Politics & Governance6 Nov 2026 · about 2 min

New £200m fleet of publicly funded trains in Wales barely used after three years

The brief

Tram-trains are vehicles built to operate in two settings: on ordinary railway lines and on urban streets. That makes them useful for connecting existing rail routes with city or town centres. TfW describes its Class 398 Citylink units as able to run on both urban streets and rail.

What are tram-trains, and how can they operate both on ordinary railways and on urban streets?

How many of the 36 new tram-trains have passed statutory safety testing, and how much did the fleet cost?

TfW has 36 Class 398 tram-trains, but only 16 had passed statutory testing when the figures were reported. The fleet cost more than £200m, making the limited deployment a major public investment story. Each train is worth about £8m.

Why have the trains been used so little, and what problems have delayed their full introduction?

The trains have been used little because TfW has introduced them cautiously while testing and fixing problems. Only six were in passenger testing, and the operator feared they might need to be withdrawn from service. TfW wants them to work reliably before deploying them widely.

What is the South Wales Metro project, and why is this fleet considered its final major piece?

The South Wales Metro is TfW's flagship project to transform an old Victorian railway into a rapid transit system. It aims to offer frequent, turn-up-and-go services similar to the London Underground and Manchester Metrolink. The project is Wales's biggest infrastructure scheme since devolution in 1999.

What will happen to passengers and train services if the tram-trains are not fully introduced until 2027?

If the tram-trains are not fully introduced until 2027, passengers will continue waiting for the complete South Wales Metro service. The rollout is five years later than the original 2022 promise. This means the planned benefits of the new fleet will not reach the whole network on schedule.

Why did Transport for Wales choose battery-powered tram-trains and partial electrification instead of putting overhead electric wires across the entire network?

The article identifies the vehicles as battery tram-trains and says the network's line-electrification infrastructure was completed in March. However, it does not explain why TfW chose batteries and partial electrification rather than overhead wires across the entire network.

How do safety testing, software control systems, and railway regulation make introducing a new train fleet different from manufacturing an ordinary mass-produced vehicle?

Introducing a new train fleet is different from making an ordinary mass-produced vehicle because every vehicle must meet railway safety requirements. TfW said 16 of its 36 trains had passed statutory testing, while 20 still awaited regulatory scrutiny. Some tests took between six weeks and two years.

This brief was written by AI from the original reporting and checked by other models. Names, figures and quotes come from the source; read it for full context.