Wales is about to get its own metro network – here's what it means for visitors

Yahoo

04-05-2025

It has been dubbed the 'Welsh Tube'. It hopes to transform car-free travel around South Wales. And it comes with a colour-coded map reminiscent of the London Underground. But the South Wales Metro, the new £1 billion transport system from rail operator Transport for Wales (TfW), is less 'Mind the Gap', more 'What's occurrin'?'.
The Metro promises 105 miles of largely overground travel, linking the Welsh capital with major visitor attractions at Caerphilly and Barry Island, among others. Think greener, quieter trains on six electrified lines, new stations, better access and a contactless payment system – much like London's Oyster card. But don't expect it tomorrow. The project aims for completion in 2026, forming part of a wider transport plan around Cardiff. Works are ongoing, and the line that runs to Rhymney, north of Cardiff, for example, will be subject to dreaded rail replacement services throughout this summer.
'We're working through the transformation of the Valleys Lines with some 70 per cent of lines now electrified and new trains rolling out,' says Kelsey Barcenilla, stakeholder manager for TfW. 'In the short term, passengers can expect a better experience, more frequent services and ticketing improvements, plus a new bus interchange near to Cardiff Central station. Longer term, the South Wales Metro will entice more passengers away from their cars, given the improved infrastructure.'
It's good news for visitors confused by Wales's controversial 20mph speed limit. While still enforced on roughly one third of roads, some local councils have reversed the limit back to 30mph. Despite criticism, the speed limit has been credited by the Welsh Assembly Government for a decrease in the number of casualties from road collisions.
But letting the train take the strain, and changing lines easily, is now more viable with increased weekday, evening and Sunday services between Cardiff and the heads of each valley (Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Treherbert). The project also takes a step towards facilitating the Cardiff Crossrail, the on-street tram service, linking Cardiff Central with Cardiff Bay. It hopes to be operational when the city acts as a host city for the 2028 European Football Championship.
The rollout of the South Wales Metro has not been universally welcomed, however. The focus is on South Wales with little obvious benefit to other regions. Celebrations are underway to mark the centenary of the birth of the Valleys-born actor Richard Burton, but while Port Talbot is on the rail network, the village of Pontrhydyfen, where he was born, requires car access.
To head to Wrexham, where the Hollywood-backed football team just secured a historic third promotion to play in the Championship next season, visitors would currently need to catch a train to Shrewsbury – across the English border – and change to a Chester train via Wrexham General. Transport links will be explored as the former industrial city in North East Wales bids to be the UK City of Culture 2029. Concerns over links between South and North Wales are further compounded by the prospect of a £1.25 per night tourism levy to be introduced across Wales from 2027 if the legislation clears the Welsh Parliament.
'It may be good for tourists visiting Cardiff and the valleys but no, there's no benefit beyond Merthyr, or towards Pembrokeshire,' says Sean Westlake, chair of Wales Official Tourist Guides Association (Wotga). 'There are links across Wales with the two trunk roads through Mid Wales and TrawsCymru buses, but the journey times are long.'
'What Wales really needs, sustainable transport-wise,' he adds, 'is a more integrated system of train and bus between south and north.'
For people travelling around South Wales, however, there is car-free industrial heritage, ancient castles, and kiss-me-quick fun to be had, plus a wider move towards smoother, greener travel. 'I'm excited for the link from Rhymney to Barry via Cardiff,' says Kelsey at TfW. 'I'll be heading to Barrybados with the family for seaside days out.'
And that, as Nessa would say, is 'tidy'.
It may not be open just yet, but it's never too early to dream up the excellent Welsh minibreaks the new trains will make possible. Just pick your favourite destinations, and mark your calendar.
Start your day in Cardiff Bay, taking in sites such as the Wales Millennium Centre, a must for Doctor Who fans, the Senedd parliament building and the hidden gem Norwegian Church, the old seaman's chapel turned arts centre. Then jump on the train for the hour-long journey to Caerphilly, home to the largest castle in Wales – and a crumbly, white cheese. The castle saw action battling Welsh princes and English Civil War skirmishes, before the Marquess of Bute restored it in the 1920s. It's a short walk from the station, with glorious grounds for sunny-day mooching.
From Queen Street, it's one hour to Merthyr, the line running via Llandaff in Cardiff's leafy north-west suburbs. Jump off for a stroll around the village, where the writer Roald Dahl attended school in the 1920s in the shadow of the towering Gothic cathedral.
A blue plaque outside the former High Street sweetshop recounts the story of the Great Mouse Plot, his boyhood prank to leave a dead mouse in a jar of Gobstoppers. Back on the train, it's a story of industrial heritage, with Merthyr once the world's largest iron-producing town. Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Gallery tells the story of the town's radical past, while the 160-acre parkland has a model railway and family activities.
After breakfast in Cardiff, exploring the cafes of the Victorian arcades, or a stroll in Bute Park, make a day-trip pilgrimage in the footsteps of Gavin and Stacey. It's only 40 minutes away, but there are, confusingly, three local stations. Barry Island is best for kitsch seaside fun, and Barry station itself is nearest to the Goodsheds, a new shipping-container village packed with shops, restaurants and bars.
Try Cozy Tapas for bottomless brunch and stock up on Welsh craft ales at Craft Republic, a dog-friendly independent bar and bottle shop. There's a self-guided trail of locations from the television series to download. Take a selfie by the mural outside Marco's, the promenade café where Stacey works in the show and Nessa's Slots amusement arcade round the corner. Stacey's home is the final stop, the residential house at 47 Trinity Street regularly attracting a small gathering of devotees. Crackin'.
See Traveline Cymru for travel updates.
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