Trains services axed and routes cut short as Transport for Wales overhauls timetable

Branwen Jones
·4-min read
Transport for Wales has said that they intend to deliver on these changes over the next few years -Credit:WalesOnline/ Rob Browne
Transport for Wales has said that they intend to deliver on these changes over the next few years -Credit:WalesOnline/ Rob Browne


Train services will be axed while some routes will be cut short in their new overhauled timetable, Transport for Wales (TfW) has announced. TfW say that their reviewed timetable would "better align with the new travel habits and requirements" of their customers following a change in demand post-Covid.

Some of the key changes include running 87 more services on mainline routes - more than there were when Transport for Wales took over in 2018. Other changes include having more carriages added to busy services, removing a small number of services that have very low passenger demand, as well as deferring some earlier-made commitments for more services on certain routes.

According to Transport for Wales, the overhauled timetable will "better align with the new travel habits and requirements of customers", while it also becomes a "truly multimodal operator". They added that some rail routes would see more services and longer trains with more seats, particularly during seasonal peaks.

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They added that other routes would see slightly different calling patterns, which would be "better targeted to current needs". But they also noted that they made "some tough decisions" to ensure that their services provided capacity "where most needed".

The new timetable will see additional calls to and from Milford Haven and Haverfordwest, giving the Pembrokeshire towns 13 services per day in each direction. Meanwhile, there will be an hourly service between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury to run from May to September, which will begin in May 2026.

During the same year, the operator plans on adding peak time services on the Vale of Glamorgan line, but the increase to 2tph throughout the day will be deferred. The reviewed timetable will also see the services between Cardiff and Cheltenham enhanced to hourly services throughout the day time by June 2024.

There will be extra services between Swansea and Tenby between May and September from 2025, but Transport for Wales has said that this will be subject to agreement with Network Rail. The Liverpool to Chester service will be extended to Llandudno from 2026, which will also be subject to agreement with Network Rail and work completed to level crossings.

The Heart of Wales services will cross at Llandrindod Wells to give much "better customer experience" in event of disruption. As it stands, current services cross at Llanwrtyd Wells. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

The reviewed timetable will see the services between Cardiff and Cheltenham enhanced to hourly services throughout the day time by June 2024 -Credit:WalesOnline/Rob Browne
The reviewed timetable will see the services between Cardiff and Cheltenham enhanced to hourly services throughout the day time by June 2024 -Credit:WalesOnline/Rob Browne

However, the timetable will be reducing the Heart of Wales Line services from five to four per day from December 2024. It will also see the removal of the two late evening services to Llandovery and Llandrindod. According to TfW, bus options are currently being explored for this service.

There will be a removal of four services between Machynlleth and Pwllheli, two in each direction, but two further services will be retimed and will run between March and December. As of Friday, April 12, Transport for Wales has amended four journeys to end at Carmarthen, instead of Cardiff Central, but these journeys will connect into Great Western Railway (GWR) services between Carmarthen and London Paddington. Connection times for this service can be found on Transport for Wales timetables.

They have also decided to defer the introduction of some additional evening services between Cardiff and Cheltenham Spa. Their previous commitment to increase trains between Cardiff Central and Bridgend via the Vale of Glamorgan line to two trains per hour has also been deferred. Alternatively, TfW has said that they will introduce an additional peak service in each direction.

The operator also announced that they will defer a previous commitment to introduce a new Cardiff Central to Shrewsbury to Liverpool Lime Street service, as well as to defer a previous commitment of increasing their services between Cardiff and Swansea to one train per hour at off peak times. However, this service will remain hourly during the peak.

According to Transport for Wales, these changes will be delivered over the next few years. Colin Lea, TfW's planning and performance director said: "We’ve completed our future timetable review. The proposed new timetables will provide us with more resilience in the winter period and meet changed travel demands post Covid.

"Nearly every service that TfW operates requires public subsidy, and as a responsible operator it’s imperative for TfW to balance the needs for a regular, robust and reliable service with available budgets to deliver value for taxpayers and more sustainable transport."

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