14 Nov 2025
Today, his Majesty, King Charles has officially opened the South Wales Metro Depot in Taff’s Well.
Home of the South Wales Metro, the £100 million depot provides over 400 jobs and is where a fleet of 36 brand-new tram-trains will be stabled and maintained.
The opening of the depot and introduction of the first tram-trains next year will continue the transformation of transport across South Wales.
Transport for Wales is delivering the South Wales Metro, one of Wales’ biggest infrastructure projects. This includes electrifying over 170km of railway, allowing for the introduction of electric trains on the South Wales Valley lines for the very first time last year.
The 5-hectare site, which comprises of a brand-new train depot, stabling site for the 36 tram-trains and the Integrated Control Centre is now fully completed and open.
Recently dubbed the ‘Welsh Tube’, the project connects some of Europe’s most deprived communities to each other, to Cardiff and beyond, and aims to improve access to employment, leisure and health centres, boosting the economic potential of the South Wales Valleys.
King Charles met with staff at the depot and took a journey in the driver’s cab on one of the new tram-trains, with children from three local schools and community representatives invited to join the celebrations.
First Minister Eluned Morgan said:“Improving transport across Wales is one of my top priorities – investing in high quality transport which is more reliable, more convenient and more enjoyable to use.
“We are already seeing the significant benefits of our investment in the South Wales Metro.
“Better services, brand-new trains and Pay-As-You-go ticketing have transformed travel for passengers.
“The opening of the Taffs Well Depot marks a major milestone in our £1bn investment to upgrade the Core Valley Lines.
“It’s part of the behind-the-scenes but essential infrastructure which will make a big difference to people in their daily lives, whether making it easier to go to work or training, or exploring the country on our fantastic rail network.”
James Price, Transport for Wales CEO said: “It’s been a pleasure to host his Majesty, King Charles at Taff’s Well today and for him to tour our South Wales Metro Depot.
“With electrified railways, brand-new trains and a state-of-the-art depot, the South Wales Metro is transforming the way people travel in the region, and most importantly connecting people and communities to opportunities.
“We’re in the final stages of electrifying 170 km of track and have already introduced our first electric trains onto the network, alongside pay as you go ticketing for our customers.
“We’re excited to start introducing the brand-new tram-trains next year, as we continue to transform travel and attract people to use public transport.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our team and construction partners for their hard work to deliver the new depot.
“I’d especially like to thank the local community in Taff’s Well for their support and patience throughout the major construction project and for helping us name it locally as ‘The Walnut Tree’ Depot’.”
Vernon Everitt, Transport for Wales Chair added: "The South Wales Metro is transforming transport in the region and the opening of this depot signifies the beginning of a new chapter in Welsh public transport.
"Transport is an essential enabler of sustainable economic growth, higher productivity and access to homes, jobs, education, better health and opportunity for everyone.
"At its heart, transport is about tackling inequality in all its forms and the South Wales Metro will improve the lives of those living in the valleys and help provide a better future for generations to come.
"This one-hundred-million-pound facility that we open today, is, therefore, so much more than bricks, mortar and steel tracks. It is a cornerstone for better lives in South Wales and a catalyst for regeneration.
"Transport for Wales is delivering change and improvements in public transport across the whole of Wales and into the borders and our vision is to create one integrated network, bringing together rail, bus and active travel routes."
Notes to editors
Transport for Wales is a not-for-profit organisation wholly owned by the Welsh Government and is transforming public transport throughout Wales and the Borders.
South Wales Metro Depot – Taff’s Well
Taff’s Well, located at the heart of the TfW owned Core Valley Lines, was chosen as the ideal location.
Demolition work at the 5-hectare Forgemasters site began in July 2019, with construction of the new depot and Metro control centre built on its foundations starting in January 2020.
The demolition was followed by remedial work to remove contaminated soil, which paved the way for the depot's foundations, completed in spring 2022.
From 2022, the Ffordd Bleddyn road bridge was closed, demolished and rebuilt to create a new rail entrance at the South of the depot. A near 180-degree light rail bend now allows the tram-trains to enter and exit the site, linking to the original railway line.
Alongside work to construct the new depot, significant improvements have also been delivered at Taff's Well station. Since 2021, both station platforms have been extended to accommodate TfW’s new longer trains and deliver level boarding enhancements.
In 2024, the original stepped footbridge, which had been in place since 1879, was carefully removed and donated to a heritage railway. This was replaced by a brand-new Access for All footbridge, delivering step-free access to both platforms.
The Integrated Control Centre (ICC), located at the North end of the site, was completed in 2023. It’s responsible for managing signalling across the Core Valley Lines, with responsibility transferred from Network Rail’s control centre in Cardiff. It’s home to over 50 staff who work around the clock to keep the network moving.
South Wales Metro
The South Wales Metro project aims to transform the way people travel across the South Wales Valley’s through more frequent and faster journeys, made on new trains and tram-trains.
The project includes electrifying 170k of existing railway alongside upgrading the majority of stations.
Upgrades began in 2020, and since then major work has been delivered across the Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Coryton, Rhymney, City and Cardiff Bay railway lines.
Transport for Wales has become the first heavy rail operator outside London to launch a pay-as-you-go ticketing system. The tap on, tap off technology has already enabled over 1.8 million journeys across 95 stations across South Wales and will expand to North Wales next year.
The next steps -South Wales Metro
With the depot now fully open and operational, attention now shifts to introducing the first tram-train into service from Spring 2026, alongside completing infrastructure upgrades across the Rhymney and Cardiff Bay lines.
Testing of the tram-trains will continue to become more frequent in the coming months as the first batch of train crew begin their training.
