Welsh railway investment means new freight opportunities

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Work is set to begin on a new £220 million rail project which will vastly improve the standard of rail connectivity throughout Wales.  The work, which will be delivered in five stages and has garnered the interest of a handful of large contracting firms, will provide both passenger and freight trains a much needed boost in the area.

Hundreds of railway workers will be mobilised to replace more than 300 signals, 12 miles of track, 59 sets of points and build seven additional platform points in between Cardiff and Valley’s rail network, including Barry, Caerphilly, Pontypridd and Tir-Phil stations. 

There will also be an electrification of the line between Swansea and London Paddington, shaving 20 minutes off the journey. 

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Opportunity for supply

One of the key improvements will be the removal of the rail bottleneck between Cardiff Central and Queen Street, allowing 16 extra passenger trains per hour run through the area (a 25 percent increase), thus greatly improving the capacity for freight trains in Wales.

The re-invigoration of the Welsh railway network has the potential to energise a part of the UK which has been economically stagnant in recent years.  The development of the new line will provide vital opportunities for supply chain expansion throughout the area.