The Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro, or simply the Swansea Bay Metro (Welsh: Metro Bae Abertawe; originally proposed as the South West Wales Metro) is a proposed enhancement of railways, buses and active travel around the Swansea Bay and South West Wales (or just West Wales) areas of South Wales.[1] The project could take up to 10 years to complete.[2]
| Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro | |
| Owner: | Transport for Wales (proposed) |
| Area Served: | |
| Chief Executive: | James Price |
| Website: | https://tfw.wales/projects/metro/swansea-bay-metro |
| Operator: | Transport for Wales |
| Imagesize2: | 300px |
The proposal would see a new line from to station via Swansea Bay, which would allow a 30-minute service between Cardiff and Swansea following the scrapping of plans for electrification between the two cities in July 2017. The project is estimated to cost £1 billion. The project could see reopening of the Neath Valley line through new stations at Neath Abbey, Jersey Marine, Neath and Aberdulais, an on-street connection from Swansea to Mumbles, and new stations via the existing Swansea to Cardiff route.[3] The project promises better use of existing infrastructure and faster journey times.
A feasibility study was due to start in April 2018.
The proposals include:
Councillors in Neath have expressed resistance to the idea of diverting trains between Cardiff and Swansea away from Neath. Councillor Rob Jones, the leader of Neath Port Talbot council said in 2018: