It may have seemed like its been a long time coming but the South Wales Tram-Trains have finally broken daytime cover as the next phase of testing the class 398 Citylink vehicles gets underway. Monday 1st September 2025 was the first day of daylight testing and David Mee got out and about to see some of the testing take place.
As part of a major enhancement of railway services across South Wales, Transport for Wales have ordered 36 of these Tram-Train vehicles from Stadler with many of them having been delivered to the purpose built depot at Taffs Well (although some have since headed to Old Dalby for further testing). The long-term plan is that these – classified as class 398 – tram-trains will eventually be used on the proposed Cardiff Bay line but before that is built (services due to commence 2028) they will be allocated to services on the Rhondda, Merthyr and Cardiff City lines alongside the Cardiff Bay branchline. The current plan is that they will be introduced into passenger service from December this year.
This new phase of testing will be concentrated from Taffs Well Depot onto the Treherbert line. There are four diagrams due to run in this phase – two in the morning and two in the afternoon. On the first day two days the morning runs were cancelled but 398 028 was used on the afternoon trips.
398 028 is seen here at the start of its test run as it leaves Taffs Well Depot.
A general view of Taffs Well Depot showing rows upon rows of the new tram-trains.
398 028 continues its test run as its seen at Pontypridd.
Its then seen coasting through Ystrad Rhondda as its under test. (All Photographs by David Mee, 1st September 2025)
Testing continues to be sporadic.
On Wednesday 3rd and 4th September all four diagrams ran. On Friday 5th all four were cancelled!