Great Western Coffee Shop

When I was across in Wales a couple of weeks ago, I saw the 153 that was previously branded "Connecting Wiltshire" head out of Cardiff (Queens Street) for Cardiff Bay, looking clean and smart.  And thank goodness we no longer have single carriage trains on any TransWilts services - my Saturday trip to Stonehouse which 34 people joined at Melksham (09:48) would have been full and standing, and my return train - which arrived at 18:02 and only a handful got off, was never the less busy with passengers onwards to Trowbridge, and the thought of compressing them all from 3 carriages to one gives me the thought of moving something that had planty of space to something distinctly cramped.

However, the 153s were our saviours and whilst the TransWilts and South West has outgrown them, Wales is finding them a new home.  We were informed that whilst accessible loos could be fitted, it would eat into so much space on the train that it wouldn't be possible to ever carry enough passengers to make them pay their way.  Metrics, though, seem different in South Wales - lines which remain open would probably have been culled 45 to 55 years ago, and for certain services a 153 provides what's needed.  So delighted to see that some of our old friends are getting a new lease of compliant life. 
Rail Magazine reports  (https://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/pictures-fully-accessible-class-153-in-traffic-with-transport-for-wales)


I wonder who those other operators might be. With all the current talk of re-connecting towns to the national passenger train network (though I fear that talk may be forgotten on 13th December), is it too far fetched to envisage services all day and all year with a 153 from Bodmin Parkway to Bodmin General, Totnes to Buckfastleigh, Paignton to Kingswear, Newton Abbott to Heathfield, Exeter St David's to Okehampton and Taunton to Minehead?  I do suspect that the 153 on some of those runs would rapidly proven to have insufficient capacity, mind!

More like lines that were culled 50 years ago have since reopened.  eg Aberdare, Ebbw Vale, Vale of Glamorgan, City Line western side (I'm not sure the last one was ever previously open actually.)

And reading elsewhere, except for the Bay line, if a 153 turns up on it's own in the rush hour then it's definitely not what's needed. At least there is both a short and a long term plan to bring in new stock to improve the situation though.

List of lines re-opened to passenger traffic is South Wales:
1. Abedare
2. Ebbw Vale
3. Vale of Glamorgan
4. City Western Line
5. Maesteg
Total - 5

List of lines re-opened to passenger traffic is South West England:
1. TransWilts
Total - 1

153s might have been ideal as traffic grew on any of these lines - personal experience confirms they were for the TransWilts until the service took off.   Not sure how many more lines are 'ripe' for re-opening in South Wales; I did list the ones I could think of in the South West which have track and passenger licenses in place, all be it for light railway style operation.

A 153 on its own in the rush hour into Cardiff?   Probably not ... but how about those diagrams which are maintaining clockface service in the rush hour but running against the flow.  Arrivals between 08:00 and 09:00 into places like Fishguard, Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Holyhead, Blaeneau.   Agreed than doubling up is sensible - how much they can be permanently coupled (just 1 of a pair with accessible loo) I don't know.

153 wouldn't do any good on any of the re-opened lines although one runs intermittently on the Cardiff Queen Street - Cardiff Bay branch.  Journey time 4 minutes.

The Valley lines now have a "likely to be rammed" (http://"likely to be rammed") checking page.