Direct west Wales–Bristol trains approved ahead of planned December launch

Nation.Cymru staff

Direct trains linking west Wales with Bristol have been approved, with Transport for Wales planning to introduce a two-hourly service from the December timetable change.

The proposals include nine trains in each direction on weekdays and Saturdays, with most running through from west Wales to Bristol Temple Meads. Five services each way are planned on Sundays, initially running only between Cardiff and Bristol.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has granted temporary permission until the December 2027 timetable change. This allows TfW to introduce the services but does not guarantee their continuation beyond that date.

TfW’s application identified December 13, 2026, as the intended start date. However, the operator said the launch date and final timetable would be confirmed once the necessary crew training had been completed.

The through services would allow passengers from communities west of Cardiff to reach Bristol Temple Meads without changing trains.

According to the application, typical stops would include Carmarthen, Pembrey and Burry Port, Llanelli, Gowerton, Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot Parkway and Bridgend. Most services would start or finish at Fishguard Harbour or Milford Haven, calling at all stations on those sections.

Between Cardiff Central and Bristol Temple Meads, the proposed stops are Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Filton Abbey Wood and Stapleton Road. One train each way on weekdays and Saturdays would also call at Bristol Parkway.

A TfW spokesperson told RAIL: “We welcome the ORR’s decision to grant access rights for 12 months to enable TfW to launch a new two-hourly service to/from Bristol Temple Meads.

“We are confident these new services will bring significant benefits including additional capacity on this busy route and new direct journey opportunities between communities in West Wales and Bristol.

“A start date and timetable for the new services will be announced in the coming weeks, subject to the completion of the necessary crew training.”

Most through journeys would be created by extending existing west Wales–Cardiff services to Bristol.

However, two trains each way on weekdays would restore services between Carmarthen and Cardiff that were curtailed in December 2024 following a Welsh Government review.

TfW said those cuts had left two gaps of two hours between its trains, although Great Western Railway (GWR) operates a service during each gap.

Sunday trains

Sunday trains would initially remain separate from west Wales routes because of timetabling constraints. TfW said it would keep the possibility of joining them together under review.

The services would use two-car Class 197 trains, with no infrastructure upgrades required to introduce the proposed timetable.

The approval follows objections from GWR, which currently runs two trains an hour between Cardiff and Bristol. Its concerns included capacity, performance and the financial effect of passengers switching from its services.

According to RAIL’s account of the decision letter, the ORR concluded that the proposal passed its test of whether a service would generate sufficient new revenue rather than mainly take income from existing trains.

However, the regulator said it could revisit that assessment if TfW sought longer-term, guaranteed permission, particularly without an agreement between the governments funding the operators.

RAIL reported that Network Rail could not model the timetable’s performance beyond December 2027 and therefore could not support longer-term, guaranteed access.

Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Transport Mark Hooper backed the proposal. In a supporting letter quoted by RAIL, he said: “We are committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders to put in place effective operational arrangements and appropriate cross-border funding adjustments.”