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the final stages of the South Wales Metro, a billion-pound project that will electrify over 170 kilometers of railway track and has brought electrified rail services to the South Wales valleys for the first time ever.
“ Next, we will be working with the Welsh Government and partners to transform and improve the bus sector within Wales by franchising all services as part of an integrated network, through the recent bus bill announcement and providing a structure that serves the customer and integrates with our rail network. We’ ve already made big improvements to our national bus network by introducing new electrified buses, integrating certain tickets with rail, and improving routes – all of which has led to an increase in passengers.
“ Everything we’ re doing now is aimed at improving and integrating the public transport network, with different transport modes working alongside one another,” he continues.“ Our longer-term goal is to create a multi-modal public transport network that is accessible, affordable, and therefore attracts significantly more people to use it. For passengers, this means they can travel wherever they want, and we’ ll provide a service where rail, bus, and walking or cycling routes are integrated and provide transport options.”
One of TfW’ s most significant initiatives is the aforementioned South Wales Metro project, an investment scheme aimed at providing a more frequent, reliable, faster, greener, and more accessible transport service.“ The South Wales Metro is a once-ina-generation project and one of our major milestones; we’ re electrifying 170 kilometers of railway line, and we’ ve already started to introduce brand-new tri-mode trains to the line, meaning they can run on battery, electric, or diesel,” James confirms.“ These were the first trains using this type of engine to be used in passenger service within the UK. They can travel up to 100 kilometers per hour on
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