Skip to main content

Wales reveals scale of metro project

New rail and bus services are expected to reduce rural isolation
By Ben Spencer October 28, 2021 Read time: 2 mins
Wales programme will deliver up to 30% more services to improve connectivity (© 06photo | Dreamstime.com)

The Welsh Government has unveiled new maps illustrating the scale of a metro project, which will include 172km of electrification to improve journey times.

Wales is a country that is park of the UK. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west and the Bristol Channel to the south. 

Deputy minister for climate change Lee Waters unveiled the maps, saying: “Delivering the £1bn Welsh Metro project will be one of the most ambitious and complex programmes we’ve ever undertaken.”

The maps show the programme will deliver up to 30% more services to improve connectivity across Wales, such as new tram-trains offering fast turn-up-and-go services at 45 stations on Valleys Lines by 2024.

Other plans include new and improved rail and bus services and active travel routes to reduce rural isolation, new train stations to provide a viable public transport alternative to the road network and 100% renewable energy powering overhead wires.

“Improving our public transport and active travel network routes is the right and responsible thing to do for the environment – making low carbon transport options more attractive, affordable, and easier to use – enabling people to leave their car at home particularly in the more densely populated parts of Wales linking up with active travel routes to provide door-to-door journeys in an integrated, sustainable transport network,” Waters continues. 

Additionally, the Welsh government has pledged an additional £2 million to expand existing plans for South East and South West Wales metros, to include new bus and rail stations and services as well more active travel routes.

 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Tyne and Wear Metro opts for Kapsch digital radio network
    June 23, 2014
    Having expanded its activities to the public transport sector, Kapsch CarrierCom’s public transport business unit has been successful in winning a US$13 million contract to implement a digital radio network based on the TETRA standard for Nexus, the strategic public transport body in the UK’s north-east. Based in Newcastle, Nexus owns and manages the Tyne and Wear Metro, which is used annually by 37 million passengers. The new digital radio system will be installed on the Metro’s fleet of 90 trains, repl
  • Cognitive Pilot and Fitsco collaborate on R&D
    September 22, 2020
    Russian and Chinese firms will work on smart cities and autonomous driving projects
  • Alstom-led consortium to deliver driverless light metro system to Montreal
    April 17, 2018
    An Alstom-led consortium has joined forces with Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec subsidiary DCPQ Infra to deliver an automatic and driverless light metro system for the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) project in Montreal, Canada. Alstom will introduce train and signalling solutions to help maximise system reliability, performance, capacity and passenger experience. The consortium, called Groupe des Partenaires pour la Mobilité des Montréalais (Groupe PMM), is also working with Surveyer Nenniger
  • Pivot Power: 'We need to rethink the EV customer experience'
    October 10, 2018
    Electric vehicles will increasingly become a key part of the mobility mix but charging infrastructure is currently patchy. Adam Hill talks to Matt Allen of Pivot Power about disruption, horses, slot machines – and the importance of customer experience. Electric vehicles (EVs) – including buses, taxis and cars for individual and shared use – are already a common sight on our roads. They are not yet ubiquitous. But that will come. There will be around 30 million electric cars in the world by 2030 (as they