Improvements around Cardiff

[MrJamesBrown]

• PIDs have been installed on all the City Line stations. What I found most interesting about this, is the displays actually vocally announce the next train to arrive. I have never seen this before, is this a DDA mandated feature?
  Also could this improvement be related to the perennial rumour that some Barry/Penarth trains could start going via the City Line until the bottleneck that is Queen St Station is altered.
  
• Between Canton Depot and Cardiff Central there is alot of work going on, eg track has been lifted etc, apparently they are fitting a new train wash. It looks like a shed load of excavation for it however. To quote the guard who I asked, 'the previous train wash was probably there before both of us were born.'
  
• Also most train lines on the valley line network (especially the Coryton/Rhymney lines) have concrete conduits and caps waiting to be installed, presumably this is for the Cardiff area resignalling.
  
• Finally the Class 121 - 121032 is back operational on the Cardiff Bay line.

I am aware that some of the information is relevant to infrastructure, and some is Rolling stock. So that is why I have posted it in General. Feel free to move it if necessary.

 

[merlodlliw]

Interesting notes James, about the happenings down South. And ATWs bubble car back in action to Butetown.

Bob

 

[MrJamesBrown]

Yeah, the bubblecar returning is good news, especially as it has released a unit to help Valley Line overcrowding in the peaks.

 

[anthony263]

yes an atw are going to need the class 212 back as they will need all the trains in service that they can get come september when they start the extra services to Fishguard Hbr.

Hopefully they will be able to sort out the extra platform at Queen Street and maybe build another 1 next to the current Platform 3 for the cardiff bay trains, that should provide 4 platforrms in total which could provide some relief during rush hour at queen street.

They do need to sort out the city line connection near canton depot as this does cause delays and congestion, hopfully they will double track it soon.

 

[MrJamesBrown]

Hopefully, are there any timescales for the Queen St improvements to take place?
Also if three platforms in queen street are available (excluding the Cardiff bay platform, would one be an up platform, one a down, and the last bi-di. If it can be fitted surely it would be better to have 5 platforms eg up/down (pontypridd lines), up/down (rhymney lines), down (Cardiff bay).
Also will the viaduct to Central remain 2 tracks, and will central gain any platforms?

James

 

[emoaconr]

Hopefully, are there any timescales for the Queen St improvements to take place?
Also if three platforms in queen street are available (excluding the Cardiff bay platform, would one be an up platform, one a down, and the last bi-di. If it can be fitted surely it would be better to have 5 platforms eg up/down (pontypridd lines), up/down (rhymney lines), down (Cardiff bay).
Also will the viaduct to Central remain 2 tracks, and will central gain any platforms?

James

There's a long-term plan to re-build the bay platform 5 at Central, and back when I was living there until 2 weeks ago, the Echo reported that apparently there was an intention to build a platform 8 "adjacent" to platform 7... but I would have thought this would be the former Cardiff Riverside platform.

I can't foresee them being able to do anything about the 2-track viaduct. That stretch of line is always bottlenecked and it would be a serious consideration, but it would be a mammoth job to do, if at all possible.

I know you can't really draw comparison because of the massive differences in service, infrastructure and layout [plus the fact Liverpool is in a PTE] but it does baffle me how Merseyrail can handle a train every 5 minutes around the single-track Liverpool City Loop yet the Valley Lines really has to struggle.

 

[anthony263]

There's a long-term plan to re-build the bay platform 5 at Central, and back when I was living there until 2 weeks ago, the Echo reported that apparently there was an intention to build a platform 8 "adjacent" to platform 7... but I would have thought this would be the former Cardiff Riverside platform.

I can't foresee them being able to do anything about the 2-track viaduct. That stretch of line is always bottlenecked and it would be a serious consideration, but it would be a mammoth job to do, if at all possible.

I know you can't really draw comparison because of the massive differences in service, infrastructure and layout [plus the fact Liverpool is in a PTE] but it does baffle me how Merseyrail can handle a train every 5 minutes around the single-track Liverpool City Loop yet the Valley Lines really has to struggle.

They do seem to manage, then again i have seen westbound trains waiting on the viaduct between Queen St & Central when the platform at central is clear. even when there is a 4 carriage train in the station there is certainly room for a 2 carriage train to come in and stop holding trains up behind it.

As for changing the viaduct there new buildings either side so the only option would be to build over the top of the mainline and even then you would have to cram everything back onto 2 tracks to get into platforms 6 & 7 at central.

I supose that you could get some trains to use platform 4 but then again they may end up delaying mainline services causing more congestion on the bottleneck at the east end of cardiff central stn.

Another idea i had was to get the treherbert services to serve cardiff in a circular direction i.e coming via the city line to central before returning to Treherbert via Queen st & Cathays.

Only other option i can see is to run all the services from Rhymney/Bargoed down to cardiff bay and extend the treherbert services to Penarth

 

[WelshBluebird]

This is probably just me being stupid, but where about is the Cardiff Riverside platform and the bay platform 5? I never even knew either existed until I read about them online.

 

[Pacerpilot]

This is probably just me being stupid, but where about is the Cardiff Riverside platform and the bay platform 5? I never even knew either existed until I read about them online.

They dont exist. Yet. Platform 5 was a centre bay platform between 3 and 4. The riverside platform is planned for where Riverside Siding is currently - In front of the Signal Box.

 

[Gareth Marston]

This is probably just me being stupid, but where about is the Cardiff Riverside platform and the bay platform 5? I never even knew either existed until I read about them online.

Riverside Station was demolished years ago - no trace left - 5 is filled in bay at Swansea end of 3/4

 

[merlodlliw]

This is probably just me being stupid, but where about is the Cardiff Riverside platform and the bay platform 5? I never even knew either existed until I read about them online.

read an article on Cardiff Riverside station, in a GWR book, pic of it here


http://www.flickr.com/photos/47802536@N08/4416331529/


Bob

 

[Squaddie]

This map, dated about 1910, clearly shows the location of Cardiff Riverside station (in the lower left corner).

The right-hand side of the map, which shows Cardiff at a smaller scale, shows the route of the long-gone line from Riverside to Clarence Road.

 

[MrJamesBrown]

They dont exist. Yet. Platform 5 was a centre bay platform between 3 and 4. The riverside platform is planned for where Riverside Siding is currently - In front of the Signal Box.

So is this adjacent to platform 8? or closer to Canton Depot?

read an article on Cardiff Riverside station, in a GWR book, pic of it here


http://www.flickr.com/photos/47802536@N08/4416331529/


Bob

Oooh, I would love to be a few years older to remember this.

This map, dated about 1910, clearly shows the location of Cardiff Riverside station (in the lower left corner).

So the station/tracks went across what is the station car park now?

Also, thanks for all the replies

 

[PaulHarding150]

Plans for platform 5 and 8 in Central have been around for a while and ditto and extra platform in Queen Street, which I guess means that the extra Vally Lines platform would have to be bidirectional, In my head an extra two on each would make sense, but then I'm not the planner.

Platform 5 in Central is still signposted on the original brickwork in the underpass and I gather it'll be used for the Maesteg Services,

After a quick look at Google Earth it does look very tight to widen the bridge over the mainline into Queen Street, but it could be done.

There are also plans to build a new two story back entrance to Central giving direct access to platform 8 and a multistory car park, although heaven knows what kind of chaos that'll cause when it's being done.

 

[MrJamesBrown]

I knew the new entrance to Central would be two stories, but I didn't know a MSC was going to be built

 

[krus_aragon]

Hopefully, are there any timescales for the Queen St improvements to take place?
Also if three platforms in queen street are available (excluding the Cardiff bay platform, would one be an up platform, one a down, and the last bi-di. If it can be fitted surely it would be better to have 5 platforms eg up/down (pontypridd lines), up/down (rhymney lines), down (Cardiff bay).
Also will the viaduct to Central remain 2 tracks, and will central gain any platforms?

James

This is going from memory of seeing the planning applications a month or two ago...

The extention of Queen St building (including a two-storey extention to give pedestrian access to the disused platform) is due to be completed by 2017. NR will also build a bay platform for the shuttle and reclaim the current platform 3 for through usage, but no timeline was specified, as it's wholly on railway land, and needs no public consultation.

The retaining wall next to the southern car park at Central will be extended outward, to make a new (through) platform 8. The old Cardiff Riverside station buildings will be demolished, and a new entrance built, including stairs and lift to platform 8, by 2018. Again, platform 5 is mentioned but no timescale given as the work is exclusively on railway land. No mention of a multistorey car park was made.

According to a press release published at the end of the consultation period, the single-track portion of the city line (behind Canton depot)is to be redoubled, to allow better use of the City line for extra services to Pontypridd. This thread is the first I've heard of Penarth/Barry services taking the city line, and I doubt that this is an objective, given that Cardiff is the primary destination for most travellers on the valley lines.

Then there are also plans for turnback points/platforms at several places on the network, including Barry Town and Pontypridd.

The viaduct to Central is going to remain two tracks; I've never heard otherwise. The bridge north of Queen St was considered for re-quadrupling, but the Welsh Government/NR have discounted this on account of the cost and need for a works order, and think they can up Queen St to 16tph without it (and send some trains via the City Line to Central).

 

[JoeGJ1984]

Does anyone know if the bubblecar is back to doing all the runs on the Cardiff Bay-Cardiff Queen Street branch?

 

[anthony263]

Does anyone know if the bubblecar is back to doing all the runs on the Cardiff Bay-Cardiff Queen Street branch?

Been back in service for a good 2 weeks

 

[Gareth Marston]

Plan for City Line is that Merthyr trains will run "express" south of Treforrest so as to get to Cardiff quicker. The Pontypridd turnback is so a another service can run in the Merthyr trains paths via Cathays.

Does anyone have the plans for the work at Pontypridd?