Cardiff Bay line

[StripeyNick]

I'd suggest flattening the embankment, finding a way across Callaghan Square and running a tram to terminate at the back of Central, or perhaps into the centre via the unused bit of Penarth Road. This would give nearly as good an interchange for the Valleys as Queen Street and a much better interchange to everywhere else, and could be extended further into the Bay area.

That is a plan that's being looked into..........crossing Callaghan Sq.

 

[Envoy]

This article has a picture with a tram and a map that shows 'light rail' on it. Someone who oversaw the Nottingham tramway is mentioned as being involved here. Good article to read.

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/update/2013-10-09/plans-show-the-potential-of-metro-network/
ITV news reported this last year. It shows a map that lists some routes as 'bus rapid transit / light rail'.

The map appears to show Barry, Penarth and Cardiff Airport as becoming tramways.

If the Valley Lines to Penarth & Barry became 'tramways', then presumably valley line train drivers would be relegated to tram drivers with an appropriate drop in pay.

This whole idea of having trams working on the 'normal' rail system across south east Wales seems to be totally ridiculous - not least because of the distances involved between the heads of the Valleys & the coast.
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That is a plan that's being looked into..........crossing Callaghan Sq.

Callaghan Square & the top of Bute Street are currently very congested - mainly because of all the traffic heading for the St.David's 2 and John Lewis car parks. (Locals from the west are ignoring the Westgate Street car park due to high prices allied with lack of access/ergress when events take place at the Millennium Stadium. They therefore add to the congestion at Callaghan Square). At least with the present Queen Street to Bay rail line, Valley Line passengers can reach the Bay without getting delayed by this congestion.

It seems to me that the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation made a big mistake in ramming office blocks right up against the railway on the northern side of Callaghan Square. Surely, it would have been better to have inserted a new elevated rail line in this position to cross over the road junctions and then follow the present line to the Bay and thus provide a direct link from Central to the Bay avoiding roads. (The rail link from the Bay to Queen Street could then have been closed). It just shows that the so called experts can get things so wrong.

So, if we now have a tram running at street level from Central to the Bay, it could well be prone to getting stuck in all this congestion. Then we have the 'problem' of the bus/coach station. Some have suggested that it should go to the south side of the Central Station. (I will start a new thread on this).

Anyway, I have seen a new plan for Callaghan Square which actually removes the road from the north side and places all traffic on the south side. This plan does not appear to show any provision for a tram system. You can see the plan in this link (second image) which shows Callaghan Square as viewed from the NE.
http://cardiffwalesmap.com/OurForum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=46

 

[Solaris]

The traffic congestion impacting LR traffic at CS is a red herring. Traffic lights will see to that! Their are also plenty of examples of LR networks with longer routes and larger networks elsewhere in UK and esp Europe. The Valley lines - perhaps not all - are ideally suited to a high frequency LR type operation.

 

[Chris125]

I agree that the Valleys should be heavy rail. It's quite a way from Cardiff to places like Merthyr and Aberdare, without bringing in Barry and Penarth.

It doesn't have to be trams or trains, changes to service patterns could see longer distance Valley services continue to operate with conventional trains into Cardiff Central while tram-trains operate shorter distance services with rolling stock and comfort levels to match.

Chris

 

[Greenback]

It doesn't have to be trams or trains, changes to service patterns could see longer distance Valley services continue to operate with conventional trains into Cardiff Central while tram-trains operate shorter distance services with rolling stock and comfort levels to match.

Chris

I agree, but other suggestions seem to be calling for most of the network to be converted to light rail.

 

[Gareth Marston]

I agree, but other suggestions seem to be calling for most of the network to be converted to light rail.

Which isn't going happen as those that are looking to fund Valleys electrification will want to keep costs down (see the you said you'd pay row between Westminister and Cardiff Bay) and any fancy street extensions will be way off the agenda when a deal is thrashed out.

 

[Greenback]

Which isn't going happen as those that are looking to fund Valleys electrification will want to keep costs down (see the you said you'd pay row between Westminister and Cardiff Bay) and any fancy street extensions will be way off the agenda when a deal is thrashed out.

Correct, I'm pleased to say!

 

[Gareth Marston]

Correct, I'm pleased to say!

It will be the Gavin and Stacey deal, old Class 315's from Essex will be going to Barry Island.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

It will be the Gavin and Stacey deal, old Class 315's from Essex will be going to Barry Island.

Though 4x20m, 5/6 tph will be overkill on the Bay branch!

 

[anthony263]

More likely 2tph to Barry Island with another 2tph running to Bridgend.
Network rail seem to be planning for each service to be formed oof 1 three carriage emu with some services possibly worked by pairs these services I suspect being those from Treherbert or Rhymney

 

[Greenback]

I fully support 2tph to the island ans 2tph to Bridgend. I think 3 carriage emu's will be sufficient for many services, they will be an improvement on the 2 coach trains that run now.

We seem to have moved away from the Bay line now, though!

 

[Solaris]

Tram-train should be doable....but is proving very difficult. The challenges are more institutional rather than technical...


http://cognitivepublishing.co.uk/IJS-2ZCRU-B82L5H8CCB/cr.aspx

Easier and quicker to completely segregate HR and LR....

 

[Gareth Marston]

Tram-train should be doable....but is proving very difficult. The challenges are more institutional rather than technical...


http://cognitivepublishing.co.uk/IJS-2ZCRU-B82L5H8CCB/cr.aspx

Easier and quicker to completely segregate HR and LR....

But not for what we call Valley Lines today maybe for new east/ west lines when the South Wales metro concept gets moving properly. The Bay line might then get integrated into them but were going to be running 315's down it first.
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Nice view of the Bay line as BBC Wales visited the family home of the latest British Jihadi on TV today.