing the 398s on the Rhondda service might wait for more loos to be ready, especially if work's in progress. Does anyone have any updates?

Though if you go from 2 trains per hour to 4, 2 of which are lacking loos, there's an argument that you're no worse off than before.

If all 4 trains become 398s then it's different.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Today at 10:29 ==

Once once again the Penarth "track defect" has appeared.

Ticket acceptance on local buses, unless of course you're one of the majority using PAYG.

 

[Coleridge]

Once once again the Penarth "track defect" has appeared.

Ticket acceptance on local buses, unless of course you're one of the majority using PAYG.

I have a first class ticket from Penarth to London for today, so it looks like my journey might be free thanks to this mysteriously frequent track defect.