Transport for Wales Urges Passengers to Check Services Over Festive Period

Transport for Wales is urging passengers to plan ahead over the Christmas and New Year period, as essential engineering work will affect train and bus services across the Wales & Borders network.

No trains or rail replacement buses will operate on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Services will finish earlier than usual on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and on 27 December trains will start later than normal. On New Year’s Day, a full mainline service will run, while local Cardiff and Valleys routes—including the Vale of Glamorgan via Barry, Rhymney, Aberdare, and Merthyr—will operate on a reduced hourly schedule.

Several key engineering projects are planned:

• From 24 to 31 December, Network Rail will carry out essential work west of Cardiff Central, which may result in retimed services and platform changes at the station.

• Between 29 December and 1 January 2026, maintenance will take place between Whitland / Haverfordwest and Milford Haven.

• From Sunday 4 January to Saturday 24 January 2026, the Aberdare line to Pontypridd will be closed to allow safety-critical work on an embankment in Mountain Ash next to the railway line.

Bus services will also be affected, with fflecsi and TrawsCymru routes finishing early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and no services running on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, or New Year’s Day. Passengers are reminded that TrawsCymru routes will continue to offer £1 fares after 5pm throughout December.

Marie Daly, Chief Operating Officer at Transport for Wales, said:

"With essential engineering work taking place, planning ahead has never been more important. Our dedicated teams will be working throughout the festive season to keep services running across the Wales & Borders network and get passengers safely to their destinations. We thank everyone for their patience while we carry out the important work and wish all our passengers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."

Image: Transport for Wales