Cross Keys - Newport direct services now operating

[43066]

Weathered railway professional.

Makes perfect sense. I hate trains too .

 

[Caaardiff]

Negative regards Network Rail being unable to cover Park Junction, Park is probably the best covered location in South Wales with over a dozen signallers passed to work it including the 6 resident staff.



Weathered railway professional.

I think you'll find that is the exact reason for the Ebbw line closure, signaller sickness.

 

[TravelDream]

Not so easy to get from Ebbw Vale to Newport though....not been a bus on the route for some years now.
Best to get to Abergavenny first I think.

Not directly, no. But it's not too difficult if a bit time consuming.
The X15 runs to Brymawr and 56 to Tredegar in the neighbouring valleys. The X4 connects all three towns. All are on Stagecoach and through tickets are available.

I'm not surprised there isn't a bus service as Stagecoach would struggle to match the train.
Of the Valley Line termini stations, only Merthyr has a direct service to Cardiff aided by the bus being able to head straight down the A470 and the station being a hub heading east to Abergavenny and north to Powys. Every other town requires a connection. Stagecoach would operate the routes if commercially viable.

 

[Signal_Box]

I think you'll find that is the exact reason for the Ebbw line closure, signaller sickness.

Im not to proud to admit when I’m wrong - you are indeed correct.

It’ll be interesting to see how passenger numbers stack up once the world is back to normal, the last two trains 1816 and 1916 into Newport have had a grand total of 3 passengers across the two trains on !

 

[Western 52]

BBC Wales reporting today that further reduction of services in Wales due to staff sickness will mean Cross Keys to Newport being replaced by a bus service. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59843417.

An emergency rail timetable is in place because of staff absence, with people asked to check before travelling.

Buses will replace trains from Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog, Chester to Liverpool and Newport to Crosskeys, while the number of services between Treherbert, Pontypridd, Bridgend and Rhymney to Cardiff Central will be cut.

 

[woolos]

Is the bus running this services as tfw journey planner don't say .

 

[Signal_Box]

BBC Wales reporting today that further reduction of services in Wales due to staff sickness will mean Cross Keys to Newport being replaced by a bus service. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59843417.

I didn’t think my expectation would come true so soon !

 

[CardiffKid]

Suspended indefinitely due to staffing levels…

Latest blow for new Gwent railway line - as service indefinitely suspended

GWENT’s newest railway service has been suspended indefinitely – less than a month after opening.

www.southwalesargus.co.uk

GWENT’s newest railway service has been suspended indefinitely – less than a month after opening.

The Crosskeys to Newport railway link – which opened on December 12 – has not run since January 5 after being one of the latest to be hit by the reduced service timetable put in place by Transport for Wales.

The service itself was cancelled on January 4 due to a lack of resources but from January 5 onwards, it has not been in service due to the latest timetable cuts – which saw a further 10-15 per cent reduction in services across Wales due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

It is not yet known when the service will resume, but Transport for Wales have said they are reviewing the situation regularly.

 

[Signal_Box]

I can see it quietly never returning to be honest.

 

[yorkie]

I can see it quietly never returning to be honest.

This seems unlikely, but is speculative.

This thread is for updates regarding what is actually happening; speculation is welcome in the Speculative Discussion section.

Thanks

 

[Watershed]

The thread title could perhaps do with being updated to state that the service is "now not operating"

 

[Dai Corner]

The thread title could perhaps do with being updated to state that the service is "now not operating"

Actually, there is still a service of sorts as on Sundays some trains between Cardiff and Ebbw Vale go via Newport. e.g.

Realtime Trains | 2I09 0956 Cardiff Central to Ebbw Vale Town | 23/01/2022

Real-time train running information for 2I09 0956 departure from Cardiff Central to Ebbw Vale Town on 23/01/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Signal_Box]

This seems unlikely, but us speculative.

This thread is for updates regarding what is actually happening; speculation is welcome in the Speculative Discussion section.

Thanks

Unerstood, however observing two days worth of services from 0600 to 1800 I could co7nt the number of passengers for the whole day on two hands!

A pure political service, than a useful service for the public.

Actually, there is still a service of sorts as on Sundays some trains between Cardiff and Ebbw Vale go via Newport. e.g.

Realtime Trains | 2I09 0956 Cardiff Central to Ebbw Vale Town | 23/01/2022

Real-time train running information for 2I09 0956 departure from Cardiff Central to Ebbw Vale Town on 23/01/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Work on the mains at EBBW Junction preventing the usual routing, so diverts via Newport.

 

[gareth386]

Work on the mains at EBBW Junction preventing the usual routing, so diverts via Newport.

That's the new timetable on a Sunday not just because of works on the main.

 

[Signal_Box]

That's the new timetable on a Sunday not just because of works on the main.

Ah, not my end of the line to be honest - little get out divert Sunday trains via Newport to keep the “direct” service…

 

[Dai Corner]

Ah, not my end of the line to be honest - little get out divert Sunday trains via Newport to keep the “direct” service…

I think it was more to save a unit and crew on Sundays originally, but fortuitously it's enabled TfW to avoid reclosing (is that a word?) the line completely.

 

[RP]

Has anyone heard of any progress with the track doubling project between Crosskeys and Aberbeeg recently?

I seem to recall that it was hoped that the additional hourly service to Newport was to be extended from Crosskeys to Ebbw Vale in 2022. I travelled to Ebbw Vale Town earlier this week and observed no evident progress apart from the new Crumlin River Bridge and tree cutting (and much of that was above Aberbeeg). It is difficult to see how sustainable the service to Newport introduced in December, and subsequently suspended, will ever be until the rest of the line can be operated as an half hourly service at as far as Pye Corner, at least.

 

[Signal_Box]

Double tracking is linked to the resignalling scheme which rumour has it have been kicked into the long grass….

Certainly no work is planned anytime soon.

 

[gareth386]

The Park Junction resignalling is supposedly the only project that is going ahead, all other have been put on hold, although it's likely that it'll definitely be later than the June 2023 planned date.
May be wrong though as you know what the rumours are like on the railway.

 

[Signal_Box]

I sincerely hope Park is cancelled, it does a job without fuss and generally without issue. Weird that they should cancel Tondu for example but not Park although I see neither go the latter has greater scope to rationalise and save money. As in the two OOU freight lines at Tondu and operate rhe branch as a single long siding or a loop under TCB regs from Port Talbot.

 

[geoffk]

BBC Wales reporting today that further reduction of services in Wales due to staff sickness will mean Cross Keys to Newport being replaced by a bus service. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59843417.

Can I just ask whether bus drivers too are affected by sickness? There's supposed to be a shortage of bus drivers nationally (but I don't know the situation in South Wales). How is it that bus crews can be found to cover for sick train crews - are they immune to Covid?

 

[Paul Dancey]

Can I just ask whether bus drivers too are affected by sickness? There's supposed to be a shortage of bus drivers nationally (but I don't know the situation in South Wales). How is it that bus crews can be found to cover for sick train crews - are they immune to Covid?

I don't know the bus situation elsewhere is South Wales, but Cardiff bus have certainly had staffing issues due to staff self-isolation and rising sickness levels and adopted a Saturday timetable for many of their weekday services on Monday 10th January, which was due to end today.

 

[Dai Corner]

BBC Wales reporting today that further reduction of services in Wales due to staff sickness will mean Cross Keys to Newport being replaced by a bus service. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59843417.

Can I just ask whether bus drivers too are affected by sickness? There's supposed to be a shortage of bus drivers nationally (but I don't know the situation in South Wales). How is it that bus crews can be found to cover for sick train crews - are they immune to Covid?

For the record, the Newport-Crosskeys service isn't being replaced by dedicated rail replacement buses but by normal Stagecoach buses which run frequently along pretty much the same route. Apparently ticket acceptance is in place.

Stagecoach seem to managing to run a near-normal service.

 

[Mr. Angry]

The service is back on the schedule from the 21st.

 

[Signal_Box]

The service is back on the schedule from the 21st.

Shame, the resources could be used to better result elsewhere.

 

[Dai Corner]

Shame, the resources could be used to better result elsewhere.

Makes things more interesting for the Park Junction signaller though!

 

[Signal_Box]

Deleted

 

[snowball]

My copy of the March issue of Modern Railways has arrived. There is an item "Ebbw Vale capacity upgrade work resumes" by Rhodri Clark on page 21.

Network Rail has restarted work on the Ebbw Vale line capacity enhancement, which it is progressing in tandem with the renewal and recontrol of signalling at Park Junction, Newport.

It then goes over some of the recent history, and continues

One of the local authorities is borrowing £70M from the Welsh Govt to complete the work and to fund studies of reopening the spur from Aberbeeg to Abertillery.

The remaining work required to enable the EV to Newport service to launch next year, as the WG has announced, includes

* laying 2 further miles of track and connecting the second track to the existing line

* signalling, power and telecoms upgrades

* civils interventions and replacement of a road bridge

* new and extended platforms at Newbridge and Llanhilleth

* new footbridge and lifts at Llanhilleth.

There are about 3 more paragraphs.

------------------- curse that irritating automerge! -------------------------


And now here's the press release.

Ebbw Vale line: More services and station improvements as multi-million-pound upgrade begins

Passengers along the Ebbw Vale line will benefit from more rail services in the future as Network Rail starts work to transform the line between Newport and Ebbw Vale.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Passengers along the Ebbw Vale line will benefit from more rail services in the future as Network Rail starts work to transform the line between Newport and Ebbw Vale.

Funded by Blaenau Gwent Council, supported by a loan from the Welsh Government, the £70m investment includes laying new track which will allow a new hourly passenger service between Ebbw Vale Town and Newport. Brand new platforms will also be installed at Llanhilleth and Newbridge - making the stations fully accessible for the first time.

A £17m signalling upgrade - funded by Network Rail via the Department for Transport - will be delivered at the southern end of the line and a state-of-the-art signalling system will be installed and controlled from the Wales Route Operating Centre in Cardiff.

Engineers have already started managing vegetation alongside 13-miles of the Ebbw Vale line. Materials are also being dropped off ahead of the work starting in April.

Between 15 and 18 April, Network Rail teams will be working around the clock to carry out a major track upgrade in the Llanhilleth area. A rail replacement service will be in operation for passengers who are advised to check before travelling at www.journeycheck.com/tfwrail/

Network Rail is setting-up site compounds at various locations alongside the railway, which will be used to access the track over the course of the project - expected to take approximately 18 months.

 

[John R]

Double tracking is linked to the resignalling scheme which rumour has it have been kicked into the long grass….

Certainly no work is planned anytime soon.

This aged well…

 

[zero]

Have these trains been running during the past month? I see they are not in this week's or last week's timetable on RTT, but they are in the timetable from next Monday onwards - are they likely to be removed on a rolling basis or likely to run?

Planning a trip to Wales but if they are not running I can skip the Newport area.