Swansea District Line -Proposal To Operate Passenger Trains.

Alun Cairns and Prof. Stuart Cole are suggesting that the Swansea District Line be used by passenger trains - including several new stations. Presumably non stop trains would also use the line to speed up servicess between Port Talbot (& points east) with west Wales (Llanelli and places west). Looks like a sensible suggestion to me - providing Neath and Swansea do not get downgraded and the services between Llanelli and Swansea are maintained.

Would it be possible to split/join the new trains for the Manchester services at Port Talbot with one section speeding west along the District Line whilst the other heads into Swansea? Could some of the London trains also do the same?

Perhaps some trains could run directly from the Heart of Wales Line to Cardiff as stoppers via the Swansea District Line? As things stand, surely nobody from Ammanford & Llandeilo would use the trains to Cardiff as the M4 is much quicker? It surely would be more attractive for tourists wishing to go on the southern Wales ’triangle’ if they could get on a train at Cardiff at say 9. 10am, travel directly to the Heart of Wales Line via the link at Pontarddulais from the SDL - and proceed through mid Wales to Craven Arms for the return southward - with perhaps a visit to Ludlow and a later train down the Marches back to Cardiff - where most of the hotel are located. The present route via Llanelli adds about 45 minutes to such a journey - which already long enough.

I would also welcome more services going through to Pembrokeshire. At present, Milford Haven and the south Pembrokeshire line (Whitland > Tenby > Pembroke Dock) only have one train very 2 hours. Fishguard has even less.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/plan-20m-railway-station-near-15787162

Mr Cairns said the new parkway station on the Swansea District Line at Felindre would cut journey times between Port Talbot and Carmarthen, which are on the South Wales Main Line, by 14 minutes by missing out the Swansea and Neath dog-leg.

And with sufficient passenger demand, he said improvements on the Swansea District Line would be considered in the future - potentially cutting a further eight minutes off journey times.

Mr Cairns added: "We would also guarantee that services which go to Neath and Swansea should not be affected."

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It looks like things are now moving forward. Confusion abounds as to whether this is part of a so called Swansea area metro - even though this line does not go into central Swansea - or, is it going to be part of a fast route to west Wales that by-passes central Swansea? Media Wales report:>
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/trains-cardiff-central-swansea-parkway-16623426

Supporters of the parkway station say it would cut 14 minutes off a journey between Carmarthen and Cardiff, make West Wales more accessible by rail, help take cars off the road and speed up the development of the adjacent Parc Felindre business park.

Leaders in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire back the parkway proposal, but concerns have been voiced about its potential impacts on Swansea and Neath given that trains would miss out these two heavily-used stations.

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Excellent news. And about time.
Should have happened 40 years ago.

We'll be opening Leicester - Burton next at this rate