Electric ‘tri-mode’ trains were introduced to passenger services for the first time in the UK today as part of the South Wales Metro.
They will begin on the Valley lines in South Wales, signifying a huge moment in the delivery of the next phase of the South Wales Metro.
They will enter passenger service on the Merthyr and Aberdare lines, followed by the Treherbert line. In a phased introduction, they will replace TfW’s older trains, with fourteen set to be in service by Spring next year.
Transport for Wales has already introduced sixty-five new trains and seven premier class MK4 trains to the Wales and Borders network over the last two years as part of their £800 million investment into new trains.
Built by leading manufacturer Stadler, the new Class 756 Fast Light Intercity and Regional Trains (FLIRTs) will be powered by the recently installed overhead electrified wires, which carry 25,000V.
These transformative ‘tri-mode’ trains are the first in the UK that can use diesel or battery on sections of railway track where there are no overhead wires.
