South Wales 'Metro' updates

[59CosG95]

Another wee update from Radyr that I hadn't previously noticed - piles have gone in by Radyr Jn, near where the new MPTSS has been landed.

Radyr 11/4/22

Covering new ground, Transport for Wales new Stadler unit 231002 takes the City line out of Radyr running 22E working 3A04 16.29 Pontypridd - Cardiff Canton Sidings proving run. 150257 can be seen in the background heading for Llandaf working 2E44 15.38 Merthyr Tydfil - Bridgend service.

flic.kr

I counted 4 in total; 1 by the Dn Branch, 3 by the Up Branch (ELR: RAD (i.e. the City Line).

Readers of Modern Railways magazine - there's a good chunk about the CVL works in there too, especially with the details about what's been left out and why. These are detailed below:

• Caerphilly Tunnel - will remain unwired to avoid replacing metal drainage structures within the tunnel with plastic equivalents;
• Merthyr, Pontypridd (Merthyr & Aberdare Lines) & Rhondda (Treherbert Line) Viaducts - will remain unwired due to Grade II listing;
• Cardiff QS, Pontypridd - will remain unwired due to complexity of station areas. In addition, Pontypridd has listed canopies, and tracks at two slightly different levels making compliant clearances harder to achieve;
• Cathays - will remain unwired due to the overhanging buildings south of the station (part of Cardiff University) containing sensitive electrical equipment.

 

[mrmartin]

Is there any update on Crwys Road station? Is it still going ahead? If so, what service pattern is it likely to see?

 

[Cardiff123]

Is there any update on Crwys Road station? Is it still going ahead? If so, what service pattern is it likely to see?

It is going ahead. I should imagine the Penarth to Caerphilly and Penarth to Coryton services will stop there, so it could have up to 4tph. But that's just an assumption.

 

[59CosG95]

Visual updates by a Mr Benbow on Flickr, of work along the City Line:
Fairwater looking south from stn footbridge: https://flic.kr/p/2nis8xt
Fairwater looking north towards stn: https://flic.kr/p/2niqVRG
Waun-gron Park looking south from Fairwater: https://flic.kr/p/2niqWwp

And also one at Llandaff: https://flic.kr/p/2nis6Bp

 

[Signal_Box]

I guess so, but the bulk of the mainline between Cogan Junction and Grangetown is four tracks itself.

If you call loops four track…..

Ideally you’d have four (2 DN & 2 UP grouped directionally) between Central and Cogan Junction but there isn’t any room around Grangetown.

 

[WesternBiker]

And also one at Llandaff: https://flic.kr/p/2nis6Bp

One hopes that, as well as the new canopy, resurfacing the platform might happen at some point. It looks a real mess at the moment.

 

[CapitalStar378]

It is going ahead. I should imagine the Penarth to Caerphilly and Penarth to Coryton services will stop there, so it could have up to 4tph. But that's just an assumption.

There wouldn't be any point in opening an inner city station with 2tph, no one would use it as buses would be far more frequent

 

[Envoy]

James Price said on ITV Wales ‘Sharp End’ 16 May 2022 that the Tram-Trains in the valleys won't be in public service until 2024.
Programme is here:> https://www.itv.com/walesprogrammes/tags/sharp-end

 

[TravelDream]

'Big overspend' reported in the Western Mail.

The Metro is the electrification of the Core Valley Lines (from Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr and Rhymney into Cardiff), as well as the Coryton and City Lines through the capital down to Cardiff Bay. The original budget of £743m consisted of £164m from the European Union, £445m from the Welsh Government and the £1.3bn City Deal for the Cardiff Capital Region and £125m from the UK Government.

The Welsh Government's transport body, Transport for Wales, said at this stage it couldn’t give any indication as to the expected overspend, with a range of projections currently being worked through, but it is likely to run into tens of millions of pounds. The project is not expected to be finished until 2024, a year later than previously expected.

I'd say 'tens of millions' wouldn't be the end of the world given the current construction climate. It is also going to be a fraction of the GWML/ SWML electrification overspend.

https://twitter.com/WalesOnline/status/1526157353669869569

James Price said on ITV Wales ‘Sharp End’ 16 May 2022 that the Tram-Trains in the valleys won't be in public service until 2024.
Programme is here:> https://www.itv.com/walesprogrammes/tags/sharp-end

The issue isn't with the tram-trains themselves. Stadler has already shipped the first to the UK and it will (hopefully) start mileage accumulation soon.

The problem is the depot and infrastructure which will not be fully in place until well into 2024 now.

 

[Quakers Yard]

Is the new Treherbert platform going to be the other side of the existing island one?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Here are some (bad) pictures from the other side of the developing Taffs Well Depot from the back of my friend’s car

The images show the Taffs Well tram-train depot being built in Taffs Well, Rhondda.

 

[Siggy1980s]

I notice that 398 Tram Trains have been ordered, will these actually leave the heavy rail to use the "tram" part of them? Cardiff doesn't have a tramway does it?

 

[krus_aragon]

I notice that 398 Tram Trains have been ordered, will these actually leave the heavy rail to use the "tram" part of them? Cardiff doesn't have a tramway does it?

"Not yet" is the aspirational jist of it. Initial plans are based on some on-street extensions around the Bay area.

 

[TravelDream]

I notice that 398 Tram Trains have been ordered, will these actually leave the heavy rail to use the "tram" part of them? Cardiff doesn't have a tramway does it?

There are politician led 'aspirational plans' (putting it kindly) though nothing firm right now.

The issue is that street running just simply won't work. The timings are just so tight at the top of the Valleys with single track sections, the whole timetable would either be in continuous chaos or would have to have huge amounts of buffering in the timetable (increasing journey times which is directly the opposite of what the new trains are supposed to do).

 

[Dai Corner]

Here's a photo of the partially laid junction for the new depot I took looking south (towards Cardiff) from the Taffs Well station footbridge.

25 May 2022

 

[Siggy1980s]

There are politician led 'aspirational plans' (putting it kindly) though nothing firm right now.

The issue is that street running just simply won't work. The timings are just so tight at the top of the Valleys with single track sections, the whole timetable would either be in continuous chaos or would have to have huge amounts of buffering in the timetable (increasing journey times which is directly the opposite of what the new trains are supposed to do).

Enjoy these new trains then, ours in Sheffield are ok, but they are not fit to replace a proper train. Poor ride quality. Should have just got proper trains.

 

[59CosG95]

Here's a photo of the partially laid junction for the new depot I took looking south (towards Cardiff) from the Taffs Well station footbridge.

25 May 2022

I can just make out some as-yet-uninstalled OLE foundation rebar cages beyond the white temporary barriers on the northbound side...

 

[edwin_m]

There are politician led 'aspirational plans' (putting it kindly) though nothing firm right now.

The issue is that street running just simply won't work. The timings are just so tight at the top of the Valleys with single track sections, the whole timetable would either be in continuous chaos or would have to have huge amounts of buffering in the timetable (increasing journey times which is directly the opposite of what the new trains are supposed to do).

Actual street running in shared lanes with general traffic would indeed be a bad idea. But it might work if with what the French call "site propre" - unfenced but segregated from other vehicles, with traffic signal priority at any road crossings. That's what the tram-trains on the Continent do.

 

[59CosG95]

150260 TfWales

1515 Coryton-Radyr. WAUN-GRON PARK 1/6/22

flic.kr

Looks like a TTC mast (but no boom) has gone up south of Waun-Gron Park.

 

[Markdvdman]

anybody know what they did on the Ponty to Merthyr line on The Jubilee Weekend? TFW mention n othing as usual! Loads of bus replacements next few weekends and a whole week in July! Not looking forward to that!!

 

[Tumbleweed]

Im dreading when the Treherbert line is being done....weeks of closure I can imagine.

 

[mmh]

Advertising update: the "Metro is coming" banner at Llandudno Junction has been gone for a while, but there's still one at Llandudno.

Really. TFW are outrageously bad at communication, signage, well, pretty much everything.

 

[Cardiff123]

Advertising update: the "Metro is coming" banner at Llandudno Junction has been gone for a while, but there's still one at Llandudno.

Really. TFW are outrageously bad at communication, signage, well, pretty much everything.

"TfW are outrageously bad at pretty much everything", whilst they push forward the biggest investment in rolling stock and infrastructure the railway in Wales has seen for generations

anybody know what they did on the Ponty to Merthyr line on The Jubilee Weekend? TFW mention n othing as usual! Loads of bus replacements next few weekends and a whole week in July! Not looking forward to that!!

Track renewals, double tracking, piling for electrification masts, erecting electrification masts, new ballast, earthworks, upgrading signalling........

 

[Markdvdman]

So Double Tracking, any ideas where? I wish they would elucidate!

 

[the sniper]

"TfW are outrageously bad at pretty much everything", whilst they push forward the biggest investment in rolling stock and infrastructure the railway in Wales has seen for generations

It's how they spend the money that matters, time will tell whether they've made the right choices.

 

[Quakers Yard]

Former up platform at Quakers Yard now removed for the new one to be built.

 

[59CosG95]

150281 TfWales

1416 Treherbert-Cardiff Central. WAUN-GRON PARK. 1/6/22

flic.kr

And another 2 TTC masts have gone up north of Waun-Gron Park. No booms as of yet.

 

[yorkie]

Just a gentle reminder this is a Infrastructure & Stations thread to discuss updates regarding the South Wales 'Metro'

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[59CosG95]

Steven Leadbeater on LinkedIn: Good to be out last night delivering the 2nd Module out of 7 for the CVL…

Good to be out last night delivering the 2nd Module out of 7 for the CVL project, This time into Abercynon, collected from Glasgow and into the station car…

www.linkedin.com

The second traction power substation has been delivered; Abercynon TSS is the next one done.

 

[Envoy]

A report regarding the proposed Metro line from Fairwater (City Line) to Llantrisant via Cregiau has been published. Unfortunately, Media Wales do not provide a link to the actual report.

£500m tram train from Cardiff to Llantrisant proposed

A report making a case for a metro line between Llantrisant and Cardiff was launched at Cardiff Bay

www.walesonline.co.uk

Ms Allister added: "But, there is some technical work that can be done at Cardiff West imminently over the next few years, which will allow the frequencies that we were talking about on the City Line to be raised from two to four trains per hour and you are looking at a £20m to £30m price tag for that.


"Hugely different, yes, but they are each necessary stepping stones. You need that first bit of work at Cardiff West to allow that more strategic long-term solution to be delivered."