Cardiff Central - Milford Haven and connections questions regarding timetabling?

[PHILIPE]

The Ebbw Vale trains just about scrape through at Bridgend ahead of the Londons and fortunately they go out to cross over to the Up Line at a set of facing points rather than have to go ahead, change ends and reverse back to the Up Line. As long as the timings are accurate the Timetable is robust. Problems would occur if a train running out of course was travelling over the Up Line preventing the immediate cross over movement of the stock from the Down Line.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

The Ebbw Vale trains just about scrape through at Bridgend ahead of the Londons and fortunately they go out to cross over to the Up Line at a set of facing points rather than have to go ahead, change ends and reverse back to the Up Line. As long as the timings are accurate the Timetable is robust. Problems would occur if a train running out of course was travelling over the Up Line preventing the immediate cross over movement of the stock from the Down Line.

However given that it compromises the London-Swansea journey time of at least some of the GWR trains, the choice is a poor one overall (although I imagine TfW will scrape some marginal revenue out of it.)

This is not, however, an ideal arrangement given the amount of public money expended on GWEP which is to be paid back through increased revenue from GWR services, which is heavily dependent on improved journey times. Things like this contribute to revenue shortfalls which have to be made up in other ways (such as cutting trolley staff, fare rises etc.) BR would not have done this, it is an example of financial silo thinking.

It is also a performance risk. If the UML is for whatever reason blocked (eg by a late running service), the TfW unit must shunt via the Maesteg branch. However this cannot happen until the preceding branch train has departed Tondu.

 

[Envoy]

So, what is the point of Transport for Wales running the Ebbw Vale service through to Bridgend where it might cause problems for other services? Anybody coming off this train from the Ebbw line at Cardiff & wishing to go to Bridgend could simply transfer to the GWR express. The Transport for Wales train might just as well go & park in Canton!

 

[Peregrine 4903]

After reviewing the whole thread I think it seems to me that services West of Cardiff could use with some re-timetabling/new rolling stock. At least in the December timetable change the Manchester to West of Wales train service is moving behind the Paddington to Swansea service which should hopefully reduce overcrowding as well as making journeys from London to the West of Wales more enjoyable for regular passengers.

Another thing I think that should be done if capacity permits it is that the Paddington to Cardiff Central services should all be extended to Swansea in the off peak.

I have to agree that extending the Ebbw Vale service to Bridgend doesn't seem to make much sense really.

Another idea which could work if capacity permits is to introduce a Cardiff to Swansea stopping service calling at most stations in between although I suspect this would slow down a lot of other services so probably isn't feasible.

 

[krus_aragon]

So, what is the point of Transport for Wales running the Ebbw Vale service through to Bridgend where it might cause problems for other services? Anybody coming off this train from the Ebbw line at Cardiff & wishing to go to Bridgend could simply transfer to the GWR express. The Transport for Wales train might just as well go & park in Canton!

It makes no sense westbound, but there's a case for the eastbound working:

I can't see what the motivation for extending it is (other than possibly filling a half-hour gap in the eastbound service from Bridgend between xx55 and xx25).

 

[PHILIPE]

It makes no sense westbound, but there's a case for the eastbound working:

There is one which runs down ECS to work back

 

[craigybagel]

Whilst the timetable could be better and they could make announcements at Cardiff as the GWR Swansea service is clearly shown on the departure boards at Cardiff, for passengers going no further than Swansea it is there choice to board the TFW train and (even though the TFW service should have more carriages) should not complain about the overcrowding as they have the option to wait few minutes to get a less busy train.

Announcements are made at Cardiff, sometimes by both the station staff and the conductors on board. Unfortunately not many actually listen.

Yesterday, in mid afternoon, I saw a rammed 2 coach 150 Sprinter leaving Cardiff for Llanelli. Apparently, it was operating a Holyhead to Llanelli service - yes, a train intended for short journeys on branch lines! Anyway, it seems to me that a re think about services west of Cardiff is needed? I was very surprised to read here that the Ebbw Vale service was going to run to Bridgend just ahead of GWR’s London to Swansea express. Could the Ebbw Vale service not have gone down the Vale of Glamorgan Coast line to terminate in the bay platform at Bridgend? I am sure that they have good reason for not doing that but all very unfortunate - especially as it does not provide stops at Pontyclun, Llanharan & Pencoed.

No access from the mainline to platforms 6-8 any more since the resignalling, which would make it difficult (though not impossible). You'd also take away direct access from VOG stations to Queen Street, which I'm sure would be a much more popular destination then Ebbw Value