Ebbw Vale line improvements

[56xx]

Thought I'd post a few photos of progress.
Llanhilleth showing new lifts and footbridge which have had to be located some way south of the platforms due to existing buildings proximity.



Newbridge.

Both stations seem to have a lot of loudspeakers. I counted 26 at Llanhilleth and 18 at Newbridge with a lot of posts seemingly ready for even more.
Anybody know the reasoning behind this?

Track is in place at Llanhilleth. Colas tamper was downline on the new track.

 

[Parham Wood]

Thought I'd post a few photos of progress.View attachment 142826
Llanhilleth showing new lifts and footbridge which have had to be located some way south of the platforms due to existing buildings proximity.

View attachment 142827

Newbridge.

Both stations seem to have a lot of loudspeakers. I counted 26 at Llanhilleth and 18 at Newbridge with a lot of posts seemingly ready for even more.
Anybody know the reasoning behind this?

Track is in place at Llanhilleth. Colas tamper was downline on the new track.

The volume may need to be kept low to avoid annoying nearby housing, therefore you need more speakers to provide a decent coverage. In bigger stations low volume is required to avoid echo. Also it is easier to hear a lower volume speaker that one driven near the high end of its range which results in distortion.

 

[davetheguard]

Thanks for the pics 56xx - great to see real progress on the double tracking at last.

 

[oglord]

Thanks for the pics 56xx - great to see real progress on the double tracking at last.

Well it needs to be done by the December timetable change at the latest!

 

[Parallel]

Both stations seem to have a lot of loudspeakers. I counted 26 at Llanhilleth and 18 at Newbridge with a lot of posts seemingly ready for even more.
Anybody know the reasoning behind this?

I believe there is a requirement now that PA announcements must be heard along the full length of the platforms on a scheme that sees new PA installed.

This has also happened in recent years at Pontypridd and Barry as part of an accessibility improvement package, and is also due to happen with Pontypool and possibly Grangetown and Llantwit Major.

Disabled passengers are set to benefit from accessibility improvements at Grangetown, Pontypool & New Inn, Llantwit Major and Neath train stations thanks to a £20m UK Government fund.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...-funding-boost-for-accessibility-improvements

 

[Tom125]

When are the works scheduled to be completed and additional services allowed to run?

 

[Woolos 22]

The line is due to be close from the 15 Nov to 3 Dec for engerining works so the additional service may start on the 11 Dec

 

[56xx]

Noticed from the train that random intermittent sections of the new track have 4 rails. The inner rails look to be full size and permanently fixed.
Presumably to do with strength or rigidity. There does not seem to be a link to radius or gradient that I can see. Can anybody enlighten me?

 

[Penmorfa]

Noticed from the train that random intermittent sections of the new track have 4 rails. The inner rails look to be full size and permanently fixed.
Presumably to do with strength or rigidity. There does not seem to be a link to radius or gradient that I can see. Can anybody enlighten me?

View attachment 143081

The ones in the middle are new rails for the track you're riding on

 

[Railsigns]

The ones in the middle are new rails for the track you're riding on

No; those ones are for derailment containment on the curve.

 

[56xx]

No; those ones are for derailment containment on the curve.

Some of these are on relatively straight sections and yet where there are tight radii in some cases there are none.

New sleepers are being installed in some places with pre-cast fixings in place for 4 rails.

 

[Railsigns]

Some of these are on relatively straight sections and yet where there are tight radii in some cases there are none.

The consequences of derailment determine the need for guard rails. For example, would derailment result in the train falling off a viaduct or striking a bridge abutment.

 

[56xx]

So similar to roadside safety barriers on motorways and trunk roads.

 

[Brissle Girl]

Confirmation that the new services to Newport will begin in December.

New Ebbw Vale services to begin in December

Brand new rail services are set to be launched on one of South Wales’ key lines, almost doubling the number of travel options.

news.tfw.wales

Brand new rail services are set to be launched on one of South Wales’ key lines, almost doubling the number of travel options.

Thanks to a £70 million investment through the Welsh Government and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Transport for Wales and Network Rail will be delivering direct services between Ebbw Vale and Newport.

From December, the line will have two trains per hour – one to Cardiff and one to Newport. That means the line will have more than 60 services running on it every single day.

 

[cle]

Couple of questions - will the whole route be doubled, therefore? Is this situation (1tph to each city) the final state, or could the Newport reverse out and go to Cardiff also, offering 2tph - albeit with a stop?

Final bonus q, is Abertillery still on the cards? And what would that do for frequency/stopping patterns?

 

[Brissle Girl]

Couple of questions - will the whole route be doubled, therefore? Is this situation (1tph to each city) the final state, or could the Newport reverse out and go to Cardiff also, offering 2tph - albeit with a stop?

Final bonus q, is Abertillery still on the cards? And what would that do for frequency/stopping patterns?

No, the line north of Aberbeeg Jn and the existing sections of single line south of the current limit of double track at Risca South Jn will remain single.

As far as I am aware there is no proposal to extend the Newport service to Cardiff. That would require an additional unit and crew(s), and given the number of existing services between Newport and Cardiff would seem an exceptionally poor use of resource.

I don't think a reinstatement of the Abertillery line has been dismissed, but I would imagine that it is several years into the future, given the pressure on the TfW budget. Personally I would have thought the Hirwaun extension would come first, as it would be a much easier and cheaper project.

 

[oglord]

Looking at the timetable, the last four 2Oxx Ebbw Vale to Newport services are extended to Cardiff, but this is in lieu of direct Cardiff services, so doesn't result in a net gain of Ebbw to Cardiff trains.

 

[Brissle Girl]

Looking at the timetable, the last four 2Oxx Ebbw Vale to Newport services are extended to Cardiff, but this is in lieu of direct Cardiff services, so doesn't result in a net gain of Ebbw to Cardiff trains.

In other words, the evening service remains hourly, but now calls at Newport as well as running to Cardiff. That makes sense as passengers returning to the valley from points west of Newport (Bristol, London, etc) don't have to double back from Cardiff. Obviously it would be better if services ran half hourly late into the evening, but I think that's a sensible compromise whilst TfW sees how popular the service is.

One thing surprises me about the infrastructure on the line is that, 15 years after it reopened, the turnout from the SWML at Ebbw Junction remains painfully slow at 15mph. Given that the mantra is that modest increases in very low speeds have a disproportionate effect on shaving time off, it's disappointing that nothing has been done about it.

 

[56xx]

One thing surprises me about the infrastructure on the line is that, 15 years after it reopened, the turnout from the SWML at Ebbw Junction remains painfully slow at 15mph. Given that the mantra is that modest increases in very low speeds have a disproportionate effect on shaving time off, it's disappointing that nothing has been done about it.

I thought the main overall reduction in speed was through the semaphores at Park Junction. This is being re-signalled with the closure of the signal box as part of the improvements.

 

[Brissle Girl]

On the route from Cardiff the lowest speed is through Ebbw Junction (although not by much, but even an increase to 30mph would be beneficial). Park Jn has an even more onerous limit of 10mph for northbound trains from Newport, though I would hope that the resignalling you refer to might increase that a little.

The 15mph limit at Ebbw Junction does of course increase the time taken for trains heading to/from Ebbw Vale to clear the main line, and in the Cardiff direction that affects both lines, so there would also be a small operational benefit too.

 

[Class 170101]

Ebbw Vale Timetable here

Realtime Trains | Departures from Ebbw Vale Town between 0200 and 0159 on 21/02/2024

Train information at Ebbw Vale Town between 0200 and 0159 on 21/02/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Looks like some of the early evening trains are half hourly and serve both Newport and Cardiff.

 

[markymark2000]

Ebbw Vale Timetable here

Realtime Trains | Departures from Ebbw Vale Town between 0200 and 0159 on 21/02/2024

Train information at Ebbw Vale Town between 0200 and 0159 on 21/02/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Looks like some of the early evening trains are half hourly and serve both Newport and Cardiff.

From Ebbw Vale towards Cardiff, the 9 minute reversals at Newport aren't the best. Nor is the 20 minute reversal on the 18:37 off Ebbw Vale. It's quicker, and would be encouraged by journey planners, to swap at Newport onto another service which will get into Cardiff earlier.

 

[zwk500]

On the route from Cardiff the lowest speed is through Ebbw Junction (although not by much, but even an increase to 30mph would be beneficial). Park Jn has an even more onerous limit of 10mph for northbound trains from Newport, though I would hope that the resignalling you refer to might increase that a little.

The 15mph limit at Ebbw Junction does of course increase the time taken for trains heading to/from Ebbw Vale to clear the main line, and in the Cardiff direction that affects both lines, so there would also be a small operational benefit too.

Looking on Google maps there appears to be awkward curvature and the quarry line that impose a geometry constraint. Resignalling though would give you several options to work around that.

 

[Snow1964]

Clearly released some info to local media now

Direct train services to Newport along the Ebbw Valley line will begin in December, Transport for Wales has confirmed.

The line will have two trains per hour – one to Cardiff and one to Newport – more than 60 services a day.

The Ebbw Valley line reopened to passengers in February 2008, after being closed for more than 40 years. It serves the stations for Newbridge, Crosskeys, and Risca and Pontymister

However passengers wishing to go to Newport have to travel to Cardiff first to change trains. This will no longer be the case from December.

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council received a £70 million interest-free loan to carry out infrastructure improvements in its area alongside work by Network Rail and service operator Transport for Wales.

To allow the services to run, a new seven-mile passing loop has been built between Crosskeys and Aberbeeg alongside new earthworks and drainage, constructed to accommodate the new track.

Direct rail services to Newport on the Ebbw Valley line will begin in December

Direct train services to Newport along the Ebbw Valley line could start in December, a senior Blaenau Gwent councillor has said.

caerphilly.observer

 

[Brissle Girl]

Clearly released some info to local media now

Direct rail services to Newport on the Ebbw Valley line will begin in December

Direct train services to Newport along the Ebbw Valley line could start in December, a senior Blaenau Gwent councillor has said.

caerphilly.observer

The full press release was quoted in post 14.

 

[Last Hurrah]

In the event of a delay, is there sufficient allowance for a service to get from Aberbeeg Jct to Ebbw Vale Town & back before the next service needs to access the single track section ?

 

[louis97]

As far as I am aware there is no proposal to extend the Newport service to Cardiff. That would require an additional unit and crew(s), and given the number of existing services between Newport and Cardiff would seem an exceptionally poor use of resource.

There is more interest in removing turnarounds at Newport as this eats into platform capacity, so it is more likely they'll be extended the other way. The platform capacity is needed as part of the proposed plans to resolve M4 congestion with six new stations between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel Junction.

In the event of a delay, is there sufficient allowance for a service to get from Aberbeeg Jct to Ebbw Vale Town & back before the next service needs to access the single track section ?

Not really, there is 6 minutes between trains coming off the single line and the next going on. Most services have a 4 minute turnaround at Ebbw Vale Town in the WTT.

 

[oglord]

There is plenty of space in the old Godfrey Road sidings for a bay platform that could easily handle a four-car 231/756.

 

[56xx]

Ebbw Junction - Pye Corner is currently 7 mins in the WTT and it looks like it will be the same in the new WTT from December so no saving there and the overall time Central - Ebbw Vale Town is 55 - 56 mins in both. The service as diagrammed requires 3 units.
Very often however at present the service is being maintained with 2 units instead of the booked 3. The return from Ebbw Vale is pathed directly to Platform 0 and leaves a few mins late.
When operating with 3 units and given an on time departure from Central there is often a 2 -3 min wait at Pye Corner for right time departure which isn't needed when leaving Central a few mins late. A little increase in the speed limit through Ebbw Junction - Pye Corner could enable the service to be diagrammed with only 2 units for the Cardiff service and 2 for the Newport service.

2 231s should manage it ok.

The consequences of derailment determine the need for guard rails. For example, would derailment result in the train falling off a viaduct or striking a bridge abutment.

Do you know if there a programme of works to install these additional guard / safety rails wherever they are deemed necessary on the national network or at present only on new sections of track?

I presume these are where check rails are not deemed necessary.

There are none on the new sections of TfW track which are now in use.

 

[Railsigns]

Do you know if there a programme of works to install these additional guard / safety rails wherever they are deemed necessary on the national network or at present only on new sections of track?

I don't know, sorry. They seem to be much more prevalent on new track such as on recently re-opened railways than on older track.