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Major rail upgrades for South Wales Metro

By Stephen Price
Metro works. Image: TfW

A significant amount of engineering work was completed over a nine-day rail closure as Transport for Wales (TfW) continues to work on the next phases of the South Wales Metro.

The recent closure of the Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Treherbert lines between Pontypridd and Radyr (from September 27 to October 6) allowed TfW to progress with station, infrastructure and maintenance work.

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Access

Some of the key works included platform preparation for level boarding at Pontypridd and Taff’s Well stations, removal of a footbridge at Treforest to allow a new access for all bridge and essential drainage work ahead of the winter season.

Dan Tipper, Chief Infrastructure Officer at Transport for Wales said: “We are pleased to have made further progress on delivering the next phase of the South Wales Metro.

“During our nine-day closure we delivered a large amount of essential engineering works and we’re now looking forward to introduce brand-new trains to the South Wales network before the end of the year.

“We’d like to thank customers and lineside neighbours for their patience and understanding.”

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Electrification works at Pontypridd

Works

The full list of works includes adjustments made to platforms at Pontypridd station, as well as track and signalling improvements.

The original footbridge at Treforest station was removed and donated to Gwilli Heritage Railway to be preserved, with the opening of the stairs on the new Access for All bridge with the lifts due in November.

Installation of over 300 meters of the new ramped footbridge and 64 meters of level boarding works at Fernhill station.

700 square meters of platform resurfacing as well as 135 meters of level boarding works at Taff’s Well station, alongside continued work to the new Access For All station footbridge, due to open in late 2024.

Repairs and alterations were also made across the entire network in preparation for the introduction of new electric trains from November.

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17 comments

Karl

This has been a long farce if being blunt. Transport for wallies has helped convert many to car travel. Both my daughters have suffered yrs of these replacement buses and being dumped at Radyr, the dead spot for phone signal. When will it actually end, given nothing of the vale end of the Aberdare to Bridgend is electricfied. The fact they had to buy diesel modules to run the new trains, instead of letting them keep getting dusty in Taffs well. Shows the planning has been awful .

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Glwyo

Were you aware that much of the water drainage infrastructure on the TAM lines was inoperative and much more could not even be located? The most modern and well maintained assets being 60 years old, and with plenty over 100 years old. That fact should put the recent collision on the Cambrian line (which NR has maintained about as well) into context, we can only consider ourselves fortunate that that crash was so minor. Any reasonable person would be unhappy for their children to be injured in a rail crash that standard routine maintenance could have avoided.

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Welshy

Strange comment, it sounds as if you know how the crash happened.

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In reply to Welshy

Glwyo

Nothing strange about it at all. Everybody with sense can see that stripping back on basic maintenance of railways is a disaster waiting to happen. We can look forward to seeing more crashes happen if NR's staffing agenda is anything to go by.

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In reply to Glwyo

Welshy

Well that crash did not happen, through bad maintenance, or are the press and BTP now changing their story. I agree with you, saying cutting back on maintenance is an issue. But to blame, NWR for the train crash, seems like you have a grudge against them.

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Bilbo

The Stadlers with diesel modules are destined for lines that won't be electrified but if you'd rather keep the 150s for now then I'm sure the VoG line will happily take them early.

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CommonSense

It is work that should have been done years ago. The disruption would have been the same if done in the past. I'm glad it is being done. It's an investment in the future of the network. Shall we go back to the Pacers then? They were awful.

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Rhydgaled

The diesel modules were part of the plan from the start, not an afterthought. They knew they didn't have a large enough budget to electrify to Bridgend and Barry Island so ordered the Tri-Mode units to cope with that. The bad planning is elsewhere. Ordering 77 suburban stopping trains (the CAF class 197 fleet) with no provision for electric operation was total madness. Being diesel-only means most of them are deployed on long-distance fast services and rural routes, but those routes deserve much better than a suburban stopping trains. The Cardiff-Cheltenham stopping services are the sort of job the 197s are designed for, apart from the fact that they would be burning diesel under the wires between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel Junction.

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Welsh Patriot

This "major upgrade" seems to have being going on now for the past 5 years. Bus replacements all last week where I live. I wish TfW could hurry up and get this project finished. I was down at Cardiff Bay station a few days ago and there is so little work done from week to week, its no wonder they have been at it for nearly 4 years, I counted two people on site.

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Bilbo

Guess what.. covid and Johnson's oven ready deal happened.

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Glwyo

Oh dear, work that should have been happening over the last 50+ years but wasn't has not been squeezed into 3 by an organisation in its infancy on its first major project in an administration that recieves negative railway funding. Obviously TfW is a failure 😂

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Daniel Pitt

No mention of progress at Fernhill station then? They've been working on it for ages.

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Bilbo

It's not only to properly connect Cardiff Central to the bay, it's also to connect the east and the west via central and the bay.

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Charles Coombes

We in Mid Wales would just like an hourly train service. Once again thesouthgets all the money!

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Ron Griffiths

Yes West of Cardiff and the valleys everything stops at Cardiff . Why don't TFW electrify the abandoned the 40 miles to Swansea at least ?

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Bilbo

Because it's owned by the Department for Transport in Whitehall.

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In reply to Bilbo

Ronald Llewelyn Griffiths

Ooops, that was me barking up the wrong tree Bilbo. After spending shed-loads of money installing all the gantries etc at the Swansea end, I find it hard to understand why it was all dismantled - when at least it could have (eventually) been used; as surely one day the whole line will be electrified .

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Were you aware that much of the water drainage infrastructure on the TAM lines was inoperative and much more could not even be located? The most modern and well maintained assets being 60 years old, and with plenty over 100 years old. That...

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