Marcus' Model Railway Journey

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X2 Mainline 37117 50' parcels van M31398 in BR blue​


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10 Dec 2025

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99% of South Wales Metro now electrified​

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TfW Julie James visit


Transport for Wales has now electrified 99% of the railway lines in South East Wales as part of the South Wales Metro.

Overhead wires across the Rhymney railway line were switched on this past weekend, signifying another major milestone for the project, as well as the recent official opening of the South Wales Metro depot at Taff’s Well by His Majesty King Charles.

Since 2023, the Rhymney, Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr, Coryton and Caerphilly railway lines have all been electrified, with the final section of railway along the Cardiff Bay line planned to go live from early 2026.

Dubbed the ‘Welsh Tube’, the one-billion-pound project brought electric train services to the South Wales Valleys for the very first time last year and fully electric tram-trains will be introduced next year, providing more rail services and more capacity.

Over 90% of trains running on the Core Valley Lines ran to time (within 3 minutes) in October 2025.


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TfW Julie James visit


Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales said: “I am delighted that our investment of more than £1bn to deliver a metro system fit for the future has reached another significant milestone.

“Electrification of our core valleys lines is helping to create better access to jobs, healthcare, and education with brand new trains offering a faster, more reliable, greener and more accessible transport system.”


Julie James, Counsel General and Minister for Delivery in Welsh Government, on visiting the Rhymney railway line said: “This is a game changer for many valleys communities, improving connectivity and making it easier for people to get to where they need to go quicker and without any hassle.”
 
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TfW OLE


Dan Tipper, Chief Infrastructure Officer at Transport for Wales added: “The electrification of the Upper Rhymney railway line signifies another major milestone for the South Wales Metro and delivering real change for the people of South Wales. It means that we’ll be able to introduce our Class 756 tri-mode trains on services between Caerphilly and Rhymney from 2026.

“Our infrastructure teams have worked intensively for the past eight months installing 903 steel structures, supporting 33km of overhead wires and laying 30km of high-voltage cable. This is a huge achievement for our teams, who have worked throughout the day and night to deliver these improvements.

“We’ve already introduced the first electric trains to the region and will continue next year, with the introduction of our Class 398 tram-trains.”
 
10th December, 2025

Mozambique locomotive arrives in Aberystwyth to join Collection X​

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Lawley loco on arrival at Aberystwyth


The Vale of Rheidol Railway has welcomed another locomotive for Collection X, which is based at the railway.

No. 266 ‘M’Dundo’ is a 4-4-0 Lawley loco that was built by Falcon Engine and Car Works in Loughborough back in 1897.

The locomotive was built for the Beira Railway in Mozambique and became famous for reliability across Southern Africa.

M’Dundo joins the growing Collection X in Aberystwyth, where it will form part of the extraordinary legacy that was formed by the late Peter Rampton
 
10th December, 2025

Great Central Railway announce disposal of steam locomotive 45491​

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45491 at the Great Central Railway


The Great Central Railway are arranging the sale of LMS Black 5 No. 45491, which is based at the railway.

The locomotive, which arrived at the Great Central Railway in 2011, was built in 1943 at Derby Works.

The locomotive has been at the railway for 15 years, but the railway has had no role in the restoration.

The disposal of the locomotive comes as it is believed there is still substantial work to do before it can be considered fit for use.

The Great Central Railway say that the sale is being conducted with reference to Section 12 and Schedule 1 of the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977.
 
11 Dec 2025

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Transport for Wales delivers continued improvement in punctuality​

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Cardiff Central


Latest figures show Transport for Wales continue our improvement journey as more services are running on time across the Wales and Borders network.

The Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) quarterly figures for July to September, published today, shows TfW had the biggest improvement in punctuality of all UK train operators, with a 4.9 percentage point increase to 84.1%.

The second biggest increase was East Midlands Trains’ 1.4 percentage point improvement.

Overall TfW has moved up to 12th out of the 24 companies for performance.

It follows the ORR figures for the previous quarter – April to June 2025 – in which TfW also had the biggest improvement in punctuality of all the UK train companies.

The industry-leading growth in performance was delivered while also seeing a significant increase in passenger numbers over the summer for several major events including Oasis’ opening two gigs of their highly-anticipated reunion tour.

Customer satisfaction figures also released today by Transport Focus show TfW achieved the highest overall satisfaction score among train operators serving Wales scoring 88%, up from 84% in June.

TfW placed 2nd out of all the UK operators for value for money and performed strongly on crowding on board (83% satisfaction) and personal safety on board (91%), both above regional and national averages.

Marie Daly, Chief Operating Officer, said: “This is the second quarter of significant improvement in our punctuality performance as we focus on delivering the best-possible service for our customers.

“There is a lot of hard work being put in by TfW and our industry partners at, Amey in Wales and Network Rail to drive continuous improvement in how quickly we get things moving when there is a delay and identifying regular issues and hotspots so we can fix them.

“We are now regularly delivering the best performance in the industry on the Core Valley Lines and we are focussed on replicating these brilliant results right across the Wales and Borders network.

“We know there is still work to do, but as more of our £800m fleet of brand-new trains come into service we are aiming to improve performance and the customer experience across the network.”

TfW’s cancellation figures also improved by 1.4 percentage points for the period from July to September, which was the 4th biggest improvement in the industry.

Overall TfW has moved up to 16th out of the 24 companies for cancellations.

This was despite a number of incidents of cable theft on the Rhymney Valley lines in September, which caused a significant number of cancellations and damage costing more than £750,000.


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11th December, 2025

Two steam locomotives to feature on Bath Christmas train tomorrow​

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61306 Mayflower


Two steam locomotives will feature on the train to the Bath Christmas Markets tomorrow (12th December 2025).

The train will depart from Three Bridges with 61306 Mayflower at 08:00 and will head to Bath via Haywards Heath (08:15), Burgess Hill (08:22), Hove (08:39), Shoreham-by-Sea (09:07), Worthing (09:18), Barnham (09:40), Chichester (09:53), Hedge End (10:43), Salisbury (11:54), Westbury (12:33) and Bath Spa at 13:05.
 
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71000 Duke of Gloucester


After time in Bath, 71000 Duke of Gloucester will join 61306 for the return trip. Departing Bath Spa at 15:55, the train will pass through Trowbridge (16:15), Salisbury (16:59), Fareham (18:18), Chichester (18:53), Barnham (19:08), Worthing (19:35), Shoreham-by-Sea (19:46), Hove (19:57), Preston Park (20:05), Burgess Hill (20:30), Haywards Heath (20:38) and Three Bridges (21:13).
 
Friday 12 Dec 2025

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Picture-perfect peaks: Network Rail plays key role in landmark project to remove pylons from views across Eryri National Park​

Region & Route: Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

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Eryri photoshop demonstrating pylon removal visual by 2029


Working in partnership with National Grid, a once-in-a-generation scheme is underway to improve the landscape around the Dwyryd Estuary, in Snowdonia, by re-routing power cables underground.

The existing overhead lines are a highly visible and intrusive feature in one of the UK’s most celebrated protected landscapes.

National Grid’s flagship Eryri Visual Impact Provision project is addressing this by constructing a 3.4km underground tunnel beneath the estuary between Minffordd and Llandecwyn, allowing the removal of 3km of overhead lines and 10 electricity pylons.

With specialist expertise in railway tunnels, Network Rail’s Asset Protection team is supporting the project by working closely with National Grid and its contractor,

Hochtief UK, to provide engineering assurance for works on and near the railway.

This collaboration is helping the project to progress safely and efficiently, protecting vital rail infrastructure while minimising impacts on the railway, local communities and the national park environment through careful coordination of access arrangements, construction safety and environmental compliance.

Tunnel construction is underway with Network Rail so far supporting works where the tunnel passes beneath the railway at Minffordd and Penrhyndeudraeth.

In March 2026, the Asset Protection team will again work alongside National Grid during further tunnelling activities at Llandecwyn.

The pylons and overhead lines are due for removal in 2029.

The section of overhead line, constructed in 1966, is part of the 400kV electricity route connecting the 400kV Pentir substation near Bangor with the former Trawsfynydd Power Station, now a 400kV substation.

The Eryri project is the only VIP scheme underway in Wales, and one of just five across the UK - alongside schemes in the Dorset National Landscape, Peak District National Park, North Wessex Downs National Landscape and the Cotswolds National Landscape.
 
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Eryri national grid view inside the tunnel



Nick Millington, Wales and Borders Route Director, Network Rail, said, “We’re proud to support the Visual Impact Provision project in Eryri, which aligns with our commitment to sustainability, community engagement and protecting the environment.

“Wales and Borders is more than a railway - and the contribution of our specialist engineering teams to this complex work shows how we work with partners to deliver lasting benefits for our beautiful landscape, while keeping passengers and freight moving safely and reliably.”

Keeping the railway open and protecting the national park

Located close to the Cambrian Line and key community access points, the project requires tight coordination between National Grid, its contractors and Network Rail to plan safe construction routes, cable delivery operations and overhead line removal - all while keeping disruption to a minimum. The Cambrian Line remains open during the work.

Network Rail has also worked closely with the Eryri National Park Authority and National Grid’s environmental teams to support access planning and mitigate environmental risks. This includes protecting sensitive habitats and to allow well-used walking routes - including the Wales Coast Path - to remain accessible throughout the works, wherever possible.

Steve Ellison, Senior Project Manager for the Eryri VIP at National Grid, said, “We’re proud to have completed this important and delicate stage of our tunnelling journey without issue. This is testament to the close working relationship we have with Network Rail and the high level of skill and expertise within both teams.”
 
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Network Rail and National grid teams in tunnel beneath Minffordd


Eryri VIP – National Grid
• Overhead line removal is expected to be completed by 2029, once the new underground cables are fully commissioned.
• The Cambrian Line remains fully operational throughout the construction period.
• Project details: https://www.nationalgrid.com/electr...-infrastructure/visual-impact-provision/eryri

About the Visual Impact Provision (VIP)
All electricity transmission owners are funded through a price control mechanism agreed by Ofgem.

The current (2021–2026) price control includes £465 million to mitigate the visual impact of existing electricity infrastructure in nationally protected landscapes.

National Grid’s VIP programme is guided by an independent panel of senior landscape experts from organisations including the National Trust, Ramblers, Landscape Institute, Campaign for National Parks, CPRE, Natural England, Historic England and their Welsh counterparts. The group is chaired by environmentalist and broadcaster Chris Baines.

About National Grid

National Grid lies at the heart of the energy system in the UK and US, moving energy from where it’s made to where it’s needed, safely, securely and reliably, for millions of customers.

Whether through groundbreaking innovation with National Grid Partners or investing in tech start-ups, we help homes stay warm, businesses stay productive, and communities stay connected.

We’re investing £60 billion by 2029 to modernise networks, enable cleaner energy and strengthen security of supply.

We employ over 30,000 people, and our work is helping to grow economies across the UK and US, creating lasting benefits for the communities we serve.

For more information, visit www.nationalgrid.com LinkedIn National Grid | LinkedIn.
 
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