Transport for Wales (TfW) has revealed how it plans to support passengers needing toilet facilities when its new South Wales Metro tram-trains enter service later this summer.
The first of TfW’s brand-new electric tram-trains are due to begin carrying passengers between Pontypridd and Cardiff Bay in the coming months as part of the wider South Wales Metro transformation.
Unlike traditional trains, the new tram-trains will not have toilets on board. However, TfW says it has made a significant investment in station facilities to ensure passengers are never more than 20 minutes away from a toilet while travelling on the network.
As part of the preparations, nine new station toilets are being installed across the Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr lines, while a further five existing facilities are being refurbished and upgraded.
The move mirrors other metro-style transport systems across the UK and Europe, where shorter, more frequent services typically operate without onboard toilet facilities.
TfW says the new infrastructure has been designed to support the introduction of the tram-trains while maintaining access to essential facilities for customers.
The new toilets will include a range of accessibility features, including wheelchair access, support rails, internal and external help points, baby changing facilities and sanitary product dispensers.
Passenger safety has also been a key consideration. CCTV and lighting have been upgraded at all stations where new toilets are being installed, with live CCTV feeds monitored around the clock by TfW’s Integrated Control Centre in Taff’s Well.
Help points will allow passengers to report issues directly, while remote door locking technology is being introduced to help tackle vandalism and anti-social behaviour. TfW will also deploy mobile cleaning and security teams to maintain the facilities.
Six of the nine new toilet facilities are now nearing completion. While refurbishment work takes place at Pontypridd, Trefforest and Radyr stations, temporary toilet facilities will be provided and are expected to be available before the first tram-trains enter service.
The toilet upgrades form part of TfW’s final preparations ahead of the Metro rollout.
Training for traincrew is well under way, with test runs taking place most days as the operator prepares to introduce the first of its 36 new tram-trains into passenger service.
The South Wales Metro aims to improve connections between Cardiff and the Valleys, delivering more frequent and faster journeys. The improved performance of the new trains, together with infrastructure upgrades, is expected to reduce journey times to around 50 minutes between Cardiff and Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr, with services running every 15 minutes.
Dan Tipper, Chief Infrastructure Officer at TfW said: “Our teams are working extremely hard as we move into the final stages ahead of introducing our first tram-trains into service. With driver and train manager training nearing completion and testing taking place most days, we’re making strong progress towards launching these services.
“The tram-trains are central to delivering the faster, more frequent journeys promised by the South Wales Metro and, alongside pay as you go, will support a true turn-up-and-go service for communities across the Valleys.”
