Marcus' Model Railway Journey

22 July 2026

Engineering upgrades set for South Wales Metro this Summer​

TfW Class 756


Major rail upgrades as part of the South Wales Metro will take place this summer and rail passengers are being urged to check before they travel.

Essential rail upgrades to deliver faster and more frequent services will impact the South Wales Valley lines to and from Cardiff.

Work will be delivered from Saturday 25 July to Saturday 15 August across sections of the Rhymney, Coryton, Cardiff Bay, Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr lines.

This includes a 2-week closure across the Treherbert line and a one-week closure on the Aberdare and Merthyr lines.

To keep passengers moving, Transport for Wales will operate rail replacement buses throughout the blockade with full details, timetable and journey planning tools available at Metro service changes | Transport for Wales

The closure will allow Transport for Wales to carry out rail upgrades, relaying track at Pontypridd station, track and drainage improvements on the Treherbert line and level boarding at Pentrebach station.

Dan Tipper, TfW Chief Infrastructure Officer said: "These works are another important step in delivering the South Wales Metro and transforming rail travel across South Wales. While we know the closures will cause some disruption, the improvements we're making now will help create a more reliable, accessible and better-connected railway for the future.

"We’d like to thank customers and local communities for their patience while this vital work takes place. As rail services will be affected during the planned closures, we encourage customers to plan ahead and check the travel arrangements that will be in place for your journey, including any rail replacement bus services, and allow extra time for travel where necessary."

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• Cardiff Queen Street | Saturday 25 July - end of service Monday 27 July

There will be no rail services operating on the Rhymney, Coryton or Cardiff Bay line, or between Radyr and Cardiff Queen Street via Llandaf and Cathays.

Services on other Valley lines will continue to operate to and from Cardiff via the City Line.

Rail replacement services will operate between Rhymney and Cardiff, and from Radyr to Cardiff stopping at Llandaf, Cathays and Cardiff Queen Street. On Saturday and Monday, Rhymney buses will run to and from Cardiff Queen Street with Bargoed replacement buses running to and from Cardiff Central.

Early-morning and late-night rail replacement services will run between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay, with ticket acceptance in place with Cardiff Bus throughout the day.

• Treherbert line - Pontypridd | Friday 31 July - Thursday 6 August

During this time, engineering work will take place between Treherbert and Pontypridd, with trains replaced by buses.

• Treherbert / Aberdare / Merthyr - Radyr | Friday 7 August - Saturday 15 August

Trains between Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr and Radyr will be replaced by buses. During the closure, rail services will continue to operate between Radyr and Cardiff Central via Llandaf and Ninian Park.

During the Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr line closures replacement buses will run every 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays.

A small number of late-night services on Thursday 30 July and some early-morning services on Sunday 16 August between Pontypridd and Treherbert will be replaced by buses.

• Due to local road restrictions, the main replacement bus service along the Aberdare line will not call at Penrhiwceiber. To keep passengers moving, a dedicated minibus shuttle service will operate between Abercynon, Penrhiwceiber, and Mountain Ash.
  
  
• To accommodate rail replacement services, the car park at Radyr station will be temporarily closed from Monday 3 August. Customers are asked not to park on nearby residential streets and are encouraged to use alternative car parks across the network, including Llandaf, Taff's Well, Trefforest and Abercynon.

To allow Transport for Wales to complete essential improvements, Pontypridd and Pentrebach stations will remain closed during the works.

Ticketing

While rail replacement services are in place, passengers must hold a valid ticket before boarding. Pay as you go ticketing remains available, with validators positioned just a short walk from most replacement bus stops.

If a validator is unavailable, customers are advised to purchase their tickets via the TfW app or website or speak directly to members of the TfW revenue protection team who will be stationed at key locations across the network to assist.

Passengers with a pay as you go account who are unable to tap out, or who forget to do so, can also complete their journey through the TfW app or website the day after they travel by adding in a missed tap.

To provide additional reassurance to passengers using pay as you go, the number of tap corrections each user can do per month will be temporarily increased from 6 to 14 during the month of August.

As replacement buses may take longer than scheduled train services, passengers are strongly encouraged to check the latest travel updates on the TfW app or website and allow extra time for their journeys.

Great Central Railway

73156 and 34072 approaching Quorn

22nd July, 2026

GB Railfreight becomes UK’s largest rail freight operator​

GBRf 66759 passing Teignmouth Docks


GB Railfreight (GBRf) is celebrating new figures published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which show that the company now accounts for the largest share of freight train kilometres in Great Britain.

GBRf carried freight over 31.4% of the total distance, while it also claimed the largest share of freight vehicle kilometres at 33.3%.

While the government is bringing passenger railway operations into public ownership, it is leaving freight in the private sector, where it remains a competitive business.


GBRf’s top market share comes as it celebrates 25 years since it launched operations in 2001.

The company boasts that since then, it has helped to create thousands of skilled, secure, long-term jobs across the railway industry, many of them outside London and the South East.

GBRf 99003 departing from London Gateway, on its Intermodal Service Trial, to Hams Hall


GBRf’s attributes its success to long-term investment in its workforce, locomotives, rolling stock and operational facilities.

These have enabled the company to increase its capacity.


Over recent years, GBRf has invested in modern locomotives, such as its Class 99s, while also expanding and enhancing its wagon fleet.

In May this year, the company signed a deal with Maritime Transport, which will strengthen its position further.


This year, GBRf marked the 25th anniversary of operating its first train.

Today, it transports goods across the country to locations including Fowey, Fort William, Penmaenmawr and the Isle of Grain.


Today, GBRf transports a wide range of freight, including containers, construction materials, biomass, consumer goods and infrastructure supplies, helping to keep businesses supplied and supporting major construction and infrastructure projects nationwide.

GBRf Class 66 No. 66727 ‘Maritime One’


“If someone had told us 25 years ago, when we were preparing to run our first train, that we would one day become the UK’s largest rail freight operator, I’m not sure many of us would have believed them.

“It’s a fantastic achievement and one that makes me incredibly proud. What makes it even more special is that it comes in the same year that we celebrate our 25th anniversary. This milestone belongs to the thousands of colleagues, past and present, whose hard work, commitment and belief in the business have helped build GBRf into what it is today.

“We’ve come a long way, but we’re certainly not standing still. Rail freight has a vital role to play in supporting economic growth, strengthening supply chains and helping businesses move goods more sustainably. We’re excited about the future and remain committed to investing in our people, our customers and the railway.”

John Smith OBE, Chief Executive Officer of GB Railfreight

Cleo was here! Teeheehee!

High Priestess to the goddess Hecate is Medea. She is played by American actress Nancy Kovack