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Mostly because the alternatives aren't much better. Most local news sites across the UK are so riddled with ads that they're almost unreadable. Reach is the worst offender.
I don't think there is much alternative if you actually want to read about Welsh issues, at least in traditional (in some sense) media.
Getting back to this thread, realtimetrains is showing a 231 running between Cardiff Central and Treherbert today (though I don't think one of the driving cars is really on the train back-to-front as shown...)
Surely if the intention is to move to DOO you do it before you double the headcount to cover the doubling of frequency, and before you set the precedent of the guards being involved in the doors process.
Have they doubled the head count ? The commitment was “mainline” not heavy rail my mistake. I really hope I’m wrong as I’ve a number or friends who work on the TAM CVL lines but I’m sure the guard commitment was mainline and didn’t mention CVL, why make a distinction between the two if there wasn’t a plan to remove on one?
You remove the guard competency from CVL based crew reduce them to onboard supervisors until natural wastage allows a forced move aka southern. It’s the only way you’ll get the increased frequency and reduced dwell times CVL require.
On another note, on street running as been delayed again so the kill stone of tram trains won’t show any benefit over conventional trains for a few more years.
Also, on another note….the resignalling from Network Rail to CVL/Amey of the Rhymney / City and Queen Street area has also been delayed which in turn reduces the capacity improvements through Queen Street. Whispers are that this section may well stay with Network Rail under contract as it is kiwi just to push through the improvements sooner than later.
Have they doubled the head count ? The commitment was “mainline” not heavy rail my mistake. I really hope I’m wrong as I’ve a number or friends who work on the TAM CVL lines but I’m sure the guard commitment was mainline and didn’t mention CVL, why make a distinction between the two if there wasn’t a plan to remove on one?
In respect of the TAM lines (the ones where the debate over DOO operation is relevant), it's hard to see how you can double the frequency of services without doubling the headcount allocated to those services.
Getting back to this thread, realtimetrains is showing a 231 running between Cardiff Central and Treherbert today (though I don't think one of the driving cars is really on the train back-to-front as shown...)
Cardiff Bay this morning: looks like platform construction continues. Up by Butetown station I also saw tubular pile caps, which presumably will support overhead line masts in the near future.
In respect of the TAM lines (the ones where the debate over DOO operation is relevant), it's hard to see how you can double the frequency of services without doubling the headcount allocated to those services.
Drivers yes as they’ll be a required resource long term, conductor / guards on the other hand aren’t needed in their current form. The CVL is very much in line to become an oversized tram line network the all the cost savings thats brings.
Blackpool run with conductors on every tram but their sole role is ticket collection, I can see the CVL conductors going the same way unfortunately. No way you’ll have CVL conductors on £47k lob term it just doesn’t add up.
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This document must not be shared without the permission of tfw….rmt share document for everyone to read.
They certainly want their monies worth for the 47k pa! The method of working looks very much like the Greater Anglia method, not surprising considering the traction is a sister of train.
Like I say I really hope I’m wrong when it comes to the long term future of rhe guard on CVL, but being a 25 year veteran of underhand dealings I won’t hold my breath on this one.
231010 passing Radyr Weir on Sunday. I guess this is offering the drivers the opportunity to drive a FLIRT to gain experience ahead of the 756's actually entering service.
If anyone gets a chance I'd love to know how big the gap at Radyr is with the flirts. It's appalling with the 150s so I can't see it being level boarding but might be closer to acceptable at least. Seems a bit odd they've not touched the track/platforms there yet
If anyone gets a chance I'd love to know how big the gap at Radyr is with the flirts. It's appalling with the 150s so I can't see it being level boarding but might be closer to acceptable at least. Seems a bit odd they've not touched the track/platforms there yet
Cardiff Bay this morning: looks like platform construction continues. Up by Butetown station I also saw tubular pile caps, which presumably will support overhead line masts in the near future.
How much work has been done in the last few months? I can see very little progress this year from those photos. It's frustrating that it seems that most TfW projects are being dragged out, is this a cash shortage issue? Similarly the bus station and Crwys Rd station.
How much work has been done in the last few months? I can see very little progress this year from those photos. It's frustrating that it seems that most TfW projects are being dragged out, is this a cash shortage issue? Similarly the bus station and Crwys Rd station.
If anyone gets a chance I'd love to know how big the gap at Radyr is with the flirts. It's appalling with the 150s so I can't see it being level boarding but might be closer to acceptable at least. Seems a bit odd they've not touched the track/platforms there yet
How much work has been done in the last few months? I can see very little progress this year from those photos. It's frustrating that it seems that most TfW projects are being dragged out, is this a cash shortage issue? Similarly the bus station and Crwys Rd station.
Just take a look at Pontypool and New Inn. The new car park (and I think bus interchange) look to have been ready for weeks, properly surfaced and bays all marked out etc, but the whole area is still coned off.
Just take a look at Pontypool and New Inn. The new car park (and I think bus interchange) look to have been ready for weeks, properly surfaced and bays all marked out etc, but the whole area is still coned off.
Yes it's to be a Park & Ride bus interchange. It's looked finished since late last year but back in January it was reported in the Branch Line Society's newsletter that Monmouthshire County Council passenger transport planning manager believed that safety checks, which could take up to six months, were required as there were some late changes made that now need effectively signing off and the place can't open until that has been done. In 2021 the cost of the scheme had already risen to £7.2M from the £3.5M estimate so think of a number as to how much it is now.
Meanwhile, from a recent Weekly Operating notice, attached is a "go live" date for the Treherbert line's overhead wires...
A lot of stuff has changed since November but admittedly at first glance not much of it is visible. Unfortunately it's probably the sort of project where much or the work is preparation and underground where there's no visible result.
Just take a look at Pontypool and New Inn. The new car park (and I think bus interchange) look to have been ready for weeks, properly surfaced and bays all marked out etc, but the whole area is still coned off.
Yes, it is within the Metro area and hopefully, one day, they will have a station at Caerleon and a stopping service to Abergavenny which would allow the long distance trains to run non stop from Newport to Abergavenny.
I really do wonder whether the fact that Marches services have often been 2 car trains - sometimes even 150’s - has led them to hold off opening this new car park? Why would you promote the new car park in places like Usk when you know that the trains are already often full? The present long distance customers must take priority before you go enticing on board new customers. Hopefully, it won't be too long until all Marches line trains are 5 car - but I will believe it when I see it.
How much work has been done in the last few months? I can see very little progress this year from those photos. It's frustrating that it seems that most TfW projects are being dragged out, is this a cash shortage issue? Similarly the bus station and Crwys Rd station.
In general, public works projects that are in progress are not delayed due to cash shortages - government rarely has an issue with cashflow the way that a business would. Slowing projects down generally increases costs, because you end up employing the core project team and prime contractors for longer.
Coming back to Cardiff Bay's progress: the contractors are there every day - I cycle along Lloyd George Avenue on my way to work and have to dodge their parked vehicles in the bus lane. The most concentrated activity seems to be around the "cart road" bridge (near the Salvation Army building), which has been closed to pedestrians and cyclists for months whilst the bridge is refurbished and strengthened. There are contractors on site every morning there at the moment.
Work on Butetown station seems to have paused for the moment.
Down at Cardiff Bay itself there's definitely continuing civils work on the new platform but it's hard to determine exactly what's going on on a daily basis. One small thing though: the Academy coffee bar, which stands more or less in the way of the future tramway extension, has now closed. This building is made of shipping containers, so it will be very easily removed when the time comes!
Down at Cardiff Bay itself there's definitely continuing civils work on the new platform but it's hard to determine exactly what's going on on a daily basis. One small thing though: the Academy coffee bar, which stands more or less in the way of the future tramway extension, has now closed. This building is made of shipping containers, so it will be very easily removed when the time comes!
In general, public works projects that are in progress are not delayed due to cash shortages - government rarely has an issue with cashflow the way that a business would. Slowing projects down generally increases costs, because you end up employing the core project team and prime contractors for longer.
Coming back to Cardiff Bay's progress: the contractors are there every day - I cycle along Lloyd George Avenue on my way to work and have to dodge their parked vehicles in the bus lane. The most concentrated activity seems to be around the "cart road" bridge (near the Salvation Army building), which has been closed to pedestrians and cyclists for months whilst the bridge is refurbished and strengthened. There are contractors on site every morning there at the moment.
Work on Butetown station seems to have paused for the moment.
Down at Cardiff Bay itself there's definitely continuing civils work on the new platform but it's hard to determine exactly what's going on on a daily basis. One small thing though: the Academy coffee bar, which stands more or less in the way of the future tramway extension, has now closed. This building is made of shipping containers, so it will be very easily removed when the time comes!
There seems to be have been very slow progress considering it started 15 months ago. Whilst there are contractors there daily, it's feels like a small number. This could surely have been all done already had there been a larger workforce. As the end date has now slipped to 2025 I assume that something has gone down since plans were first made.
In general, public works projects that are in progress are not delayed due to cash shortages - government rarely has an issue with cashflow the way that a business would. Slowing projects down generally increases costs, because you end up employing the core project team and prime contractors for longer.
Whilst it is true that there are rarely proper 'cashflow' issues within government / local government / the public sector* (as they can always borrow from somewhere), they do have a desire to balance expenditure against budgets (not necessarily income) on an annual or rolling 3-year basis. Slowing down work (as per the HS2 'pause' at Euston) makes it look like budgets are being met, even though the long term cost turns out to be higher and everyone knows it - tomorrow's and possibly someone else's problem!
Councils often freeze expenditure across the board if it looks like they are going to overspend towards the year end, pushing work, or at least the invoice, into the next financial year. In the opposite situation work is brought forward to ensure a budget is fully spent in the year. From (say) January to March highways crews will be doing road repairs like crazy to get the money spent before 31 March and screaming at contractors to get invoices in! It all comes down to: 'if the money isn't spent this year, it can only be because you asked for more than you really needed, so next year's budget will be set at that lower level'.
Whilst it is true that there are rarely proper 'cashflow' issues within government / local government / the public sector* (as they can always borrow from somewhere), they do have a desire to balance expenditure against budgets (not necessarily income) on an annual or rolling 3-year basis. Slowing down work (as per the HS2 'pause' at Euston) makes it look like budgets are being met, even though the long term cost turns out to be higher and everyone knows it - tomorrow's and possibly someone else's problem!
Councils often freeze expenditure across the board if it looks like they are going to overspend towards the year end, pushing work, or at least the invoice, into the next financial year. In the opposite situation work is brought forward to ensure a budget is fully spent in the year. From (say) January to March highways crews will be doing road repairs like crazy to get the money spent before 31 March and screaming at contractors to get invoices in! It all comes down to: 'if the money isn't spent this year, it can only be because you asked for more than you really needed, so next year's budget will be set at that lower level'.
Local government (councils) have a duty to balance budgets every year, so for maintenance and minor projects they can often defer work to next year, that’s true. At the other end of the scale, HS2 is so large that the Treasury worries about borrowing too much money in any given year (and there are politics around debt-to-gdp ratio). But I’d be very surprised if the apparent lack of progress at Cardiff Bay is cash-related - contractors are there daily, it’s just that without a drone to see what’s going on behind the hoardings, it’s very difficult for the casual observer to see obvious progress!
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There seems to be have been very slow progress considering it started 15 months ago. Whilst there are contractors there daily, it's feels like a small number. This could surely have been all done already had there been a larger workforce. As the end date has now slipped to 2025 I assume that something has gone down since plans were first made.
Just quoting the last project timeline update - Cardiff Bay branch is supposed to have wires live on one track by November this year, with the second track complete by May next year. Worth noting that the branch is currently signalled just for one train at a time, and the opening of the second track will mark the transition to tramway-style line-of-sight operations and tramway signals. So it can’t be used until a) the 398s are in service b) the Queen St resignalling, which also completes in May ‘25.
If I were to guess at a problem that’s taking longer to solve than expected, it’d be the cart road bridge: it’s been closed for a very long time, and it’s not uncommon for bridge refurbishments to uncover a variety of surprises (most notably in Oxford at the moment)
In general, public works projects that are in progress are not delayed due to cash shortages - government rarely has an issue with cashflow the way that a business would
You sure? They still have budgets and cashflow, which is then split down into lower levels. You probably have to go all the way to the Treasury if you need more cash flow, and they aren’t famous for their generosity.
Military procurement projects are frequently delayed to keep a particular year within annual spending limits.
You sure? They still have budgets and cashflow, which is then split down into lower levels. You probably have to go all the way to the Treasury if you need more cash flow, and they aren’t famous for their generosity.
Military procurement projects are frequently delayed to keep a particular year within annual spending limits.
True - but for a large capital project like the Metro, it's the total budget that the Treasury will be watching more than the year-to-year spend profile. My point was that you're unlikely to deliberately choose to do a go-slow on a live project with contractors on site because of cashflow.
True - but for a large capital project like the Metro, it's the total budget that the Treasury will be watching more than the year-to-year spend profile. My point was that you're unlikely to deliberately choose to do a go-slow on a live project with contractors on site because of cashflow.
If you don’t have the cash flow you don’t have any option unless the contractors take IOUs.
large capital projects don’t get much larger than aircraft carriers and submarines.
One small thing though: the Academy coffee bar, which stands more or less in the way of the future tramway extension, has now closed. This building is made of shipping containers, so it will be very easily removed when the time comes!
Fwiw there's existing planning permission for a multi storey building in the location where that coffee place was and the future extension accounted for that so it doesn't need to be removed, I wonder what the plans for that land are now though.
From 2 June passengers from across the South Wales Valleys and Cardiff will benefit from more frequent services later into the night as delivery of the south Wales Metro moves another step closer.
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