Network Rail plan to ease Cardiff & valleys congestion

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Details of a ^200m plan to ease railway congestion in Cardiff and the south Wales valleys have been revealed.

Network Rail says its improvements to stations, lines and signalling equipment could double the rail capacity of the region by 2015.

Passenger demand in Cardiff and the valleys is increasing at 8% on average each year, it said.

Consumer group Passenger Focus hailed the plan as good news for rail travellers in Wales.

Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain's rail infrastructure, predicted that the number of passengers travelling in Cardiff and the valleys would exceed 12m per year by the end of 2015.

It said some 900 trains already travelled daily through the Cardiff area, but the railway needed more capacity by the end of the decade.

The changes would remove the rail bottleneck on the Cardiff city line, said Network Rail, allowing an extra four trains an hour to run through the area.

This would allow for more and longer trains to run on the valley lines, with 600 more seats during rush hours. More freight trains would run in Cardiff, boosting the business sector, and more robust and efficient signalling equipment would improve reliability of services.

Mike Gallop of Network Rail said the plan would help unlock the untapped potential of the area, meeting a growing demand and paving the way for electrification. "Wales relies on rail - a reliable and robust railway forms a key pillar for a healthy economy and this scheme will help Wales continue to thrive," he said.

The main engineering work will begin by autumn 2011 and is planned to be completed within three years and in time for new trains to be introduced to the valleys by 2018.

Network Rail is currently tendering for different contractors, including signalling, buildings and track, to help deliver the scheme.

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, welcomed the investment. "This is a good news story for passengers travelling in Wales," he said. "Passengers tell us that frequent services and getting a seat are among their top priorities for improvement. Forecasts show that the railway is getting busier and this initiative will help the railway manage the increasing numbers of passengers longer-term."

Plans to electrify the Great Western main line between Cardiff and London were announced by the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) government last month.

In February proposals were published for the Cardiff Metro, a system of electrified rail and tram services providing a faster link between Cardiff, Newport and the valleys.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

im moving to wales or scotland

[anthony215]

Good idea although i would like to know where ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) are going to get more stock from. They need at least 3 dmu's for when the Ebbw Vale - Newport services start.

Maybe the WAG^» (Welsh Assembly Government - about) should order some class 172's from Bombardier

[paul7575]

ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) still have 150s loaned out all over the place, don't they?  That'll give them at least 3 more units surely.

But in any case the NR^» (Network Rail - home page) version of this news also includes this:

"The main engineering work will begin by autumn 2011 and is planned to be completed within three years and in time for new trains to be introduced to the Valley area by 2018."

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/CARDIFF-AND-VALLEY-RAILWAY-POISED-FOR-THE-NEXT-FRONTIER-1714/SearchCategoryID-7.aspx

PS I'd also add that none of this is really new work, it has always been in the published CP4^▸ (Control Period 4 - the five year period between 2009 and 2014) plans, going back to the first version in early 2009, and being done in parallel with the Cardiff area signalling renewals.

Paul
 

[Tim]

The new stock is several years away.  The question is will it be electric?

[anthony215]

Some of the work look pretty easy to do, the extra platform at Cardiff queen St is intact, althought the platforms will require re-numbering. I hope that they will build a new platform for the Cardiff Bay line which would give 4 through platforms for  the main valley line services.

The vale of glamorgan route could go up to every 30 minutes by diverting 1 of the barry island trains so that there is a train to Barry every 15 minutes with 2 trans per hour to Bridgend/Barry Island.

A 3rd platform at central for the valley lines would make it easier for Treherbert - Cardiff trains to turn round without having to shunt to Canton depot so would help to releive a bit of congestion between central station and the crossover for canton depot.

Swansea services could easily be extended to Cheltenham by attaching to the  Maesteg - Cheletenham train at Cardiff central with the train splitting again at Cardiff central.

I know network rail are looking at electrification of the valley lines which should hopefully include the Maesteg & ebbw Vale branches and maybe the section to Swansea even then the class 150's willl need replacing so maybe the WAG^» (Welsh Assembly Government - about) if they can find the money could order some class 172's if they decided to by the new EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit)'s from Bombardier

[anthony215]

The new stock is several years away.  The question is will it be electric?

I think the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)  government did say that network rail may pay for the valley lines electrification on its credit card. so to speak.(That i find strange as didnt the governemnt say that they wanted network rail to cut its debt?)

i did read that the cost qouted for electrification  of the valley lines was ^250 million, but that may incresase by 2018 and you then have to add the cost of the new rolling stock.

I do hope that the valley lines are electrified as they do need it and this could reduce overcrowding on the network.

[Rhydgaled]

Are these extra platforms etc. WAG^» (Welsh Assembly Government - about) funded or DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) funded?

^62million for the 46 miles from Cardiff to Swansea works out at about ^1.4million per mile. Using that figure, most of the current ValleyLines network (all of it except Cardiff - Cheltenham and Swanline) (134miles) comes out at a total of ^187,712,000. That's a hell of a lot less than the ^250,000,000 you are quoting. I guess the Valleys might be a bit harder to do than that strech of the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line), which could bump the figure up to about ^200,000,000. It would only be ^120,400,000 on top of that to get Swanline and Gloucester wired too, leaving DfT to find ^60,900,000 to wire Swindon to Cheltenham, rendering bi-mode IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) almost completly worthless and allowing the Cheltenham - Cardiff to use electric trains.

Another ^201,300,000 would buy you 61 class 377 units to run on the electrified Valleys (I wonder if you would even need that many, 61 is the entire fleet of ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) 150s and pacers). If WAG forked out for this, Pacers should be removed from Wales (and hopefully, unless anyone wants to preserve one or two, removed from existance entirly). However the Sprinters should be retained, maybe swap some 150s for 156s, 155s or pairs of 153s. The Sprinters would then allow extra services, for example on the Heart Of Wales line, Swansea to Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven (once Gowerton's redoubled) and Llandudno to Holyhead/Amlwch/Caernarfon.