The pandemic and spiralling construction inflation has pushed the cost of the South Wales Metro rail infrastructure project to the £1.bn mark.
The flagship transport project of the Welsh Government will see the Rhymney, Aberdare, Merthyr and Treherbert lines into Cardiff electrified for a new turn-up-and-go network - with the Coryton and City lines in Cardiff also being upgraded.
Chief executive of Transport for Wales, James Price, said the project will come in around 40% more than the original forecast of £734m and be mainly completed in 2024, Full implementation of a new timetable, that will see a significant increase in service frequency and capacity with new tram-trains and trimode rolling stock, is on track for 2025. While Transport for Wales, utilising the operator of last resort mechanism, took over the Wales & Borders rail franchise from KeolisAmey (the joint venture between Keolis and Amey) in 2020. However, the electrification project still involves Amey under the management of Transport for Wales.
