Great Western Coffee Shop

THE controversial M4 relief road plan was pronounced dead yesterday ^ thanks to escalating costs and a little-known fish. Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones, who is also the Minister for Economy and Transport, announced Wales^ first ever integrated National Transport Plan (NTP).

Most attention was focused inevitably on the cancellation of the M4 project. Business groups have complained for years about congestion along the existing motorway, particularly around the Brynglas tunnels in Newport.

Mr Jones said that, five years ago, the cost of building the relief route was estimated at ^340m. Now, however, it would cost as much as ^1bn.

One element of the increase is construction inflation, but much more significant in the price hike is the need to protect the Area of Special Scientific Interest at the Gwent Levels and its most distinguished resident, the twaite shad. The fish is protected under European law.

Instead of proceeding with the new motorway route, the Assembly Government will upgrade the existing road network.

This will involve encouraging drivers on local journeys not to use the motorway. The southern distributor road south of Newport will be upgraded, and a seven-mile route which is currently a private dual carriageway through the Corus Llanwern site will be upgraded and opened to the public.


Another controversial decision was to scrap plans to build a new access road to Cardiff Airport. Instead, the Assembly Government will provide a dedicated bus service to the airport, more frequent train services and improve safety on the A4226. An extensive consultation was carried out on a number of potential road schemes for the area, including building a new road.

The study highlighted that, while the proposed new road could provide benefits to the area, only a fraction of those benefits were associated with access to the airport. The consultation also raised significant concerns about the environmental effects along the proposed route and, together with the cost of the scheme, Mr Jones concluded this option should not be taken forward.

The decision was criticised by Vale of Glamorgan MP John Smith, who said: "Ieuan Wyn Jones^ announcement today is reckless for the future of the Welsh economy. This decision is economic lunacy. This is exactly the type of infrastructure project the Welsh economy needs to weather the current economic storms. The local planning authority, the owners of Cardiff Airport and the South Wales business community backed my calls for the immediate construction of the road because it would have created jobs for local people, improved South-East Wales^ connectivity to the M4 and opened up huge new business opportunities for Welsh-based suppliers to the planned Defence Technical College at St Athan".

It also emerged that Mr Jones had rejected plans to consider shutting some rural railways and replace them with bus routes.
As part of the improvements to public transport, passengers will, in due course, be able to buy through tickets covering both train and bus journeys.

The long-awaited train service linking Ebbw Vale with Newport is due to open in 2011.

Mr Jones said the aim of the NTP is to ensure a system of transport fit for the 21st century based on three key principles:

1. to meet the demand for enhanced mobility which will enable economic growth and improve the quality of life for the people of Wales;

2. to put transport onto a more sustainable and less carbon-intensive path, and

3. to use transport funding more effectively in light of increased pressures on public finances.

Mr Jones said: "Transport is a consistent thread that contributes to the success of many Welsh Assembly Government strategies. Newly acquired powers have given us the opportunity to use that thread to weave together the patchwork of transport provision across the nation, from roads to railways, and buses to bicycles.

But there is more we must do. We must work towards a de-carbonised transport system, where people are able to choose healthier and more sustainable modes of travel. That is why we are aiming to increase the number of people walking or cycling. In our programme for Sustainable Travel Towns we will invest in new, and link, existing walking and cycling routes. Across the wider network, we have plans to increase the provision of bicycle facilities on trains, at stations and in towns and cities".

Mr Jones said that in developing the transport system the Assembly Government would continue to support economic prosperity, especially when faced with the challenges of an economic downturn.

The NTP is set out in a way that reflects the four main movement corridors in Wales ^ east-west in the north, mid and south, and north-south. There are also proposals that are relevant across Wales. The proposals for the main corridors share two aims ^ to improve the reliability, quality and speed of rail and to improve journey times and safety on the main trunk roads.

THE shuttle bus which ferries passengers between Cardiff International Airport and the nearby Rhoose railway station is to be axed at the end of next month. Airport chiefs say the service is no longer financially viable, four years after the Assembly Government spent ^17m reopening the station.

It is believed the decision to cut the funding is partly a result of the Assembly Government now pledging money for a new link bus from the centre of Cardiff. An airport spokeswoman confirmed the plug will be pulled on the project as of May 31.

<snip>

He said "This bus service is funded by the airport operator and not the Welsh Assembly Government. It is for them to decide if they wish to fund the service".

Cardiff Airport: Direct South Wales coach route to rival Bristol Airport

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The Welsh government wants to buy Cardiff airport after a slump in passenger numbers

Troubled Cardiff Airport is facing the prospect of a direct hourly bus service between south Wales and its nearest rival in Bristol.

Holidaymakers in Swansea, Cardiff and Newport will be able to catch a coach to Bristol Airport, 24 miles (38km) from the Welsh border, from March.

The Welsh capital's airport has seen a steady decline in passenger numbers in the last five years. Last month the Welsh government said it planned to buy the airport.

The Greyhound coach firm, which already operates between Swansea and Cardiff, is extending the route to call at Newport railway station, and the service will end "just metres" from Bristol Airport's check-in hall.

Bristol Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair told BBC Wales' Wales Report: "We are delighted First [Greyhound's owner] has taken this step to enhance connectivity for people and businesses in Wales. This is an exciting new addition to the public transport options available for passengers in an important part of our catchment area." He added: "The new Greyhound UK service will enable people in south and west Wales to access the extensive range of destinations available from Bristol Airport."

Mr Sinclair said that the service would benefit south Wales' economy by allowing in-bound visitors to reach tourist destinations like the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and Swansea's Liberty Stadium.

It is estimated that 700,000 of Bristol's 5.7m passengers came from Wales in 2011.

The journey time from Swansea bus station to Bristol Airport has been put at two hours and 45 minutes, while the stage from Cardiff to Bristol will take an hour and 40 minutes.

The Welsh government announced last month that it intended to buy Cardiff Airport from Abertis, its Spanish owner, in attempt to increase routes and encourage more people through its gates. The deal is expected to be completed in the coming months. A price has not been announced, but First Minister Carwyn Jones insists a commercial operator will be brought in to run the airport if the sale goes through. Mr Jones has been sharply critical of the airport.

Total passenger numbers were down 13% in 2011 to a little over 1.2m. Over the same period, passenger numbers at Bristol Airport rose 1% to more than 5.7m, with 700,000 of those coming from Wales. There was a further fall in the first half of 2012 to 440,000 from 558,000 - a decline the airport blamed on the departure of low-cost airline bmibaby.

Last week, the Conservatives in the Welsh assembly called on the Welsh government to prove its plan to buy Cardiff Airport would be good value for the taxpayer. But ministers defended their plans, saying they have public opinion on their side.

I doubt whether FGW will be quaking in their boots.

Airport travel is a massive earner for railway companies, where access is made convenient and cheap travel can be booked at the same time as the air travel.  It cannot at present because if one booked to travel from Lulsgate to Split (say) in August, one could not book a rail ticket to Lulsgate.  One can book one's car parking at Lulsgate silver parking or any other of the many choices there now.  This is a huge competitive disadvantage for rail, whether we are talking about Rhoose, Lulsgate, or any other airport.

One can buy a through ticket, although for travel in August that would only currently be a walk-up fare without seat reservation. Around 12 weeks out from the date of travel then seat reservations (where available) can be had. If there's no Advance Purchase fares then an AP can be bought to Temple Meads and a BRISTOL TM - BRISTOL AIR BUS add-on can be purchased.

There are similar through fares and add-ons to many UK airports that are not rail connected. The only disadvantages the rail industry might have is they don't promote them enough and they aren't routinely sold by the rail industry as a package with a flight ticket. But then the airline industry/travel agents will only routinely offer the 'airport transfer' and rarely offer the facility to book onward rail travel as part of a package. So it cuts both ways.

Through tickets/add ons to airports are there and will be sold if asked for.

One needs to be able to book one's cheap advance rail ticket at precisely the same time as one books one's holiday. 

Why does one?

Point taken Grahame. Prefer (your words) maybe, "need" to less so. Point I am making is that the journey from home to the airport is usually not such a material part of your journey planning that it's going to influence your holiday plans.  I certainly don't need to book my ticket to Gatwick (or Bristol, or Cardiff to use their more contemporary names) nine months in advance, so it was that assertion that I was challenging.   

BNM, thanks very much, but I was aware of nearly all that, and with respect, this is precisely what I was complaining about!

Point taken Grahame.

John R
I disagree with respect.

Clearly we have a different view as to how we go about making arrangements for travel, so I respect your view.

Could Cardiff Airport form a new UK hub alongside Birmingham and Heathrow?

Experts want expansion and improved rail links for airport owned by the Welsh Government

Proposals for the future of Cardiff Airport are being put forward

The team behind the bid to integrate Cardiff, Birmingham and Heathrow airports into a new national hub will today submit their multi-billion pound vision to the commission charged with investigating aviation capacity.

Source: Wales Online (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/could-cardiff-airport-form-new-5144093)

This provides the required capacity benefits and journey time benefits partially through the higher speeds but also through removal of intermediate stops in the fastest trains.

Acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding the HS3 network, the authors have also submitted an alternative proposal.

This ^3bn option would involve investment in improved regional rail and road links in the Cardiff region and an upgrade and expansion of the airport.

Under this slimmed-down model, the airport would only have eight million passengers a year, not 20 million.

With the HS3 option, the backers anticipate ^4.25bn could be retained in the Welsh economy, compared with ^1.25bn for the fall-back plan.

Express bus service for Cardiff Airport under review

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The bus service runs every 20 minutes from Cardiff to the airport

An express bus service to Cardiff Airport is being reviewed, five months after it was launched.

The service runs every 20 minutes between the airport in the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff city centre from early morning until late at night.

The Conservatives said the buses were "invariably empty" except for drivers, and the service was "unsustainable".

The Welsh government said the review, to see whether changes were needed, was always intended to be carried out.

The airport was bought by Welsh ministers for ^52m in March last year and the bus service is part of the strategy to reverse a slump in passenger numbers.

In a written answer, Transport Minister Edwina Hart said: "It was always the intention to review the service after it had been operational for a few months and the minister has asked Professor Stuart Cole to examine whether any revisions to the current service are required without compromising its principal objectives as an express service. Professor Cole is due to report back shortly."

The comments were in response to a question from Shadow Transport Minister Byron Davies.

While Welsh Conservative leader and South Wales Central AM Andrew RT Davies described the service as a "publicly funded ghost train".

"As a local resident I regularly see this bus, invariably empty except for the driver. At almost half a million (pounds) in Welsh Labour government subsidy, that's an exceptionally expensive service to support and on current passenger numbers is simply unsustainable."

"Reliable transport links are integral to the success of Cardiff Airport, but at present this route simply isn't providing value for money," he added.

But Cardiff Business School transport expert Dr Andrew Potter said such services were needed to convince airlines there would be passengers available. "Airlines planning cycles are such that they're not just going to start routes instantly," he said. "It's going to take six months (or) 12 months, to attract routes into the airport and, therefore, it's a bit like the chicken and egg. You need the bus routes to attract the airlines and you then get the airlines to get the passengers onto the buses."

"At certain times of day you do get more people on the buses anyway, because the flights come in in peaks and troughs, there are busy times and quiet times. But you can't have the bus service at the busy times and stop it at the quiet times because you've still got to use the asset somehow, it's still costing you money. So you may as well run it for a small number of passengers than have it sitting around, still with the cost."

Dr Potter warned changes to the service, such as making it available for people living near the airport could slow the service down and make it less attractive to air passengers. "If you look at a lot of other airports, they actually have a mix of services going to an airport, express ones that take you to the city centre and then more local buses, that then feed into that, and serve the local community."

Having a relative who works at Cardiff Airport, I fear that the bus patronage is indicative of the much more serious situation at the Welsh capital's airport

Cardiff^s passengers have declined from around 2 million in 2007 to just over 1 million in 2012, as many have chosen Bristol airport instead.  Bristol airport is now concerned that Cardiff would now unfairly benefit from state support. Cardiff was hit by the loss of bmibaby in 2011.  The airport^s board will try and get in a commercial operator and hopes to attract long haul and transatlantic flights. Only recently there was news that Swiss airline Helvetic will pull out of Cardiff, 2 years after the Welsh government spent ^500,000 marketing Wales in Switzerland.

Budget airline Flybe has confirmed that two routes from Cardiff to Paris Charles de Gaulle and Glasgow will be withdrawn with effect from January next year.

22.12.13 Cardiff Airport expects 20,000 passengers over Christmas
22.12.13 Ski flights return to Cardiff Airport after three year absence
21.12.13 First Minister: New airline 'shows potential' of Cardiff Airport
21.12.13 Aviation group celebrates as new airlines and routes launched from Cardiff Airport
20.12.13 New flights see more passengers at Cardiff Airport this Christmas
20.12.13 CityJet picks up Flybe routes at Cardiff
19.12.13 More new services including long-haul cruise flights from Cardiff Airport
19.12.13 Cardiff Airport boss: new routes 'encouraging'

Cardiff Airport flights scrapped by Germanwings

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It was hoped the airline would boost tourism from Germany

A German airline is ending its flights between Cardiff and Dusseldorf.

Germanwings told BBC Wales the summer service would not return in 2015 as the route "did not meet our expectations".

The airline is owned by Lufthansa - Europe's largest operator - and launched the route in 2013.

Cardiff Airport said it was in discussions with a number of airlines including Germanwings about developing routes between Wales and Germany, including Dusseldorf.

Spencer Birns, the airport's aviation and business development director, said: "The Dusseldorf-Cardiff route has operated successfully over the past two years as a summer-only service focused on bringing German visitors to Wales. The reports circulating today regarding the service for next year are misleading as we are in discussions with a number of airlines - including Germanwings - regarding continuing the development of services linking Wales to Germany for 2015 and beyond, which includes the Dusseldorf route. This is in line with good commercial practice."

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said it was "extremely worrying news" for the airport after the loss of flights to Glasgow.

The Welsh government has been asked to comment.

... but is still a long way from a motorway or main railway station.

... but is still a long way from a motorway or main railway station.

Airfields / airstrips that are / were near main roads and/or main railways in the Wider Bristol Area have included Filton, Hullavington and Kemble.  Is it more than a co-incidence that none of these has been / was turned into a regional hub?

I'm not an expert when it comes to flight routes in and out of Cardiff airport but looking at Google maps it looks like the approach from the South East is mainly over the Bristol Channel. I would like to think that an aircraft landing at Cardiff from this direction would not be the cause of alot of noise if decending from over English landfall.

Looking at the land to the NW of the Airport there does not seem to be much in the way of concentrated development under the flight path under the approach to Cardiff.

Am I right in think that the runway at Cardiff is more suitable for larger aircraft than Bristol? I seem to remember they service 747-xxx Aircraft at Cardiff although I accept they will be lightly loaded on arrival/departure from Cardiff

I'm no expert either, but looking at it on Google Maps I think I can see the downside of its location... what it needs to make it a success is a fixed crossing roughly between Penarth and Weston S M. Investment like that, and a bit of political will, could form the basis of a 'Western Powerhouse' linking Bristol, Cardiff, Bath and Newport. Lundy Megacity, anyone?

Am I right in think that the runway at Cardiff is more suitable for larger aircraft than Bristol? I seem to remember they service 747-xxx Aircraft at Cardiff although I accept they will be lightly loaded on arrival/departure from Cardiff

The current fixed crossings of the Severn estuary appear to work perfectly well at the moment...

I'm not an expert when it comes to flight routes in and out of Cardiff airport but looking at Google maps it looks like the approach from the South East is mainly over the Bristol Channel. I would like to think that an aircraft landing at Cardiff from this direction would not be the cause of alot of noise if decending from over English landfall.

Looking at the land to the NW of the Airport there does not seem to be much in the way of concentrated development under the flight path under the approach to Cardiff.

Am I right in think that the runway at Cardiff is more suitable for larger aircraft than Bristol? I seem to remember they service 747-xxx Aircraft at Cardiff although I accept they will be lightly loaded on arrival/departure from Cardiff

could form the basis of a 'Western Powerhouse' linking Bristol, Cardiff, Bath and Newport. Lundy Megacity, anyone?

Except that Lundy Island is about 70 miles west of Cardiff.

Actually they can be pretty awful, especially at peak travel times. They are certainly well below the standard required to integrate the economies of the Severnside cities.

Long-haul future for Cardiff Airport, says Carwyn Jones

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Cardiff's runway could be widened to land the Airbus A380, Carwyn Jones said

Cardiff Airport's future lies in long-haul flights, not competing with Bristol on closer destinations, First Minister Carwyn Jones has said.

He told AMs the airport "will not lose money this year as it did in the previous financial year".

But Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies said there were "substantial negatives" at the airport and "few new routes".

Last week, German airline Germanwings announced it was ending flights between Cardiff and Dusseldorf in 2015. The airline said it was because the route did not meet its expectations.

Cardiff Airport was bought by the Welsh government for ^52m in 2013 and ministers have set aside ^3m to spend on developing routes next year.

At First Minister's Questions in the Senedd, Mr Jones said: "Bristol Airport has been very successful in short-haul flights and in business flights and it would be very difficult to take Bristol on, if I can put it that way, in that regard. However we do have great advantages over Bristol in terms of long-haul flights, in terms of the length of the runway, in terms of the 24-hour operation that we have."

He said there was potential to widen Cardiff's runway to accommodate an Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger plane. "So that's where the advantages will come for us in the future," he said. But he warned that trans-Atlantic routes were not a "holy grail".

He said the Welsh government wanted private investors to buy shares in the airport and "there is interest" in forming a public-private partnership.

Passenger satisfaction had increased "enormously", Mr Jones said, adding that Welsh ministers were "very optimistic about the airport's medium to long-term future".

A British Airways A380 superjumbo visited the airport for the first time last year, to test its ability to handle an aircraft of its size and prove it could cope in the event of a diversion.

PPR is required by phone, so the sheep can be cleared. I wouldn't.

I have a few questions about Cardiff Airport

1) someone mentioned there is a railway station nearby - where is that ?

I don't know how far away it is, but it is called Rhoose. And sub-titled Cardiff International Airport I believe. It is on the Vale Of Glamorgan line which runs between Cardiff and Bridgend via Barry. I think there is a shuttle bus from Rhoose station to the airport but the premier 'Cardiff Airport Express' bus (using vehicles originally intended for the Cardiff-Newtown and Carmarthen-Aberystwth TrawsCymru routes) runs to Cardiff Central not Rhoose.

Cardiff Airport is located in Rhoose which has a rail link connecting to Cardiff Central and Bridgend.

Trains run every hour from Monday to Saturday and every two hours on Sundays.

A shuttle bus service from the train station to the Airport is available for passengers, which connects with all trains, to carry passengers on the short journey to the Airport terminal. The journey takes approximately 10 minutes and there is a small charge of ^1 per journey on the shuttle bus.

Full facilities are available for passengers requiring special assistance.

Cardiff Airport given ^3.5m to attract new airlines

Cardiff Airport has been told it can borrow ^3.5m of taxpayers money to try to attract new airlines.

The Welsh government described it as the most significant step at the airport since buying it 18 months ago. It comes after First Minister Carwyn Jones said its future lies in long-haul flights, not competing with Bristol on closer destinations.

The last time such a fund was available was in 2006 when ^4m was used by the then privately-owned airport.

Cardiff Airport has had mixed fortunes under public ownership. It was bought by the Welsh government for ^52m in March 2013 and has invested about ^10m in improvements at the terminal.

A general decline in passenger numbers was halted, although figures for September showed a 7% reduction on the year. Earlier in November, the German airline Germanwings announced it was ending flights between Cardiff and Dusseldorf in 2015, following on from Cityjet scrapping a service to Glasgow. But Ryanair has returned to the airport after an eight-year gap with a weekly flight to Tenerife.

Speaking on BBC's Good Morning Wales radio programme, Welsh Conservative assembly leader Andrew RT Davies said looking at the figures, the government had "not done a very good job" since taking over the airport. "Regrettably, there's been a year-on-year decline of 7% in passenger figures. We know of a series of airlines that have chosen to pull out... and we know the most senior executive there, the managing director, left very quickly at the end of August," he said. "There doesn't seem to be much stability there, but what we need to do is make sure an airport works for Wales and the Welsh economy."

However he added he did welcome the route development fund announcement but said the government had been slow to put it in place. "For an airport to be successful, you need airlines to use it and you also need those routes to bring people in as well as take people out because obviously the more people you bring in that's a greater boost to the Welsh economy," he said. "Those people are either coming in on business or tourism and they're spending and creating wealth in Wales. It's not about the airport, it's about the airlines."

Further developments, from the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-30107474):

Public Performance Rights? Why aren't the sheep allowed to watch?  :P

The fanfare about Ryanair returning is just ridiculous, I had no idea it was just a single weekly flight, from a notoriously fickle airline. The public fanfare hinted it would be something rather more widespread than one miserable flight a week!!

I have a few questions about Cardiff Airport

1) someone mentioned there is a railway station nearby - where is that ?