Rail transport in Wales began in the early 19th century initially used for industrial purposes and shortly began to be used for commercial purposes. The Beeching cuts had a significant impact on rail transport in Wales, closing a large number of railway stations. Since then some stations have reopened in Wales and following Welsh devolution, the Wales and Borders passenger rail franchise was established in 2001 and the operator was taken into public ownership by the Welsh Government in 2021.

Rail services are generally managed by the Welsh Government whilst rail infrastructure is generally the responsibility of the UK Government. Rail in Wales is mostly operated by Transport for Wales Rail. Current developments include the North Wales Metro, South Wales Metro and Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro.

History

Early history The world's oldest known iron railway bridge, Pont-y-Cafnau was designed and built in 1793. On 21 February 1804 the first recorded steam-hauled journey on rails took place in Merthyr Tydfil from Penydarren to the Glamorganshire Canal.

Swansea and Mumbles Railway was opened in 1807, becoming the first fare-paying passenger rail service in the world.

In 1832 Ffestiniog Railway opened and is the world's oldest surviving railway company.

Trains between South Wales, Bristol and London crossed the River Severn at Gloucester. The Severn Railway Bridge was opened in 1879, and continued to operate until it collapsed in 1960. In 1873, a Severn Estuary tunnel began construction including permanent water pumps which remain operational. The first trains passed through the tunnel in 1886 and for a century remained the longest underwater tunnel in the world.

Beeching report In 1963, the Beeching report aimed to reduce the debt of the nationalised British Rail and led to 189 stations in Wales intended for closure with lines and tracks removed over the next decade across Wales. This list for closure was in addition to another 166 Welsh stations and halt-stops that were proposed for closure prior to Beeching's report.

Some stations with particular industry works were saved. Larry Davies, an Arriva Trains Wales' community manager in 2013 said, "Although there were a lot of local protest from people as one would expect, I think the traffic that came from the power station saved the Conwy Valley line". Since the Beeching cuts and as of 2013, 32 stations have re-opened in Wales.

Wales and Borders franchise In March 2000, the UK government announced its proposal to form the new Wales and Borders rail franchise, following long-standing calls for this by the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs. The Wales & Borders Train Company was formed on 14 October 2001 and run by National Express.

In 2016, Transport for Wales was established, and would oversee the procurement of the next operator of the franchise, then operated by Arriva Trains Wales, as well as Metro services on the Valley Lines.

In 2018, KeolisAmey Wales was appointed to operate the Wales and Borders franchise on behalf of Transport for Wales, replacing Arriva Trains Wales as the operator of the Wales and Borders franchise, and would be operating as a "partnership" between KeolisAmey and Transport for Wales while being branded as the latter. It commenced operations in October 2018. The introduction of a new operator was accompanied with a £5billion investment into rail by the Welsh Government, during the 15-year franchise.

In 2020, Transport for Wales took ownership of Core Valley Lines from Network Rail, which runs from Cardiff to Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Treherbert, Rhymney and Coryton.

Transition to public-owned operation In February 2021, the Wales and Borders franchise was brought into public ownership by the Welsh government under the subsidiary Transport for Wales Rail. In the same year, a new app was launched and Bow Street railway station became the first Transport for Wales built station.

, there are 223 rail stations in Wales.

Network

Geography The Welsh railway system is split into three detached parts: The South Wales network, consisting of the South Wales Main Line, the West Wales lines and their complex network of associated branches, including the Valley Lines, the Cambrian Line serving mid-Wales, and in North Wales, the North Wales Coast Line and its associated branches. The three parts are linked together by the Welsh Marches Line and Shrewsbury–Chester line which both run partly through Wales and partly through England.

Railway lines

Heritage railways

Various heritage railways are present in Wales. Some are part of the Great Little Trains of Wales initiative.

Electrification The first stretch of line to be electrified in Wales was the South Wales Main Line between the Severn Tunnel and Cardiff Central railway station, which was electrified as part of the Great Western Main Line upgrade, and was completed in 2020. Plans to extend the electrification from Cardiff to were scrapped in 2017. As of December 2024, the Treherbert, Merthyr, Coryton and Aberdare Core Valley lines are electrified with the new Class 756 trains being phased into use. Plans are in place for electrification of the Rhymney, Bay and City Lines. The Cardiff Bay tramway will also be largely electrified.

Management

Responsibility for agreements with rail operators and the procurement of the specific Welsh rail franchise rests with the Welsh government, whilst rail infrastructure and overall franchising powers are held by the UK government. Rail infrastructure in Wales is managed by Network Rail and is part of the Wales & Western region, including some parts of England along the England–Wales border, and parts of South West England.

Powers Wales' railway network is not devolved to the Welsh Government and Senedd, with there being limitations. The Welsh Government has been devolved some executive functions in relation to rail transport. These are primarily on the issues of funding, passenger rail franchising, discontinuing or closing railway services or some railway assets, under the Railways Act 2005 and the Welsh Ministers (Transfer of Functions) (Railways) Order 2018 (SI 2018/631). The Welsh Government has the power to make Transport and Works Act orders in relation to the construction and operation of railways, tramways, trolley vehicles, and other guided transport systems, where the order authorises the acquisition or use of land rights, and the charging of tolls and penalty fares. However, any application determined to be classed as "England and Wales", for example a railway line crossing the England–Wales border, then that is the responsibility of the UK Government's Secretary of State for Transport.

As it is not devolved, the Welsh Block Grant (determined by the Barnett formula) does not include funding for rail infrastructure to the Welsh Government, although the Welsh Government can still invest in rail, including for rail infrastructure and railway stations using its existing funding, but the responsibility of rail infrastructure and funding for Network Rail lies with the UK Secretary of State for Transport. This differs from Scotland, where such powers are devolved. In relation to building new railway stations in Wales, while the Welsh Government can invest, Network Rail is the asset owner and rail network operator of rail infrastructure in England and Wales, with the UK Secretary of State being responsible for the specifications of any enhancements and the funding provided for such enhancements. The UK Government's New Stations Fund is an example of a funding source for many of the proposed railway stations in Wales made by the Welsh Government, although other proposals such as Cardiff Parkway can be funded privately with support from the Welsh Government or by gaining funding from European Structural and Investment Funds. To assess its proposals, the Welsh Government conducts a three-stage assessment process for proposed station in Wales, with the business case of a station prioritised as a greater chance to secure UK Government funding, while limiting expenses and construction time are also prioritised.

The UK Secretary of State produces a High Level Output Specification (HLOS) and Statement of Funds Available (SoFA) to set out the priorities of Network Rail. This later develops into a Control Period, a five-year long rail plan for rail infrastructure in England and Wales.

Devolution of more powers

In 2005, the UK Government offered to devolve rail infrastructure to Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government of the time refused, citing concerns around funding, the weakness of the Welsh civil service and possible issues arising from the levels of integration between Wales's rail infrastructure with England's.

The 2011 Commission on Devolution in Wales had recommended that rail infrastructure be devolved to Wales. The St David's Day Agreement was created following many of the commission's recommendations, but did not include the devolution of rail infrastructure.

In 2021, the Welsh Affairs Select Committee had proposed for the establishment of a "Wales Rail Board" rather than devolving infrastructure to Wales.

Political concerns

Criticism of funding and "England and Wales" projects A report by the Wales Governance Centre found that Wales could have utilised an additional £514million rail infrastructure between 2011-12 and 2019-20 if rail were fully devolved, and an additional £505million for the following five years.

In the 2020s, the Welsh Government and Welsh politicians had criticised the UK Government for the classification of some rail infrastructure schemes.

In 2020, the UK Government had classified High Speed 2 (HS2) as an "England and Wales" project. This move was criticised by Welsh MPs and Welsh Government ministers, who argued such a classification had little justification as High Speed 2 did not pass through Wales, and they claim would not give any benefits to Wales. The classification would mean, unlike Scotland, Wales would not receive a Barnett consequential, estimated at £5billion. By February 2020, the Welsh Government had received £755million in HS2-linked funding, with the UK Government stating it was "investing record amounts in Wales' railway infrastructure" and the Welsh Government had received a "significant uplift" in Barnett-based funding due to the UK Government's increased funding of HS2, with Network Rail to invest £1.5billion in Wales' railways between 2019 and 2024. In April 2023, all parties of the Senedd agreed to a motion introduced by Plaid Cymru that called on the UK Government to re-allocate funding to Wales that is "rightfully owed" for HS2.

In 2023, the UK Government classed Northern Powerhouse Rail, as another "England and Wales" project, which would have given Wales a Barnett consequential of £1billion if classed as an "England" project. The decision was criticised by the Welsh Liberal Democrats. In January 2025, ministers of the new Labour UK Government admitted that Wales' railways has had issues with low funding, with a government source stating it "suffered chronic underinvestment". Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated in a letter that funding for Wales' railways has been as "low levels" for recent years, while Welsh secretary, Jo Stevens, claimed that the previous Conservative UK Government conducted "14 years of underfunding", while also dismissing concerns over HS2 funding. In June 2025, East West Rail, it was revealed that a rail project between Oxford and Cambridge, was classified as an "England and Wales" project.