Business
Transport for Wales services to be impacted by industrial action
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THE MAJORITY of Transport for Wales (TfW) services across the Wales and Borders network will be suspended on two days in October due to the on-going national industrial action.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) has announced two days of strike action will take place on Saturday 1 and Saturday 8 October, across Network Rail and 15 train operators.
ASLEF has also announced strike action on Saturday 1 and Wednesday 5 October across 12 train operators, while TSSA have announced strike action on 1 October at Network Rail and 11 train operators.
TfW is not involved in this industrial action, but as a result of the dispute between unions and Network Rail, TfW will be unable to operate a number of rail services on Network Rail infrastructure on 1 and 8 October, while some services will be much busier than usual on 5 October.
More information about the industrial action can be found on the TfW website.
Saturday 1 and Saturday 8 October – very limited rail service, do not travel by train
The only services operating will be on the Core Valley Lines in South Wales and a Cardiff to Newport shuttle, with one train operating hourly in each direction, between 07:30 and 18:30.
No other TfW services across Wales and the Borders network will be able to operate.
Train services will operate between Cardiff Central and Rhymney, Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil in an hourly service in each direction between 07:30 and 18:30.
Customers are reminded there will be very limited road transport capacity between Radyr and Cardiff before 07:30 and after 18:30, when TfW is unable to operate trains via Llandaf and Cathays.
Amended timetables for Saturday 1 October will be in online journey planners from Tuesday 27 September.
Friday 30 September and Friday 7 October (the days before the strikes)
There is also expected to be disruption on the days prior to the industrial action, and services will be much busier than usual.
Customers are advised to only travel if necessary on Friday 30 September and 7 October, and to check online journey planners for any short-notice late night service alterations as a result of the following day’s strike action.
Core Valley Lines – Saturday 1 and Saturday 8 October
The first services of the day that depart Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil will all be timed so they will be arriving into Radyr after 07:00. No trains will run before 07:00 on any lines except between Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil – Radyr.
No pre-planned road transport services will be in operation before 18:30 on Core Valley lines.
Services are likely to be much busier than usual – particularly the first services of the day.
All other TfW services – Sunday 2 and 9 October
No trains will run before 07:00 on these days, and those trains that do run are likely to be much busier than usual – particularly the first services of the day. There is also expected to be disruption to services due to trains being displaced from the previous day’s strike action.
In particular, services to Cardiff are expected to be busier than usual on the morning on 2 October due to the Cardiff Half-Marathon.
Customers are urged to check the TfW website, app or social media before they travel, particularly for the first services of the day from their station of origin.
Services on these days are to be extremely busy and customers are encouraged to travel via the alternative dates of Monday 3 or 10 October.
Wednesday 5 October
Some of our services are likely to be extremely busy as a result of the severely-reduced timetable put in place by other operators. This includes:
- Services between Carmarthen and Newport
- Services between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton
- Services between Cardiff and Cheltenham
- Services between Chester and Holyhead
- Services between Chester and Manchester Airport
- Services between Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly
Due to the closure of Birmingham New Street station, services between North Wales and Birmingham International will terminate at Wolverhampton.
Customers are advised to only travel if necessary and customers are encouraged to travel via the alternative dates of Tuesday 4 or Thursday 6 October.
Amended timetables for Wednesday 5 October will be in online journey planners from Thursday 29 September.
Existing tickets
Advance ticket holders are entitled to change their journey using the ‘Book with Confidence’ and the change of journey fees should be waived if applied before 18:00 the day before travel. You’re still able to change your tickets after this time, and up until the departure, but a change of journey fee of £10 will apply to each ticket changed.
Customers with Anytime, Off-Peak or Advance tickets, also Ranger/Rover tickets, for a TOC on strike – dated for 1, 5 or 8 October are permitted to travel either on the day before the date on the ticket or up to 11 October 2022.
If you have a return ticket and cannot make your outward journey because of a strike, you’re permitted a refund on your ticket even if the latter is not affected by a strike. The same applies if the return journey is affected by a strike but the outward was not.
Alternatively, customers can claim a full refund, with no admin fee charged. Season ticket holders can apply for compensation via Delay Repay.
Business
Over 150,000 journeys made using new Pay As You Go rail ticketing
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MORE than 150,000 journeys have been completed using the new Pay As You Go ticketing system in South Wales since its launch three months ago, making it Transport for Wales’ (TfW) fastest-growing ticketing product.
TfW became the first train operator outside London and the south-east of England to introduce the system last year. In November 2024, tap-in, tap-out technology was made available at 95 railway stations across South Wales, with fares starting at just £2.60.
The system provides automatic daily and weekly fare capping, offering significant savings compared to standard anytime singles and seven-day season tickets.
Expanding ticketing technology
Similar technology, offering tap-on, tap-off ticketing, is also being used for bus services in North Wales. Recent figures show that over 40% of transactions for those services are now made through the system.
Three years ago, TfW introduced a single integrated ticket covering both bus and rail services, allowing faster and cheaper travel between South Wales and Aberystwyth. Between April and December 2024, around 7,000 people used the integrated ticket for journeys between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth.
Transport leaders welcome success
Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said: “I am delighted that more and more passengers are opting for Pay As You Go, making the most of a simpler and fairer way to pay for rail and bus tickets.”
Alexia Course, Chief Commercial Officer at TfW, added: “We want to offer customers the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ticketing option, and tap-on, tap-off technology enables us to do this.
“We are proud to be one of the first train operators outside London to introduce this system at 95 stations across South Wales. It was a key commitment of the South Wales Metro, and its success as our fastest-selling product reflects strong passenger demand.
“We are also using similar technology for bus services in North Wales, and our integrated ticketing model continues to gain traction. These developments are crucial as we move towards our vision of ‘one network, one timetable, one ticket.’”
Business
SPARC’s Career Connections event inspires next generation of young women
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MORE than 150 female secondary school students from the SPARC Alliance initiative came together for a successful Career Connections event at Pembrokeshire College this month.
The SPARC Alliance introduced the young women to leading industry professionals to explore career opportunities in renewable energy, construction, engineering, and maritime industries.
Luciana Ciubotariu, CEO of Celtic Freeport and SPARC Patron, delivered an inspiring opening speech, encouraging students to embrace curiosity, stay open to new opportunities, and step boldly into industries where women have historically been underrepresented.
Ms Ciubotariu said: “This event is all about you—your future, your possibilities, and the incredible careers waiting for you. All industries need more women, and even though some spaces haven’t always seemed open to us, they absolutely are. You belong wherever you want to be.”
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Designed to inspire, empower, and connect, the event included the recording of a podcast interview hosted by Apollo Engineering, and an inspiring closing talk from Captain Louise Sara and Kristy Dawson (Carnival Corporation), who shared their experiences of navigating the maritime industry.
There was also an interactive ‘Career Connections’ session where SPARC pupils used Career Passports to engage directly with industry professionals and discover skills essential for Wales’ fastest-growing sectors.
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Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in STEM careers and with the UK’s low-carbon energy workforce set to grow by nearly 500,000 jobs by 2030, initiatives like SPARC play a critical role in ensuring young women see themselves in these careers and have the confidence and knowledge to pursue them.
Throughout the day, students engaged in career discussions, interactive activities, and hands-on experiences with professionals from Apollo Engineering, Blue Gem Wind, Celtic Freeport, ERM, Laing Rourke, Ledwood Engineering, Lincweld, , KIER, INSITE Technical, Morgan Sindall, Marine Power Systems, Pembrokeshire College, Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, the Port of Milford Haven and RWE.
Hayley Williams (Pembrokeshire College), Rob Hillier (Pembrokeshire County Council), and Holly Skyrme (Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum), who coordinated the event, expressed their gratitude to industry partners for making the event such a success.
“Your engagement and enthusiasm have made a real impact, helping students to recognise the exciting career paths available to them. We’re looking forward to seeing what this incredible cohort of young women achieves in the future,” they added.
For further information about the SPARC Alliance and future events, please contact holly.skyrme@pembrokeshirecoastalforum.org.uk or follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PCFCiC
Business
Green light for Tata Steel UK’s £1.25bn Electric Arc Furnace project
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TATA STEEL UK’S proposals for a £1.25bn Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) based steel making facility at its Port Talbot site have been approved by Neath Port Talbot Council’s Planning Committee.
The decision taken on Tuesday, February 18th, 2025, paves the way for a new era of green steel making in Port Talbot just months after Tata closed its traditional blast furnaces in the town at the cost of thousands of jobs.
The Planning Committee granted approval for the project subject to a long list of conditions and the signing of legal agreements which include securing long term ecological management and mitigation at the site.
While primary steelmaking at Port Talbot ended last September with the closure of the blast furnaces and the ‘heavy end’ of the plant, the new EAF will produce steel by effectively melting scrap steel using high intensity electric currents.
The Port Talbot EAF will be accompanied by two new ladle furnaces in which liquid steel produced by the EAF will be further processed. The new furnaces are due to start operating in 2027 with a crude steel capacity of 3m metric tonnes per year. Molten metal will be tapped from the EAF at a rate of 320 tonnes every 42 minutes.
Traditional steelmaking at Port Talbot used three main raw materials; iron ore, coal and lime. Iron ore will not be required in EAF steelmaking and lime use will be much reduced. Coal will still be required as a reducing agent but in much smaller quantities.
The Tata proposals, described in a planning officers’ report as being of “national strategic importance”, will see the demolition of a number of existing buildings and structures within the current steelworks boundary alongside construction of the new EAF.
This proposal forms part of a £1.25bn investment in the Port Talbot facility supported by the UK and Welsh Governments.
Tata Steel said in its planning application that since 2007 it had lost £4bn at Port Talbot – the position deteriorating further after 2023 due to a leap in energy costs and “ageing assets at the site which are expensive to maintain and operate”.
Tata added in its submissions: “EAF presents the most appropriate solution for the continued use of the Port Talbot site in comparison to alternative options. It will focus on recycling steel – the UK has a large surplus 8 million tonnes exported every year, which is more than any other country in the world – and with ultra-low emissions if the electricity supplied to EAF comes from renewable sources.”
The committee heard there will be a “significant reduction” in emissions to air from the steelmaking process through the transition to EAF steel production.
The Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Steve Hunt, said: “Our primary focus in the move to less carbon intensive steel production at Port Talbot has been on mitigating the effect of the net loss of jobs on our communities here in Neath Port Talbot and further afield.
“Through the Tata Steel UK Transition Board, of which I am a member, we have access to up to £100m (£80m from the UK government and £20m from Tata Steel UK) which is being invested in skills and regeneration programmes for this area.
“The board and associated funding is being concentrated on immediate support for the people, businesses and communities directly affected by the transition to greener steelmaking and is being used to develop a plan for local regeneration and economic growth for the next decade.
“As the new £1.25bn EAF at Port Talbot given planning permission today forms part of that plan we must now work together to ensure it is a success.”
Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said: “This decision is a significant step forward, providing more certainty over Tata’s plans for the site and for the future of steelmaking in South Wales.
“As part of our improved deal with Tata Steel, we have provided £500m to support the company’s transition to greener steelmaking.
“This is backed by a further £80m which we are investing directly into the community to support individual steelworkers and their families, businesses in the supply chain and on the regeneration of Port Talbot as we drive future economic growth in the area.
“We promised that we would deliver for our steel communities, and through this investment and the Steel Strategy we are doing just that.”
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