South Wales 'Metro' updates

[Philip Roberts]

I thought it might be helpful to post a status summary of both past project milestones and those that are currently promised. if you have any corrections or additional information please let me know!

I'm going to use the January 2024 consultation as the baseline:




Late January consultation: installation of new points on the Bay line at Queen St and subsequent speed limit change (completed - now in use)

September 2024 consultation


Rolling stock introductions

Class 398s:
Back in October 2023 the earliest entry-into-service date for the 398s was proposed as 1st November 2024. The most recent update is that they will enter service in "Summer 2025" on the Pontypridd-Cardiff Bay line initially, and they are supposed to replace the 756s on Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr lines from "late 2025".

4-car 756s on Merthyr/Aberdare/Treherbert services
Promised: 4 x units/day in service from the end of December 2024, rising to 14/day by the spring (there are 17 of these units in total). As of January 18th there have been 4 units/day in service on some days but definitely not every day. Treherbert only gets a couple of 756 services in the early morning and evening at present.

3-car 756s on Coryton/Caerphilly/Penarth services
Promised (TfW website): "new trains on the Coryton line from Spring 2025". "Spring" is a bit vague but the timetable change date in mid-May seems a likely target.

4-car 756s on Rhymney services
These need to wait for the electrification to go live, and "late 2025" is the timescale currently being put out in TfW press statements as the start of some 756 services to Rhymney. It's likely that the full transition won't be complete until mid-2026.

This is really comprehensive. Thank you

 

[MikePJ]

Thanks everyone! I'm just going to add in AdamWW's correction about the linespeeds on the Coryton branch.

 

[AdamWW]

Thanks everyone! I'm just going to add in AdamWW's correction about the linespeeds on the Coryton branch.

Must confess that while I'm sure it didn't happen after the latest closure, I haven't been paying attention to see if they've snuck it in since, maybe doing work on a Sunday.

I'd better have a look!

 

[MikePJ]

Did anything concrete ever come about regarding the rumours of "extensions to Velindre" or "extensions back to Radyr" for the Coryton Line? Or is it still all up in the air?

Nothing has yet been formally proposed and funded for either Velindre or a "circle line" connection to Radyr.

The interview with James Price from TfW on Green Signals (Youtube) included a quote from him where he said that the currently-in-progress Metro project was very much conceived as what he calls a "city region" project - i.e. improving connectivity between the Valleys towns and Cardiff, rather than a "Cardiff and nearby suburbs" project, so very little emphasis has been put on improving services within Cardiff in the first phase of the project, except where this comes as a result of improving connectivity to the Valleys.

Cardiff Crossrail phase 1a - i.e. new platforms in the car park on the south side of Cardiff Central and street running across Callaghan Square to provide a link between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Central is the only extension to the Metro that's currently funded and is at design stage. However, the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal will have another round of funding from 2026, and a number of other projects are explicitly tied to this, including the upgrade of the passenger facilities at Cardiff Central and the conversion of the Hirwaun branch line to carry passengers (most likely in a tramway-style arrangement). I wouldn't be surprised if some other tweaks and changes (like trackwork to enable enhancements to the frequency on Coryton and City Line services) get funded from this pot in future.

Crwys Road and Butetown are the only new stations in Cardiff that are currently funded.

 

[Bob Price]

The Coryton to Radyr connection is very unlikely to happen. Too many obstacles and challenges. Easy to draw a line on a map, but have a walk up there sometime and you will see what I mean

 

[anthony263]

The Coryton to Radyr connection is very unlikely to happen. Too many obstacles and challenges. Easy to draw a line on a map, but have a walk up there sometime and you will see what I mean

Probably an extension to Velindre and proposed park and ride site up by fforest farm.

Needs a loop or two on the branch too.main priority needs to sort Cardiff West junction to accommodate 6tph minimum.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Nothing has yet been formally proposed and funded for either Velindre or a "circle line" connection to Radyr.

The interview with James Price from TfW on Green Signals (Youtube) included a quote from him where he said that the currently-in-progress Metro project was very much conceived as what he calls a "city region" project - i.e. improving connectivity between the Valleys towns and Cardiff, rather than a "Cardiff and nearby suburbs" project, so very little emphasis has been put on improving services within Cardiff in the first phase of the project, except where this comes as a result of improving connectivity to the Valleys.

Cardiff Crossrail phase 1a - i.e. new platforms in the car park on the south side of Cardiff Central and street running across Callaghan Square to provide a link between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Central is the only extension to the Metro that's currently funded and is at design stage. However, the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal will have another round of funding from 2026, and a number of other projects are explicitly tied to this, including the upgrade of the passenger facilities at Cardiff Central and the conversion of the Hirwaun branch line to carry passengers (most likely in a tramway-style arrangement). I wouldn't be surprised if some other tweaks and changes (like trackwork to enable enhancements to the frequency on Coryton and City Line services) get funded from this pot in future.

Crwys Road and Butetown are the only new stations in Cardiff that are currently funded.

The Hirwaun would be difficult with a regular train service because of the level crossing at Roberttown. The crossing is virtually next to the A4059 roundabout. One coal train per day was acceptable but potentially 8 per hour?
I think the NW Cardiff extension to Creigiau, Beddau and Talbot Green would be a better investment. My own humble opinion of course

 

[anthony263]

The Hirwaun would be difficult with a regular train service because of the level crossing at Roberttown. The crossing is virtually next to the A4059 roundabout. One coal train per day was acceptable but potentially 8 per hour?
I think the NW Cardiff extension to Creigiau, Beddau and Talbot Green would be a better investment. My own humble opinion of course

I think they were going to c9nver the Aberdare to Hirwaun section to a tramway to get around the level crossings issues

 

[Bob Price]

Exactly. In tram mode the crossing is red for a lot less time. Don't think they will do 8 an hot, maybe 2 or 4 to start with.

The challenge with Creigiau is where do you take the trams off the City Line to get on the old trackbed? Have a look at Google maps. A lot of houses in the way these days.

 

[Wuggie Norple]

The challenge with Creigiau is where do you take the trams off the City Line to get on the old trackbed? Have a look at Google maps. A lot of houses in the way these days.

Had a look on Google maps and Streetview, and to squeeze a single line of tramway through, probably 6 houses on Kirton Close and Fairwood Close will need to be demolished. Sad for the residents concerned, but hardly a show-stopper in the grand scheme of things. Mind you, the contractors will probably have to contend with local Propel councillor Neil McEvoy lying down in front of the bulldozers.

 

[Western 52]

Had a look on Google maps and Streetview, and to squeeze a single line of tramway through, probably 6 houses on Kirton Close and Fairwood Close will need to be demolished. Sad for the residents concerned, but hardly a show-stopper in the grand scheme of things. Mind you, the contractors will probably have to contend with local Propel councillor Neil McEvoy lying down in front of the bulldozers.

They'll be tram trains though. Can't they just do a bit of street running to avoid taking out any houses?

 

[Wuggie Norple]

They'll be tram trains though. Can't they just do a bit of street running to avoid taking out any houses?

Looking at the satellite view, I can’t see an obvious route involving street running. Did you have one in mind?

 

[Western 52]

Looking at the satellite view, I can’t see an obvious route involving street running. Did you have one in mind?

No, I'm not familiar with the area. I was just wondering if it was a possibility. Looking at how tramways have been fitted in elsewhere it can be viable but not everywhere of course.

 

[MikePJ]

The Hirwaun would be difficult with a regular train service because of the level crossing at Roberttown. The crossing is virtually next to the A4059 roundabout. One coal train per day was acceptable but potentially 8 per hour?
I think the NW Cardiff extension to Creigiau, Beddau and Talbot Green would be a better investment. My own humble opinion of course

I'm not familiar with the area, but from a look at the satellite I suspect that roundabout would be replaced with traffic lights which would include traffic lights and signalling for a tramway crossing.

Had a look on Google maps and Streetview, and to squeeze a single line of tramway through, probably 6 houses on Kirton Close and Fairwood Close will need to be demolished. Sad for the residents concerned, but hardly a show-stopper in the grand scheme of things. Mind you, the contractors will probably have to contend with local Propel councillor Neil McEvoy lying down in front of the bulldozers.

We also know that this overall route (though not the specifics of the junction with the City Line) appear in a number of planning documents, so it's definitely being considered, and if the junction was a total showstopper it would have been ruled out already.

 

[CapitalStar378]

I'm not familiar with the area, but from a look at the satellite I suspect that roundabout would be replaced with traffic lights which would include traffic lights and signalling for a tramway crossing.


We also know that this overall route (though not the specifics of the junction with the City Line) appear in a number of planning documents, so it's definitely being considered, and if the junction was a total showstopper it would have been ruled out already.

I believe there are 5 houses that would need to be compulsory purchased, and I guess they are already aware of this. Of course, this is TfW/Cardiff Council, so they'd not need to start packing any time soon.

 

[Meerkat]

The Hirwaun would be difficult with a regular train service because of the level crossing at Roberttown. The crossing is virtually next to the A4059 roundabout.

It’s further away from the roundabout than many new pedestrian crossings.
If it matters then they can change the roundabout to a crossroads with filter lanes and interlocked traffic signals.

 

[Envoy]

‘Sharp End’ - ITV Wales tonight (21 Jan 2025) will have an item about the railways in Wales. 10.45pm.

 

[anthony263]

‘Sharp End’ - ITV Wales tonight (21 Jan 2025) will have an item about the railways in Wales. 10.45pm.

Pity it's not on itv x

 

[Dai Corner]

Pity it's not on itv x

It is

https://www.itv.com/walesprogrammes/tags/sharp-end

 

[MikePJ]

Cardiff Bay looks like it’s being readied for passengers, with lots of new signage being installed. Contractors appeared to be installing signs and lighting this morning.

I can just about see that the information displays are powered up.

 

[StripeyNick]

Some updates as posted by TfW on their website:

Rhymney line transformation | Transport for Wales

Transport for Wales | Buy Cheap Train Tickets and Check Train Times

tfw.wales

In the coming weeks, the Coryton line and the Rhymney line, from Cardiff Queen Street to Caerphilly, will be electrified. This marks a significant milestone in the South Wales Metro programme and will allow us to introduce new trains on the Coryton line from Spring 2025.

Coryton and Lower Rhymney railway lines electrified as part of Metro

Transport for Wales (TfW) is another step closer to delivering the next phase of the South Wales Metro as it prepares to electrify the Coryton and lower Rhymney lines in the coming weeks.

news.tfw.wales

Transport for Wales (TfW) is another step closer to delivering the next phase of the South Wales Metro as it prepares to electrify the Coryton and lower Rhymney lines in the coming weeks.

As part of the Metro project, which will deliver 170km of electrified track, 116km is already completed and ‘live’. With the upcoming electrification of the Coryton and lower Rhymney lines (from Caerphilly to Cardiff Queen Street), the total will rise to 155km.

Electrifying these lines will enable TfW to introduce new tri-mode trains on the Coryton and Caerphilly to Penarth routes, from Spring 2025.

 

[Markdvdman]

Just seen on the latest tfw newsletter about new trains that the 398s are set to run all services on the TAM lines next year. So 2026 now. Hmm not reliable.at all are they?

 

[CapitalStar378]

Rhymney line transformation | Transport for Wales

Transport for Wales | Buy Cheap Train Tickets and Check Train Times

tfw.wales

Coryton and Lower Rhymney railway lines electrified as part of Metro

Transport for Wales (TfW) is another step closer to delivering the next phase of the South Wales Metro as it prepares to electrify the Coryton and lower Rhymney lines in the coming weeks.

news.tfw.wales

Interesting to see that TfW seem to have electrified to Penarth according to the diagram in the first link, must have been mega fast as no one seems to have noticed

 

[AdamWW]

Rhymney line transformation | Transport for Wales

Transport for Wales | Buy Cheap Train Tickets and Check Train Times

tfw.wales

Coryton and Lower Rhymney railway lines electrified as part of Metro

Transport for Wales (TfW) is another step closer to delivering the next phase of the South Wales Metro as it prepares to electrify the Coryton and lower Rhymney lines in the coming weeks.

news.tfw.wales

This one's interesting:

As part of the Metro project, which will deliver 170km of electrified track, 116km is already completed and ‘live’. With the upcoming electrification of the Coryton and lower Rhymney lines (from Caerphilly to Cardiff Queen Street), the total will rise to 155km.

So only 15 km to go?

 

[MikePJ]

This one's interesting:



So only 15 km to go?

It's only the Rhymney line north of Caerphilly left to do. From the electrification diagram (re-attached here)...

- Caerphilly to Rhymney is 15 1/2 miles.
- There are electrification gaps at Llanbradach (1/2 mile), Hengoed (1/2 mile), Bargoed (3/4 mile) and Pontlottyn viaduct (1/4 mile). That's a total of 2 miles, so the total electrification length (ignoring the fact that some is double track) is about 13 1/2 miles or 21km. So the figure in the press release doesn't add up by about 6km. (or, perhaps more likely, they've screwed up the conversion from miles to kilometers somewhere...)

 

[AdamWW]

It's only the Rhymney line north of Caerphilly left to do. From the electrification diagram (re-attached here)...

- Caerphilly to Rhymney is 15 1/2 miles.
- There are electrification gaps at Llanbradach (1/2 mile), Hengoed (1/2 mile), Bargoed (3/4 mile) and Pontlottyn viaduct (1/4 mile). That's a total of 2 miles, so the total electrification length (ignoring the fact that some is double track) is about 13 1/2 miles or 21km. So the figure in the press release doesn't add up by about 6km. (or, perhaps more likely, they've screwed up the conversion from miles to kilometers somewhere...)

It has not been my impression that Transport for Wales place any premium in providing accurate information to their passengers.

Then again maybe there's been a descope?

 

[MikePJ]

It has not been my impression that Transport for Wales place any premium in providing accurate information to their passengers.

Then again maybe there's been a descope?

I did wonder about a descope - that electrification diagram is quite old and there are a few things that have been changed since it was drawn - the one that comes to mind is at Heath Low Level, where the old diagram shows a permanently earthed section under the bridge, whereas on more recent drawings the live wires continue under the bridge towards the junction and there are surge arrestors to reduce the risk of a lightning strike arcing across from the overhead wire to the metal bridge deck.

Some of the other progress updates have also mentioned a reduction in scope of works on the Rhymney line but without saying what specifically has been cut out.

One other quick thing: I came into work early this morning and so cycled past Cardiff Bay in the dark. All the new platform lighting is lit, which wasn't the case a few weeks ago when I last saw it in the dark.

 

[Hwnt52]

Bearing in mind that little work has been done on the Rhymney line north of Caerphilly for months and months I also wondered if electrication was being cut back or 'descoped'. However it may be that financial constraints are behind all this. Delay expenditure until the next financial year, squeeze as much as possible out of the 150’s until they have to be munched, while promising that new trains are coming honestly they are. On a couple of recent trips up the valley it appears that mast bases are in place as far as Bargoed but nothing beyond apart from the 7 masts that suddenly appeared near Pontlottyn in 2023, so I guess we will see it finished at some point. A date for completion? Try 2028.

 

[AdamWW]

Thanks everyone! I'm just going to add in AdamWW's correction about the linespeeds on the Coryton branch.

OK went down the line today - sailed across the foot crossing between Whitchurch and Rhiwbina at around 30 mph.
So either I misread/wrongly recollect that the plan was for a 20 mph limit at both crossings, or it hasn't happened yet.

 

[positron]

It's only the Rhymney line north of Caerphilly left to do. From the electrification diagram (re-attached here)...

- Caerphilly to Rhymney is 15 1/2 miles.
- There are electrification gaps at Llanbradach (1/2 mile), Hengoed (1/2 mile), Bargoed (3/4 mile) and Pontlottyn viaduct (1/4 mile). That's a total of 2 miles, so the total electrification length (ignoring the fact that some is double track) is about 13 1/2 miles or 21km. So the figure in the press release doesn't add up by about 6km. (or, perhaps more likely, they've screwed up the conversion from miles to kilometers somewhere...)

It's possible the electrification plan has changed since that document to have more gaps too tbf?

Edit: oh yeah people have already suggested that. I think it seems the most likely situation. Especially given the original plan was to be catenary free north of Bargoed, the Tir Phil loop and second platform at Rhymney electrification was also listed as being delayed even further than the rest at one point.

Perhaps the battery capacity has turned out better than hoped so they've decided to cut some corners.