Concern as further delays hit roll-out of tram-trains

Martin Shipton

Continuing delays in the roll-out of tram-trains on the south Wales Valleys Lines have prompted concerns that the Welsh Government-owned company Transport for Wales may have bought the wrong trains.

TfW has taken delivery of 36 so-called Class 398 tram-trains since March 2023, but so far only six have entered passenger service.

Retired ITV Wales journalist James Stewart lives near Taffs Well on the main Valleys line north of Cardiff, where the unused tram-trains are kept.

Puzzled by the continuing delays, Mr Stewart sent a series of questions to TfW, one of which asked the company to detail the reasons why the trains had not been put into service.

Responding, TfW said providing the information would exceed the £450 cost limit for Freedom of Information requests, equivalent to 18 hours of work.

It said this was not simply because a large volume of information existed, but because information relating to Class 398 defects and testing was held across a number of records and systems.

TfW said: “To provide a comprehensive answer to question 6, TfW would need to identify and review the relevant defect records and other project information covering the Class 398 fleet following delivery.

“This would include, as applicable, records held within project and engineering systems, commissioning and testing records, correspondence and information received from Stadler [the company that manufactured the trains], and records maintained during different phases of the programme.”

In response to another of Mr Stewart’s questions, TfW said that as of August 11, 42 drivers had been trained to drive the tram-trains, with 291 remaining to be trained.

Mr Stewart said: “I speak to railway staff and clearly there have been many problems besetting these trains, causing considerable delays.

“I am left wondering whether a large amount of public money may have been spent on buying the wrong trains.”

Nation.Cymru put a series of further questions to TfW.

Software

A Transport for Wales spokesperson said: “TfW is currently introducing brand new tram-trains as part of the South Wales Metro which is delivering a generational change for customers in Cardiff and the South Wales Valleys.

“The Class 398 tram-trains were selected specifically to run on the electrified infrastructure system we’ve been building as part of the South Wales Metro.

“This innovative type of tram-train will operate on street as well as on heavy rail lines and is a fundamental part of delivering the South Wales Metro, allowing us to deliver a turn-up-and-go electrified rail service with more frequency and improved capacity.

“These new trains are in a period of passenger testing and we’re temporarily pausing their use while the train manufacturer Stadler works on software issues that have been identified as part of the testing process.”

TfW said such “teething issues” could arise during the complex process of introducing new trains and that it had a plan in place to continue rail services on the Cardiff Bay line while passenger testing was carried out.

The Class 398s form part of a wider £800m investment in new trains across Wales and the Borders.

In relation to the Class 756 trains currently running on some of the Valleys lines instead of the tram-trains, TfW said the introduction of its different new fleets had been deliberately phased.

The first Class 197 entered service in north Wales in January 2023, with Class 231 and Class 756 trains subsequently introduced elsewhere on the network.

The Class 756 is currently running on the Merthyr, Aberdare and Treherbert lines. TfW said that as Class 398 tram-trains are introduced on those routes, the Class 756 trains will begin moving to the Rhymney and Vale of Glamorgan lines.

The company said the flexible approach was intended to allow new trains to be introduced as quickly as possible while maintaining services during the transition.

Testing

The tram-trains were manufactured in Spain by Swiss company Stadler.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We identified an issue during passenger testing of the Class 398 tram-train fleet and we’re working closely with Transport for Wales to address it.

“These are brand-new trains and it’s completely normal to identify minor issues when first being introduced to a network.

“Our investigation has confirmed a software issue, which we’re now in the process of updating.

“We’ll continue working closely with Transport for Wales to complete the necessary validation and testing before the fleet returns to service.”

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