First Class 398 tram-train delivered to Wales for South Wales Metro

In March 2023 the first Class 398 tram-train arrived in Wales. Built by the Swiss manufacturer Stadler, it was intended for the South Wales Metro, the programme to upgrade rail services around Cardiff and the Valleys.

The vehicles were ordered by Transport for Wales, the Welsh Government-owned body that runs the country's rail network. They were designed to run on ordinary railway track and, in time, on street sections, and to use overhead electric power as well as onboard power sources on lines not yet electrified. They were meant to serve the Core Valley Lines, the commuter routes north of Cardiff, which Transport for Wales was upgrading.

The delivery mattered because the project was already late. The original plan had been for the new tram-trains to be in full passenger service by 2022. Delays in manufacturing, testing, approvals and the electrification works pushed that date back, and the arrival of the first unit was seen as a milestone rather than the start of regular service. Further testing and staff training were still needed before passengers could use the trains.