Road, Rail & Access Issues

[Jerry]

Are they still seeking to electrify the Valleys lines now that the the main line between Cardiff and Swansea has been taken out of electrification?

Yes i believe the plan is to electrify all the Valley Lines, have new rolling stock and electrify the North Wales mainline as well. Whether the new rolling stock will be bi-modal like the Great Western Mainline i have no idea. I don't know if Valley Lines trains travel between Swansea and Cardiff on the mainline or if it's just GWR and the Milford Haven to Manchester services that goes through the borders.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Yes i believe the plan is to electrify all the Valley Lines, have new rolling stock and electrify the North Wales mainline as well. Whether the new rolling stock will be bi-modal like the Great Western Mainline i have no idea. I don't know if Valley Lines trains travel between Swansea and Cardiff on the mainline or if it's just GWR and the Milford Haven to Manchester services that goes through the borders.

That will be interesting then. If the Westminster government is refusing to electrify the Cardiff-Swasea main line I wonder how they will find the cash for the Valley lines. Or is the Welsh Government paying for Valley lines electrification? I know there was some confusion a year or two ago as to who would be footing the bill for Valley lines electrification.

I think we are still on topic because, as you pointed out a post or two ago, this would have relevance to any CWL rail connectivity.

 

[Jerry]

That will be interesting then. If the Westminster government is refusing to electrify the Cardiff-Swasea main line I wonder how they will find the cash for the Valley lines. Or is the Welsh Government paying for Valley lines electrification? I know there was some confusion a year or two ago as to who would be footing the bill for Valley lines electrification.

I think we are still on topic because, as you pointed out a post or two ago, this would have relevance to any CWL rail connectivity.

From what i've read it seems to be coming from various sources. The Welsh governments capital budget, loans that the welsh government can now get, part from the UK government, the City deal and maybe even from private business. These 2 articles explain it better.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/you-need-know-south-east-9557564
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/edwina-hart-confirms-600m-phase-9558507
The main difference between the mainline and the valley lines is that the Wales and Border franchise has now been devolved and the responsibilities transferred over. Thats why it'll be the welsh and not UK government that launches the bidding process but it does have complications in that part of the infrastructure and the services are in England.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Thank you for the links, Jerry.

 

[Jerry]

News

18 SEPTEMBER
Airport shuttle service takes off
The last 6 months has seen more people than ever use the T9 airport shuttle service, latest Welsh Government figures have shown.

The period between March and August 2017 saw over 86,000 people use the service, up 15% on the same period last year.

With Cardiff Airport going from strength to strength and Wales being increasingly recognised globally as a premier tourist destination, Economy Secretary Ken Skates said he was encouraged to see the T9 service playing an increasingly important role in facilitating travel.

Mr Skates said:

“Cardiff Airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the UK and continues to go from strength to strength. I’ve been clear that a reliable, frequent bus service linking the airport to Cardiff and beyond is key, never more so as the airport moves into the exciting next stage of its development.

“Alongside the airport’s increased stature, destinations and possibilities, these T9 passenger figures are hugely encouraging and demonstrate the growing appetite for regular public transport between Cardiff Airport and the capital.

“Over half a million passengers have now used the service since it was introduced in July 2013 and I look forward to the T9 continuing to form part of Wales’ offering, building on these positive trends and facilitating further travel to and from Wales for thousands more over the coming months and years.”

The figures for the past six months, compared to last year are as follows:

March 2016 - 13,041 - March 2017 - 13,223
April 2016 - 8,653 - April 2017 - 12,969
May 2016 - 10,695 - May 2017 - 15,786
June 2016 - 13,358 - June 2017 - 15,264
July 2016 -14,589 - July 2017 - 13,976
August 2016 - 14,500 - August 2017 - 15,089

Notes

Operating every 20 minutes, throughout the day, the T9 service provides:

• Improved links between Cardiff City Centre and Cardiff Bay with Cardiff Airport
• Good onward connections available at Cardiff City Centre with other bus, coach and rail services across Wales and beyond
• All journeys operated by low floor buses with more luggage space, coach seats and tables
• Free Wi-Fi
• Takes you right to the Airport Terminal door
• Attractive fares available
• Serves - Customhouse Street (JL) and Penarth Road (JM) (rear of Cardiff Central Station) in Cardiff City Centre
• Passenger journeys must either commence or terminate at Cardiff Airport Terminal
• This service is operated by New Adventure Travel

BACK TO NEWS

https://www.cardiff-airport.com/news/2017/09/18/airport-shuttle-service-takes-off/

 

[Jerry]

This is not good from Cardiff Council! The new bus station plans have been scrapped and they are starting again from scratch! 2 years ago the central bus station was demolished and now the council is starting again on it's public transport plan for the city and have admitted it is unlikely that any new bus station will be built before 2020.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/cardiff-scrapping-bus-station-plan-13817624

 

[Jerry]

Looks like the new trains for the Great Western Mainline aren't proving popular. People have been complaining about the seats saying they are too hard and uncomfortable with the armrests being too low. One person has also complained about the trains attitude! Apparently the voice of the train is very patronising and someone has complained that the lightening is akin to a police interrogation room. Not happy passengers!
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/w...ly-dont-like-hard-13849595#ICID=FB-Wales-main

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Looks like the new trains for the Great Western Mainline aren't proving popular. People have been complaining about the seats saying they are too hard and uncomfortable with the armrests being too low. One person has also complained about the trains attitude! Apparently the voice of the train is very patronising and someone has complained that the lightening is akin to a police interrogation room. Not happy passengers!
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/w...ly-dont-like-hard-13849595#ICID=FB-Wales-main

Ha ha. She must have been in a police interrogation room if she knows what the lighting is like. More likely it's her idea of what such a room looks like from watching films. These trains haven't had the most auspicious of starts with a couple taken out of service on day 1 following problems - air con leaking onto passengers was one.

 

[Jerry]

Ha ha. She must have been in a police interrogation room if she knows what the lighting is like. More likely it's her idea of what such a room looks like from watching films. These trains haven't had the most auspicious of starts with a couple taken out of service on day 1 following problems - air con leaking onto passengers was one.

It does sound like they are having teething problems.

 

[Jerry]

Interesting article in Wales Online today on how Arriva Trains proposed a lot of service improvements and extra services and new trains for the franchise in 2002 yet most of it was rejected by the then UK Labour government. Arriva even predicted many of the problems they are having today when they bid for the franchise.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/w...ted-develop-wales-13855134#ICID=FB-Wales-main

 

[Sean123]

Does anyone know where we stand on the 5 mile lane road improvement as i drove down it on sat and there is still no sign of any activity at all it seems an age since these works were announced

 

[Jerry]

The contractor has been approved it's Alun Griffiths Ltd and according to the Vale of Glamorgan council website the work is supposed to start early 2018 so i'd thought that would be January or maybe early February.
http://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/e...of-new-five-mile-lane-continues-on-track.aspx

 

[Sean123]

Thanks jerry is there a timscale for how long it is estimated to take

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Alun Griffiths Ltd was the contractor for the South Bristol Link Road which opened about a year ago. Amongst other things this road has improved access to Bristol Airport so it's only right and proper that the company should do the same for CWL. They often seem to be doing jobs around BRS itself which seems to have been a perpetual building site for the past 20 years with no sign of a let-up.

 

[Sean123]

Yeah used that new road last summer on our jolly boys outing to majorca both bristol & cardiff airports dont have the best road access

 

[Jerry]

Alun Griffiths Ltd was the contractor for the South Bristol Link Road which opened about a year ago. Amongst other things this road has improved access to Bristol Airport so it's only right and proper that the company should do the same for CWL. They often seem to be doing jobs around BRS itself which seems to have been a perpetual building site for the past 20 years with no sign of a let-up.

Looking at their website and they seem to have a diverse business, they have 8 sectors that they operate in Highways and Bridges, Rail, Utilities and Energy, Surfacing, Integrated Transport, Urban Regeneration, Highway Maintenance and Water Management. Their HQ is in Abergavenny. I would not be surprised that with their expertise if they will be heavily involved in the Metro in the future.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

They must have a more than good chance.

 

[Jerry]

Cardiff Central station is too receive a £100 million funding boost to upgrade the station so it can cope with ever increasing numbers of rail passengers.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/100m-funding-boost-transform-cardiff-14153504

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Cardiff Central station is too receive a £100 million funding boost to upgrade the station so it can cope with ever increasing numbers of rail passengers.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/100m-funding-boost-transform-cardiff-14153504

Envious that Cardiff Central can get money from the Welsh Government for such projects now that Network Rail has overspent and has none left for this type of work. Bristol Temple Meads has been waiting for a major upgrade for many years but now that Network Rail can no longer be trusted with the cash for such things, the promised £100 million makeover is probably as far away as electrification to the station.

Looking at the Cardiff and Swansea city deals (over £1 billion to both) do I read it right that the money, some provided by the UK government, can be drawn on a project by project basis and not necessarily spread out over many years? The West of England Combined Authority was given £1 billion by the UK government but over 30 years meaning the paltry sum each year amounts to little over £30 million.

I notice that the agglomeration of local authorities in and around Cardiff is called the Cardiff Capital Region. If the West of England Combined Authority had been named the Great Bristol Region there would have been hell to pay in the local authorities outside Bristol who never want to be associated with the city. Many of the residents of Bath would have been puce with rage to think they were part of a Greater Bristol.

As Bristol is the only English or Welsh city apart from London that pays more into the national exchequer than it gets out (as Alun Cairns confirmed again recently) it effectively subsidises some areas that get more out than they pay in, yet Bristol is bereft of many things that other cities have, often paid for out of public money.

I smiled the other day when I read someone on a Welsh aviation board saying how canny the Bristol area politicians are for objecting successfully (so far) to APD devolution and to the Severn Barrage which undoubtedly would have emasculated the Bristol Port at Avonmouth and Royal Portbury. That might be so but on most other things for the city region they are as useless as some Welsh residents seem to think their politicians are.

 

[Jerry]

I do believe each individual project can apply for City deal money and then gets assessed to see whether it can qualify.
I don't think there was any protests to the name. I've no doubt some people from the Valleys are probably not happy though!
Bristol and the West country do suffer from a lack of their own regional government whereas despite it's detractors the Welsh government has for the most part been positive and given Wales a voice though some believe it's not loud enough. I dread to think where Wales would be without it.