The Beeching cuts had a significant impact on rail transport in Wales, closing a large number of railway stations.

On 21 February 1804 the first recorded steam-hauled journey on rails took place in Merthyr Tydfil from Penydarren to the Glamorganshire Canal.

In 1873, a Severn Estuary tunnel began construction including permanent water pumps which remain operational.

Larry Davies, an Arriva Trains Wales' community manager in 2013 said, "Although there were a lot of local protest from people as one would expect, I think the traffic that came from the power station saved the Conwy Valley line".

[4] In March 2000, the UK government announced its proposal to form the new Wales and Borders rail franchise, following long-standing calls for this by the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs.

[9] In 2020, Transport for Wales took ownership of Core Valley Lines from Network Rail, which runs from Cardiff to Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Treherbert, Rhymney and Coryton.

[20] As of December 2024, the Treherbert, Merthyr, Coryton and Aberdare Core Valley lines are electrified[21] with the new Class 756 trains being phased into use.

However, any application determined to be classed as "England and Wales", for example a railway line crossing the England–Wales border, then that is the responsibility of the UK Government's Secretary of State for Transport.

To assess its proposals, the Welsh Government conducts a three-stage assessment process for proposed station in Wales, with the business case of a station prioritised as a greater chance to secure UK Government funding, while limiting expenses and construction time are also prioritised.

[29] The UK Secretary of State produces a High Level Output Specification (HLOS) and Statement of Funds Available (SoFA) to set out the priorities of Network Rail.

The St David's Day Agreement was created following many of the commission's recommendations, but did not include the devolution of rail infrastructure.

[38] In April 2023, all parties of the Senedd agreed to a motion introduced by Plaid Cymru that called on the UK Government to re-allocate funding to Wales that is "rightfully owed" for HS2.

[40] In April 2023, Wales' transport minister, Lee Waters has described Welsh rail as having been "pretty bleak for a while" and included overcrowding and cancellations.

A spokesperson of the UK government treasury responded by saying that "we're committed to improving services for rail passengers in Wales, investing a record-breaking £2bn in Welsh railways from April 2019 to March 2024.

They also plan to electrify part of the South Wales Valleys rail network, while also providing >600 new jobs, better Wifi services, more station car parking spaces and smarter ticketing.

[45] Aside Transport for Wales Rail, Avanti West Coast operate a London Euston to Holyhead and Wrexham General service via Chester.