Onboard the Welsh Tri-Mode Class 756s

Transport of Wales Class 756

Welcome back, folks. Today, we're taking a look at Transport for Wales's new Class 756 trains. First introduced into service in late 2024, these trains have been offering a much more modern experience compared with their predecessors, the Class 150s, on the Valley Lines as part of the South Wales Metro scheme. In this post, we'll take a journey on one of these trains to find out whether they really are as good as advertised.

756007 takes us to Caerphilly

You're now joining me at Cardiff Queen Street station on a cloudy Welsh morning, where we'll be taking a Class 756 up the Rhymney Line as far as Caerphilly, where our train terminates. There are 24 Class 756s in total: seven three-car units (756/0) and 17 four-car units (756/1). Our chariot today is the three-car /0 variant, 756007, which has travelled all the way from Penarth.

Automatic level boarding ramp

As these trains are part of Stadler's FLIRT family, they feature a ramp that extends outwards from the train when the doors open, providing automatic level boarding. Of course, these ramps wouldn't work if the gap between the train and platform were unusually wide, or if there were a significant difference in height between the train floor and the platform. However, at most stations, they work just fine.

PIS screens will show travel information in both Welsh and English

The "Power Pack", with diesel generators and a battery pack

You can walk through the power pack as well

As we set off heading out of central Cardiff, you might notice that the train is remarkably quiet. This is somewhat surprising, as the section of track in and out of Cardiff Queen Street isn't electrified. Well, it turns out that this is where these tri-mode trains really shine. You see, A tri-mode train can draw power from overhead lines, its diesel engines located in the onboard "power pack" (a short carriage containing the diesel engines and battery pack), or its onboard batteries, hence the name "tri-mode". As we travel out of Queen Street, the train runs on battery power with the diesel engines switched off, which reduces emissions and provides a much smoother and quieter ride.

Interior of the Class 756

FISA Lean Seats

Legroom (for reference only)

Table seats. Quite common on the class 756s

As we plunge into the suburbs of Cardiff, it's time to take a proper look at the interior of this train. The first thing you might notice is that it uses FISA Lean seats, the very same seats fitted to the Class 196s (read my review of the West Midlands Railway Class 196s here if you're interested). It's worth noting that the interior configuration of their Welsh cousins, the Class 197s, is different, although they are essentially the same train. So, that's definitely a point in the Class 756's favour. These seats are okay, with nothing to complain about on shorter journeys like the one we're taking today and are definitely a step up from the seats found on the Class 150s that these trains have replaced. The legroom is fairly generous in the airline-style seats, and there's even more so for the table seats, so there's certainly nothing to complain about here.

Under seat charging points with a standard UK plug socket and a USB Type A port

Just like any modern train, the 756s are fitted with charging points underneath the seats, offering a standard UK plug socket and a USB Type-A port. No USB Type-C ports are provided, however. So, if you require USB Power Delivery (USB PD), you'll need to bring your own adapter with a Type-C output (given that it supports USB PD). Otherwise, standard USB-A to USB-C cables will only provide standard charging speeds.

Accessible toilet

These trains come with one accessible toilet, regardless of whether it's the three-coach or four-coach variant, and it's located near the two wheelchair spaces, just past the doorway. It's a pretty standard on-train toilet equipped with baby-changing facilities. It looks fairly nice and clean and thankfully isn't covered in graffiti like some Thameslink toilets, which is a pleasant sight.

Safety card with a diagram of the corresponding carriage

Designated bike storage area (on the left side) located at the two ends of the train.

Bike storage areas are located at the two ends of the train. These are flexible spaces with tip-up seats, so if there are no bikes occupying the space, you can sit on the seats or use the area for large items of luggage. On four-coach units, there's an additional bike storage area in the middle carriage (depending on travel direction, but it's either coach 2 or 3). According to Transport for Wales, each space can accommodate three cycles, giving a total capacity of six on a three-coach unit and nine on a four-coach unit. So, there's plenty of space, and it should be more than enough for the short regional hops these trains operate on, unless I've seriously underestimated the people's love for cycling in this country.

There are tip-up seats right next to the doors, just like the class 150s

There's Wi-Fi onboard the train

Arrived on Caerphilly platform 1

As darkness envelops us within Caerphilly Tunnel, it signifies that our journey is drawing to a close. Just 18 minutes after leaving Cardiff Queen Street, we've arrived at Caerphilly's Platform 1, the terminating bay platform. Now that we've arrived, let's sum up our journey aboard this tri-mode train.

Class 231. Essentially the same train as the class 756s but are diesel only. Though there are plans to convert them to bi-mode trains in the future.

Overall, this train is very pleasant to travel on. It's quiet, smooth and air-conditioned, and the diesel engine remained switched off for the entire journey, even though most of the track this train travelled along isn't electrified (Penarth - Caerphilly, OHLE only at Cardiff Central, from near Roath Park to just south of Lisvane & Thornhill station). The onboard battery is a great alternative to conventional bi-mode trains such as the Class 800s, where the train either runs on overhead lines or its diesel engines. This allows the Class 756s to operate for longer periods without relying on their diesel engines, reducing emissions and noise when battery power can be used, and even when the diesel engine is running, it's sectioned off in the dedicated "power pack". Having travelled on the Class 231, the Class 756's diesel-only cousin, I can say that there's still far less vibration and noise compared with a conventional DMU such as the Class 150 or Class 158, which is why I think the FLIRTs in this country remain some of the best modern trains in service. What do you think about the Class 756s? Have you been aboard one of these FLIRT trains? Let me know in the comments below! As always, have a wonderful rest of the week and I'll see you in the next post.

756002 at Penarth