On board

Yes you can however as our trains have limited capacity, it is strongly recommended that you make your reservation as far in advance as possible and reserve a cycle space at the time of purchasing your ticket.

Please note, on some Valleys and Cardiff local routes bicycles cannot be taken on trains during peak hours. Further details are available here.

Are there any times where I'm unable to take my bicycle on a train?

You cannot take a bicycle on a train:

1. During periods of engineering work, you won't be able to take your bike on replacement bus services.
2. On some Valleys and Cardiff local routes bicycles cannot be taken on trains during peak hours.
3. If you haven't made a reservation for a bicycle space and there is no free space available on board the train. 

Further details can be found here.

Why don't you provide more room for cycles?

Most of our trains were built with a space for up to two cycles. We have increased the number of trains carrying cycles; and reservations are free. With only limited space we consider that reservations are essential for long distance trains, to ensure passengers with cycles are sure to board the train of their choice. To provide further space with our existing train fleet means removing seats, which are used at peak times and we have to balance up the desires of those passengers who do not wish to cycle, but do wish to have a seat.

No, we currently don't allow E-Scooters onto our services due to safety concerns

Please note, we do however allow electrically assisted pedal cycles (e-cycles or e-bikes) on our services under the same terms as standard pedal cycles’ as these have higher manufacturing standards than E-Scooters.

Animals on board

Passengers may take a cat or other small animals with them (maximum two per passenger), free of charge and subject to conditions below, provided they do not endanger or inconvenience passengers or staff. 

Cats or any other small animals must be carried in an enclosed basket, cage or pet carrier. It must be rigid and not open (to prevent escape) and the animal able to stand and lie down in comfort.

Animals and containers must not occupy seats, otherwise, a charge will be made.
Further information can be viewed on the National Rail website.

Passengers may take a dog with them (maximum two per passenger), free of charge and subject to conditions below, provided they do not endanger or inconvenience passengers or staff. 

• Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times unless contained in a basket. 

• Dogs without leads must be carried in an enclosed basket, cage or pet carrier. It must be rigid and not open (to prevent escape) and the animal able to stand and lie down in comfort. 

Further information can be viewed the National Rail website here.

Do I have to pay to take my dog on a train?

No, dogs can travel free or charge. Dogs must not occupy seats; otherwise a charge will be made. Further information can be viewed on the National Rail website here.

Can I take my dog on the bus service?

Normally dogs are not permitted on rail replacement bus services except guide dogs.

What is a request stop?

Our request stops are railway stations where trains will only stop if requested to by a customer wanting to get on or off. This allows us to reduce your journey times by not stopping unnecessarily at stations that typically see fewer passengers.

The easiest way to find out if your station is a request stop is to view your journey on the TfW app. You’ll see ‘stop on request’ indicated below request stop stations. You’ll also hear an announcement at some of our railway stations if a departing train will be calling at any request stops.

I need to get off at a request stop

Please let the conductor know in good time when you’ve boarded the train. If the train is very busy, you can also do this on the platform before you’ve boarded. The conductor will arrange for the train to stop at your station with the driver.

I need to get on at a request stop

As the train approaches the station, you’ll need to signal to the driver that you’d like the train to stop by raising your hand. Don’t worry, the train will approach request stops at a low speed to give the driver plenty of time to see you and bring the train safely to a halt.

Will the train always stop if requested?

At certain times, a train may not be scheduled to stop at a station or will only stop to allow passengers to get off the train (set-down only). Please check your journey on the TfW app to see if a train is scheduled to stop at your station.

I don’t have the app and would like more information

A list of request stop stations is available on our On Train Wi-Fi Portal. If you don’t have a device with Wi-Fi enabled, please speak to your conductor on the train or get in touch with us using the link below. We’ll be happy to help.

There is free Wi-Fi connection on most of our rail services.

The Wi-Fi service, dependent on mobile network service availability, allows passengers to carry out tasks like browsing webpages, access apps and check emails.

Some of our trains currently do not have Wi-Fi, however we are in the process of installing routers on board. The trains without Wi-Fi are:

Class 153 - operate Heart of Wales, West Wales, Conwy Valley, City Line and Cardiff Bay routes.

Class 170 - operate between Maesteg and Cheltenham.

Full details about free Wi-Fi can be found here.

Travelling with luggage and pets?

You can bring up to three items of personal luggage on our trains free of charge - including up to two large items (such as suitcases or rucksacks) and one smaller handbag, backpack or briefcase.

Wheelchairs (up to a certain size), folded prams, carrycots and bicycles are all allowed on our trains. Find out more about bikes on board.

You can also bring dogs, cats and other small animals (maximum two per passenger) as long as they don’t endanger or inconvenience other customers or staff. During engineering work, dogs are not permitted on rail replacement bus services except guide dogs.

If you have excess luggage, or bulky items over one metre in length, we may be able to carry these for an additional charge, subject to available space. During engineering work, you can’t bring any large objects on replacement bus services.

Mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs and pedal-assist bikes

You’re allowed to bring electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters on the train. To help us best meet your needs, please let us know before your journey if you need to bring these onboard – we’ll be happy to help. Electric pedal-assist bikes can also be carried on the train in line with our cycle policy.

What’s not allowed?

• Items over one metre in any dimension that you can’t carry without help. This includes canoes, hang-gliders, sail/surf boards, large furniture and any large musical instruments
• E-scooters and e-unicycles can’t be carried on our trains under any circumstances. Studies have shown that the lithium-ion batteries used on these devices can pose a fire risk and also emit toxic smoke. We recognise this may be disappointing, but the safety and comfort of our customers will always be our priority.
• Electric bikes (powered only by a motor) can’t be carried on our trains for safety reasons.
• Motorcycles and mopeds
• Livestock (e.g. pigs, sheep and goats)
• Any animal or article that our staff think is causing, or is likely to cause, inconvenience to customers due to its size or behaviour

Find out more about what you can and cannot bring on board fromNational Rail Enquires Advice and Regulations.

Yes. We operate a fleet of 134 trains and carriages, which are mostly one or two coach diesel trains.

All our trains are leased from Rolling Stock Operating Companies. We are responsible for day to day maintenance and cleaning, and the leasing companies responsible for major periodic refurbishments.

For any large scale improvement or modification to our fleet, we work closely with our partners in the Welsh Government, the Rolling Stock Operating Company and other suppliers to ensure that the quality of our fleet meets the needs and desires of our passengers and stakeholders.

We want our customers to be able to travel with us in comfort, whatever the time of year, whatever the weather. 

Climate change means temperatures are rising across Wales, especially during the summer months. While many of us enjoy the hot, sunny weather, there are some who prefer it cooler. Our trains are designed to maintain temperatures in a range that’s comfortable for everyone.

Here are a few questions we commonly get asked about air conditioning on our trains.

Have you got air conditioning on all your trains?

We’ve got it on approximately 60 per cent of our trains. These include our:

• Class 197s - operating on most main line routes
• Class 158s - operating on most main line routes
• Class 231s - operating on the Rhymney line and Vale of Glamorgan line
• Class 230s - operating on the Borderlands line (Wrexham-Bidston)
• Mark 4 coaches - operating our Cardiff-Holyhead and Cardiff-Manchester services
• Class 170s - operating on routes including Maesteg-Cheltenham and Cardiff-Ebbw Vale

Some of our older trains don’t have air conditioning as they were built at a time when it wasn’t common in the UK. 

We’re continuing to bring in newer, better trains on all our routes that will include air conditioning.

Why didn’t the air conditioning work on my train?

Our train maintenance teams work hard to keep the air conditioning on our trains working as it should be, but faults do happen.

Sometimes the air conditioning on a train won’t work properly if the doors between carriages are blocked and can’t close. This causes the system to become overworked by trying to cool the warmer air outside the saloon. We ask our customers to try and avoid blocking the doors if possible, although we appreciate this can be difficult if a train is very busy.

If you’re on a train and the air conditioning isn’t working properly, you can let us know on X at @tfwrail - just tell us your carriage number (the conductor can let you know if you’re not sure). This can help us fix air conditioning faults on the same day they’re reported. 

Can I open a window?

You can open your window on many of our trains. Please be mindful about doing this if the air conditioning is on as this may stop it working properly.

On some of our trains, you can let the conductor know if you’d like your window to be opened and they can do this with a key.

Why is the heating on in the summer?

None of our trains have the heating on during the summer. 

If you feel warm air coming out of the vents, the air conditioning may not be working properly. Please alert the conductor or let us know on X at @tfwrail so we can investigate. Just tell us your carriage number (the conductor can let you know if you’re not sure).

What happens when I report an air conditioning fault?

As soon as you let us know about a fault, we’ll ask our mobile train technicians to investigate. Many faults are fixed on the same day they’re reported.

If further work is needed, we’ll send the train to one of our depots to get the problem sorted.

Some of our services can get very busy in peak times and we know, unfortunately, this can be particularly uncomfortable for customers on hot days.  

Here are some top tips to help you travel safely: 

• Remember to bring a bottle of water with you. It’s really important that you keep yourself well-hydrated, particularly on long journeys 

• Don’t travel if you feel unwell. The journey may make you feel worse and we may have to delay the service you are travelling on – and subsequent services - if you need medical attention. If you’re onboard a service and you start to feel unwell, make your Conductor aware as soon as possible  

• Always check your journey before you travel and, if possible, consider travelling at an alternative time, day or route if it’s clear your journey will be particularly busy. Use our TfW app, Capacity Checker and journey check tools to help plan your trip. 

During very hot and busy days we look to hand out water across the network – please take a complimentary bottle. Although the water bottles we hand out are made of recycled material, we’re fully committed to being as sustainable as possible. We already have water refill points available at Cardiff Central, Flint, Chester, Machynlleth and Llandudno. Going forwards, customers will be able to quickly and easily top up their water bottles at one of the new refill points we are having installed at other stations across our network over the coming months. 

Our trains are designed to maintain temperatures in a range that’s comfortable for everyone.