TfW sets out two-phase Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro plan with up to eight new stations

Transport for Wales has set out plans for extra trains on two routes from Swansea and up to eight new stations under the Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro, with public engagement open until 13 December 2026.

The proposals, published by Transport for Wales (TfW) on 3 November, cover the Swansea to Pembrey & Burry Port line and a Swansea to Ammanford route via Neath. TfW said it is developing them with the Welsh Government, the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee (CJC), regional local authorities and Network Rail.

The Welsh Government is paying for development work, but TfW said neither phase is fully funded for delivery, which depends on money being secured from the UK Government. On its engagement page TfW said it does not yet have final costs, and that costs will depend on decisions still to be made about the design and scope of each proposal.

Mark Hooper, Deputy Minister for Transport, said: "We want the Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro to make traveling by train as easy and convenient as possible. To help us achieve that we need to know about your experiences and requirements."

Phase A

Phase A proposes up to two additional trains an hour between Swansea and Pembrey & Burry Port, and a possible new station at Cockett, which TfW said would give local people a route towards Swansea, Llanelli and Carmarthen.

The infrastructure for this phase includes a new platform at Swansea station and changes at Pembrey & Burry Port to let trains change direction more easily. TfW's engagement page describes this as a turnback that would allow selected services to end there before returning towards Swansea.

Phase B

Phase B, which TfW said is at an earlier stage of development, proposes up to two new services an hour between Swansea and Ammanford via Neath, with the new trains connecting with other services at Neath.

It could include seven potential new stations at Landore, Winsh-wen, Morriston, Llandarcy, Felindre, Pont-lliw and Ammanford. New track linking two railway lines would be needed, together with track and signalling improvements, and TfW said turnbacks at Pontarddulais and Ammanford would support the more frequent service.

Most of the proposed new stations are expected to be unstaffed, according to TfW, although it said this may vary. TfW said it does not expect current services to be reduced as a result of the proposals.

Amanda Phillips, Strategic Development Programme Manager at Transport for Wales, said: "These are long-term proposals and there is still a lot of work to do, which is exactly why it’s important that we hear from people now."

Background

TfW said the proposals build on a detailed study carried out for the Welsh Government in 2021. The Welsh Government launched a 12-week consultation on rail options for south west Wales on 16 March 2021, working with TfW and Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea councils, with options including increased local services to Carmarthen and Swansea, new stations and a Metro network. It published the Swansea Bay and west Wales Metro WelTAG stage 2 report on 27 October 2021, setting out how the options would meet the project's objectives.

In March 2021 Welsh ministers described Swansea Bay and West Wales as one of three Metros alongside North and South Wales, and said the Welsh Government was investing £800m in new trains across Wales and the borders, including the three Metros. TfW's longer-term aspirations for the Metro include electrifying the rail network.

The scheme also sits within the South West Wales CJC's Regional Transport Plan for 2025 to 2030, which says investment in the Metro offers the potential for better integrated rail, bus and active travel networks. The Welsh Government has awarded the CJC £100,000 for regional transport planning work in 2026 to 2027, and its regional transport grants for the same year include £100,000 for a Landore Park and Ride replacement in Swansea, one of the locations named for a potential Phase B station.

TfW's engagement page notes that separate proposals for more frequent trains to Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven, and a possible light rail or tram-train between Swansea and Neath, are not part of this consultation. It also says bus franchising is set to be introduced in South West Wales in 2028, followed by North Wales in 2029 and South East and Mid Wales in 2030.

What happens next

TfW said it will publish a summary of the feedback and how it influenced the plans once the consultation closes, and that if the proposals go ahead there will be further rounds of consultation as designs are developed in more detail.

Drop-in events start at Swansea Railway Station on Tuesday 10 November from 08:00 to 17:00, followed by Burry Port Railway Station and Library on 16 November, Llanelli Railway Station and Canolfan Pentre Awel on 18 November, Ammanford Library on 19 November, Neath Railway Station on 20 November from 08:00 to 16:00, Cockett Community Centre on 25 November from 14:00 to 18:00, and Swansea Quadrant Shopping Centre on 26 November from 09:00 to 17:00.