Rail transport in Wales began in the early 19th century initially used for industrial purposes and shortly began to be used for commercial purposes. The

Beeching cuts The Beeching cuts, also colloquially referred to as the Beeching Axe, were a major series of route closures and service changes made as part of the restructuring of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain in the 1960s. They are named ...

had a significant impact on rail transport in Wales, closing a large number of railway stations. Since then some stations have reopened in Wales and following

Welsh devolution Welsh devolution is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, transfer of legislative powers for self-governance to Wales by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The current system of devolution began following the enactment of the Government of Wa ...

, the Wales and Borders passenger rail franchise was established in 2001 and the operator was taken into public ownership by the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...

in 2021. Rail services are generally managed by the

whilst rail infrastructure is generally the responsibility of the

UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

. Rail in Wales is mostly operated by

Transport for Wales Rail Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Governme ...

. Current developments include the

North Wales Metro The North Wales Metro (; originally the North East Wales Metro; ) is a rail and bus transport improvement programme in north Wales. Styled as a "Metro", it is conceptually a multi-modal system with a combination of bus, heavy rail, and light rail ...

South Wales Metro The South Wales Metro () is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network being developed in South East Wales around the hub of railway station.The development will also include the electrif ...

and Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro.

History

Early history

The world's oldest known iron railway bridge, Pont-y-Cafnau was designed and built in 1793. On 21 February 1804 the first recorded steam-hauled journey on rails took place in

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

from

Penydarren : ''For Trevithick's Pen-y-darren locomotive, see Richard Trevithick#"Pen-y-Darren" locomotive, Richard Trevithick.'' Penydarren is a Community (Wales), community and electoral ward in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough in Wales. Description The area ...

to the

Glamorganshire Canal The Glamorganshire Canal () in South Wales, UK, was begun in 1790. It ran along the valley of the River Taff from Merthyr Tydfil to the Bristol Channel at Cardiff. The final section of canal was closed in 1951. History Construction started ...

Swansea and Mumbles Railway The Swansea and Mumbles Railway was the venue for the world's first passenger horsecar railway service, located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Originally built under an act of Parliament, the Oystermouth Railway or Tramroad Act 1804, to m ...

was opened in 1807, becoming the first fare-paying passenger rail service in the world. In 1832

Ffestiniog Railway The Ffestiniog Railway () is a heritage railway based on Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia#Snowdonia National Park, Snowdonia National Park. The ...

opened and is the world's oldest surviving railway company. Trains between South Wales, Bristol and London crossed the River Severn at

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. The Severn Railway Bridge was opened in 1879, and continued to operate until it collapsed in 1960. In 1873, a Severn Estuary tunnel began construction including permanent water pumps which remain operational. The first trains passed through the tunnel in 1886 and for a century remained the longest underwater tunnel in the world.

Beeching report

In 1963, the

Beeching report Beeching is an English surname. It is either a derivative of the old English ''bece'', ''bæce'' "stream", hence "dweller by the stream" or of the old English ''bece'' "beech-tree" hence "dweller by the beech tree".''Oxford Dictionary of English Sur ...

aimed to reduce the debt of the nationalised

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

and led to 189 stations in Wales intended for closure with lines and tracks removed over the next decade across Wales. This list for closure was in addition to another 166 Welsh stations and halt-stops that were proposed for closure prior to Beeching's report. Some stations with particular industry works were saved. Larry Davies, an Arriva Trains Wales' community manager in 2013 said, "Although there were a lot of local protest from people as one would expect, I think the traffic that came from the power station saved the Conwy Valley line". Since the Beeching cuts and as of 2013, 32 stations have re-opened in Wales.

Wales and Borders franchise

In March 2000, the UK government announced its proposal to form the new Wales and Borders rail franchise, following long-standing calls for this by the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs. The Wales & Borders Train Company was formed on 14 October 2001 and ran by

National Express Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express. Th ...

. In 2016,

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

was established, and would oversee the procurement of the next operator of the franchise, then operated by Arriva Trains Wales, as well as Metro services on the

Valley Lines Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes (formerly Valley Lines) is the urban and suburban rail network radiating from Cardiff, Wales. It includes lines within the city itself, the Vale of Glamorgan and the South Wales Valleys. The services are curre ...

. In 2018,

KeolisAmey Wales Keolis Amey Operations (), Full legal name is bilingual including the Welsh name, as "Keolis Amey Operations / Gweithrediadau Keolis Amey Limited". trading as Transport for Wales Rail Services (TfW Rail Services) was a Welsh train operating c ...

was appointed to operate the Wales and Borders franchise on behalf of

, replacing Arriva Trains Wales as the operator of the Wales and Borders franchise, and would be operating as a "partnership" between KeolisAmey and Transport for Wales while being branded as the latter. It commenced operations in October 2018. The introduction of a new operator was accompanied with a £5 billion investment into rail by the Welsh Government, during the 15-year franchise. In 2020, Transport for Wales took ownership of Core Valley Lines from Network Rail, which runs from Cardiff to Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Treherbert, Rhymney and Coryton.

Transition to public-owned operation

In February 2021, the Wales and Borders franchise was brought into public ownership by the Welsh government under the subsidiary

. In the same year, a new app was launched and Bow Street railway station became the first Transport for Wales built station. , there are 223 rail stations in Wales.

Network

Geography

The Welsh railway system is split into three detached parts: The South Wales network, consisting of the

South Wales Main Line The South Wales Main Line (), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. It diverges from the co ...

, the

West Wales lines The West Wales lines () are a group of railway lines from Swansea through Carmarthenshire to Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The main part runs from Swansea to Carmarthen and Whitland, where it becomes three branches to Fishguard, Milford Haven and ...

and their complex network of associated branches, including the

, the

Cambrian Line The Cambrian Line (), sometimes split into the Cambrian Main Line () and Cambrian Coast Line () for its branches, is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury in England, westwards to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in Wales. Passenger train services ...

serving mid-Wales, and in North Wales, the

North Wales Coast Line The North Wales Main Line ( or ; ), also known as the North Wales Coast Line (), is a major railway line in the north of Wales and Cheshire, England, running from Crewe on the West Coast Main Line to Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey. The lin ...

and its associated branches. The three parts are linked together by the Welsh Marches Line and

Shrewsbury–Chester line The Shrewsbury–Chester line is a railway line between Chester and Shrewsbury in England, with the line passing through Wrexham in Wales. Passenger train services are operated by Transport for Wales Rail between , in the north, and , in the so ...

which both run partly through Wales and partly through England.

Railway lines

Heritage railways

Various heritage railways are present in Wales. Some are part of the Great Little Trains of Wales initiative.

Electrification

The first stretch of line to be

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...

in Wales was the

between the

Severn Tunnel The Severn Tunnel () is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn. It was constructed by the Great Western Railway (GWR) be ...

and

Cardiff Central railway station Cardiff Central () is a major station on the South Wales Main Line. It is located in the capital of Wales, Cardiff, down the line from London Paddington, via , and measured via . It is one of the city's two urban rail network hubs, along wi ...

, which was electrified as part of the Great Western Main Line upgrade, and was completed in 2020. Plans to extend the electrification from Cardiff to were scrapped in 2017. As of December 2024, the Treherbert, Merthyr, Coryton and Aberdare Core Valley lines are electrified with the new Class 756 trains being phased into use. Plans are in place for electrification of the Rhymney, Bay and City Lines. The Cardiff Bay tramway will also be largely electrified.

Management

Responsibility for agreements with rail operators and the procurement of the specific Welsh rail franchise rests with the Welsh government, whilst rail infrastructure and overall franchising powers are held by the UK government. Rail infrastructure in Wales is managed by

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and railway infrastructure manager, infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. ...

and is part of the Wales & Western region, including some parts of England along the

England–Wales border The England–Wales border, sometimes referred to as the Wales–England border or the Anglo-Welsh border, runs for from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary in the south, separating England and Wales. It has followed broadly ...

, and parts of

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England con ...

Powers

Wales' railway network is not

devolved Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...

to the

and

Senedd The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

, with there being limitations. The Welsh Government has been devolved some executive functions in relation to rail transport. These are primarily on the issues of funding, passenger rail franchising, discontinuing or closing railway services or some railway assets, under the Railways Act 2005 and The Welsh Ministers (Transfer of Functions) (Railways) Order 2018. The Welsh Government has the power to make TWA orders in relation to the construction and operation of railways, tramways, trolley vehicles, and other guided transport systems, where the order authorises the acquisition or use of land rights, and the charging of tolls and penalty fares. However, any application determined to be classed as "England and Wales", for example a railway line crossing the

, then that is the responsibility of the UK Government's

Secretary of State for Transport The secretary of state for transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Departm ...

. As it is not devolved, the Welsh Block Grant (determined by the

Barnett formula The Barnett formula is a mechanism used by the Treasury in the United Kingdom to automatically adjust the amounts of public expenditure allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to reflect changes in spending levels allocated to public se ...

) does not include funding for rail infrastructure to the Welsh Government, although the Welsh Government can still invest in rail, including for rail infrastructure and railway stations using its existing funding, but the responsibility of rail infrastructure and funding for Network Rail lies with the UK Secretary of State for Transport. This differs from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, where such powers are devolved. In relation to building new railway stations in Wales, while the Welsh Government can invest, Network Rail is the asset owner and rail network operator of rail infrastructure in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

, with the UK Secretary of State being responsible for the specifications of any enhancements and the funding provided for such enhancements. The UK Government's New Stations Fund is an example of a funding source for many of the proposed railway stations in Wales made by the Welsh Government, although other proposals such as Cardiff Parkway can be funded privately with support from the Welsh Government or by gaining funding from

European Structural and Investment Funds The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds, ESIFs) are financial tools governed by a common rulebook, set up to implement the regional policy of the European Union, as well as the structural policy pillars of the Common Agricultu ...

. To assess its proposals, the Welsh Government conducts a three-stage assessment process for proposed station in Wales, with the business case of a station prioritised as a greater chance to secure UK Government funding, while limiting expenses and construction time are also prioritised. The UK Secretary of State produces a High Level Output Specification (HLOS) and Statement of Funds Available (SoFA) to set out the priorities of Network Rail. This later develops into a Control Period, a five-year long rail plan for rail infrastructure in England and Wales.

Devolution of more powers

In 2005, the UK Government offered to devolve rail infrastructure to Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government of the time refused, citing concerns around funding, the weakness of the Welsh civil service and possible issues arising from the levels of integration between Wales's rail infrastructure with England's. The 2011

Commission on Devolution in Wales In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

had recommended that rail infrastructure be devolved to Wales. The

St David's Day Agreement The St David's Day Agreement, also known as the St David's Command Paper, is a command paper which set out the proposals of the UK coalition government. It was published in the command paper ''Powers for a purpose: Towards a lasting devo ...

was created following many of the commission's recommendations, but did not include the devolution of rail infrastructure. In 2021, the

Welsh Affairs Select Committee The Welsh Affairs Select Committee (or simply the 'Welsh Affairs Committee') is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and poli ...

had proposed for the establishment of a "Wales Rail Board" rather than devolving infrastructure to Wales.

Political concerns

Criticism of funding

A report by the Wales Governance Centre found that Wales could have utilised an additional £514million rail infrastructure between 2011-12 and 2019-20 if rail were fully devolved, and an additional £505million for the following five years. In the 2020s, the Welsh Government and Welsh politicians had criticised the UK Government for the classification of some rail infrastructure schemes. In 2020, the UK Government had classified High Speed 2 as an "England and Wales" project. This move was criticised by Welsh MPs and Welsh Government ministers, who argued such a classification had little justification as High Speed 2 did not pass through Wales, and they claim would not give any benefits to Wales. The classification would mean, unlike Scotland, Wales would not receive a Barnett consequential, estimated at £5billion. By February 2020, the Welsh Government had received £755million in HS2-linked funding, with the UK Government stating it was "investing record amounts in Wales' railway infrastructure" and the Welsh Government had received a "significant uplift" in Barnett-based funding due to the UK Government's increased funding of HS2, with Network Rail to invest £1.5billion in Wales' railways between 2019 and 2024. In April 2023, all parties of the

agreed to a motion introduced by Plaid Cymru that called on the UK Government to re-allocate funding to Wales that is "rightfully owed" for HS2. In 2023, the UK Government classed

Northern Powerhouse Rail Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), sometimes referred to unofficially as High Speed 3, is a proposed major rail programme designed to substantially enhance the economic potential of the North of England. The phrase was adopted in 2014 for a project ...

, as another "England and Wales" project, which would have given Wales a Barnett consequential of £1billion if classed as an "England" project. The decision was criticised by the

Welsh Liberal Democrats The Welsh Liberal Democrats () is a Liberalism, liberal, Federalism, federalist political party in Wales, part of UK Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who has served as an Member of the Senedd, MS for Mid ...

Criticism of the state of the railways

In April 2023, Wales' transport minister,

Lee Waters Lee Waters (born 12 February 1976) is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician who served as Deputy Minister for Climate Change from 2021 to 2024. He has served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Llanelli since 2016. Early life Waters gre ...

has described Welsh rail as having been "pretty bleak for a while" and included overcrowding and cancellations. He has accused the UK government of a "managed decline" of Welsh rail, which the UK government denies. Waters accused

's running period of 2024-2029 which shows infrastructure failures and deteriorating assets which he says will cause speed restrictions, worsened reliability, and further service failures. A spokesperson of the UK government treasury responded by saying that "we're committed to improving services for rail passengers in Wales, investing a record-breaking £2bn in Welsh railways from April 2019 to March 2024."

Future initiatives

(TfW) have planned three regional metros in Wales, the

, Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro and the

Transport for Wales 2025

TfW say that their first phase of rail services improvement will be complete by 2025. The operating service said that there will be a "generational" change to services in the Wales and Borders franchise after 148 new trains are deployed in Wales; over of rail lines is electrified; new stations are built; improvements are made to tracks and signals. By 2025, TfW has promised a more expansive and frequent service on its network, all trains being replaced, with 95% of journeys on 148 new trains, and a 65% increase in capacity. TfW aim to operate five new stations, and have an improved service on Sundays. They also plan to electrify part of the

South Wales Valleys The South Wales Valleys () are a group of industrialised peri-urban valleys in South Wales. Most of the valleys run northsouth, roughly parallel to each other. Commonly referred to as "The Valleys" (), they stretch from Carmarthenshire in the ...

rail network, while also providing >600 new jobs, better Wifi services, more station car parking spaces and smarter ticketing.

Proposals

* List of proposed railway stations in Wales * North–South Wales railway

Passenger services

All passenger routes in Wales are operated by

, as part of the cross-border Wales and Borders franchise, involving services throughout Wales and the routes making up the network through England. Transport for Wales operate the ''

Premier Service The ''Premier Service'' is a passenger train service operated by Transport for Wales Rail between Holyhead and Cardiff Central in Wales. History On 15 December 2008, the ''Premier Service'' commenced operating between Holyhead and Cardiff C ...

'', connecting Holyhead in north Wales, to Cardiff in the south. Aside Transport for Wales Rail,

Avanti West Coast First Trenitalia West Coast Rail, trading name, trading as Avanti West Coast, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership. In November 2016, the Department for Tra ...

operate a

London Euston Euston railway station ( ; or London Euston) is a major central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station managed by Network Rail in the London Borough of Camden. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line ...

Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...

and Wrexham General service via

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. In 2022,

Grand Union A grand union is a rail track junction where two double-track railway or tramway lines cross at grade, often in a street intersection or crossroads. A total of sixteen railroad switches (sets of points) allow streetcars (or in rarer install ...

was approved to operate services between

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

and London Paddington, with the first services expected in 2024.

Train operating companies In the railway system of Great Britain, a train operating company (TOC) is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways ...

working in Wales include: * Transport for Wales Rail – Most services in the

Wales & Borders franchise The Wales & Borders franchise () is a railway franchise for passenger services in the United Kingdom operated since 7 February 2021 by publicly owned operator, Transport for Wales Rail. The franchise covers the majority of rail services in W ...

. * Avanti West Coast –

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

to English West Midlands and

. * CrossCountry Trains – Cardiff/Newport to the

English Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefordshi ...

and

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

. *

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

–

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

to London Paddington,

and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

Other

* One of the stations, Llanfairpwll railway station, has the longest station name on a sign in the UK, with the sign reading Llanfairpwllgwyngyll-gogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. * The Global Centre of Rail Excellence, a proposed railway test centre, is located in South Wales.

References

External links

* {{Transport in Wales Rail transport in Wales