King Charles opens South Wales tram-train depot

On 14 November 2025, the occasion of his 77th birthday, His Majesty King Charles III formally opened the £100M Taff’s Well depot built for South Wales Metro. King Charles took the controls and a tram-train, unveiled a commemorative plaque and met local school children and community representatives. The five-hectare depot is home to 36 Stadler tram-trains for stabling and maintenance; the new stock, will be capable of on-street operation on the Cardiff Bay line and is part of the scheme to electrify 170km of railway in the South Wales valleys and Cardiff. Taff Well’s is also the site of the Integrated Control Centre for managing the signalling across the network. Work to install the depot foundations started in January 2020 on the former Forgemasters site. The adjacent station has also been upgraded with extended platforms and a new accessible footbridge. 

 

With work on the depot complete it is hoped to introduce the first tram-trains next spring on the Rhymney and Cardiff Bay lines. Crew training is about to start. First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, said, ‘Improving transport across Wales is one of my top priorities - investing on high-quality transport which is more reliable, more convenient, and more enjoyable to use. We are already seeing the significant benefits of our investment in South Wales Metro. The opening of Taff's Well depot marks a significant milestone in our £1bn investment to upgrade the Valley Lines’.