This week I've been getting the 0755 Barry Island into Cathays and every morning the train has been late due to being stuck waiting outside Cardiff Central for 10 minutes for platform 6 to clear and then again being stuck at platform 6 (for no apparent reason) for 5 - 10 minutes before moving on. The worst delay was 20 minutes, arriving into Cathays at 0850 instead of 0830, all due to congestion at Central.
I know the 0742 from Bridgend to Aberdare was delayed by 25 - 30 minutes on Tuesday due to a passenger being taken ill at Central, due to being shoved in the cattle truck conditions on that service - just 2 carriages on the peak service from Bridgend via the VOG and Barry into CDF for 0840. Passengers can't board this service after Barry at 0815 as it's full and standing from there every morning.
Whilst this train was stuck in Platform 6, obviously this was blocking the up valley lines and everything else was waiting in a queue behind it, effectively bringing the up valleys to standstill for almost 30 minutes.
So, what (if anything) can be done about this chronic bottleneck west of Cardiff Central on the valley lines? I know that Platform 8 is due to open in January, but that will only be for down valleys services. AFAIK, all up valleys services will still be crammed through platform 6 only. Even if platform 4 is connected to the up valleys, there are too many mainline trains into that platform for it to be of any significant help if P6 is blocked for any length of time.
And then there's the crossovers of services terminating in Canton or going over to the City line that trains coming from Barry/Penarth often have to wait for to get into P6 at Central.
The infrastructure at Cardiff Central just isn't fit for 2016 service level demands.
I know the 0742 from Bridgend to Aberdare was delayed by 25 - 30 minutes on Tuesday due to a passenger being taken ill at Central, due to being shoved in the cattle truck conditions on that service - just 2 carriages on the peak service from Bridgend via the VOG and Barry into CDF for 0840. Passengers can't board this service after Barry at 0815 as it's full and standing from there every morning.
Whilst this train was stuck in Platform 6, obviously this was blocking the up valley lines and everything else was waiting in a queue behind it, effectively bringing the up valleys to standstill for almost 30 minutes.
So, what (if anything) can be done about this chronic bottleneck west of Cardiff Central on the valley lines? I know that Platform 8 is due to open in January, but that will only be for down valleys services. AFAIK, all up valleys services will still be crammed through platform 6 only. Even if platform 4 is connected to the up valleys, there are too many mainline trains into that platform for it to be of any significant help if P6 is blocked for any length of time.
And then there's the crossovers of services terminating in Canton or going over to the City line that trains coming from Barry/Penarth often have to wait for to get into P6 at Central.
The infrastructure at Cardiff Central just isn't fit for 2016 service level demands.
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