South Wales 'Metro' updates

[John R]

The map below shows the area in south east Wales that will be marketed by TfW as the 'Metro'.
Welsh Govt have taken ownership of all of the lines north of Queen St to the heads of the Valleys, and from Ninian Park to Radyr (the City line), and the Cardiff Bay line, and these are the lines that will be upgraded and get discontinuous electrification.

I think to be precise the boundary is just south of Queen St station (I'm guessing beyond the junction for the Bay line, as that is also in Welsh Govt ownership?)

 

[Cardiff123]

I think to be precise the boundary is just south of Queen St station (I'm guessing beyond the junction for the Bay line, as that is also in Welsh Govt ownership?)

Yes, I think the exact boundary is just before the bridge that carries the line from Queen St to Central over the mainline, and that's been coated with the magic paint for the mainline wires below.

 

[D6975]

Interesting that the map doesn't show Newport-Ebbw Vale direct.

 

[John R]

The map represents the current network.

 

[oglord]

The map represents the current network.

Well, the current passenger services that TFW provide anyway...

 

[BBob123]

Sat waiting for my train earlier overheard a conversation that the Tafs Well project has major issues because of a water main where the entry/ exit to the depot was planned to go. Anyone else heard anything?

 

[anthony263]

Sat waiting for my train earlier overheard a conversation that the Tafs Well project has major issues because of a water main where the entry/ exit to the depot was planned to go. Anyone else heard anything?

I've noticed goi g to work they've stopped working by one part of the site.
Hopefully they will sort this out

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

Sat waiting for my train earlier overheard a conversation that the Tafs Well project has major issues because of a water main where the entry/ exit to the depot was planned to go. Anyone else heard anything?

I doubt if it's a major problem. Brownfield sites often throw up issues like this.

The water main is very likely disused since its existance wasn't known but they'll need to check it out in case it's still in use. If it is active infrastructure, it will need to be diverted which isn't that big a challenge.

Ar worst, you're talking about a hold-up of a couple of days and there are plenty of other tasks on site that can be carried out in the meantime.

 

[anthony263]

Welsh water were at the taffs well site yesterday when I drove past in my bus and there was a flurty of activity going on

 

[ainsworth74]

Is anyone able to explain (or point me to!) what's going on with electrification on the Valley Lines? Even knowing which ones would be good as I've totally lost touch with any plans for this!

 

[John R]

Discontinuous electrification from Queen St to Treherbert, Merthyr and Aberdare, also to Rhymney. "Tricky bits" eg bridges, tunnels and complex station areas (Pontypridd and Queen St) will be left unwired. Also wired along the Bay branch I believe. There will also be some redoubling of the branches. Nothing south of the main line at Cardiff Central will be electrified.

There's a very comprehensive article in this month's Modern Railways on the subject.

 

[Cardiff123]

Is anyone able to explain (or point me to!) what's going on with electrification on the Valley Lines? Even knowing which ones would be good as I've totally lost touch with any plans for this!

What Brissie Girl has said, and there's full details on the TfW Rail webpages here: https://tfwrail.wales/metro

 

[ainsworth74]

Aha thank you both

 

[snowball]

What Brissie Girl has said, and there's full details on the TfW Rail webpages here: https://tfwrail.wales/metro

I've only spent a couple of minutes trying to navigate that site but I haven't found a list or map of what will be electrified.

(However I don't really need to as I've read Brissie Girl's post and the MR article.)

 

[Envoy]

Please to see attached PDF Map of the Metro for which sections are getting electrified:>

 

[CapitalStar378]

When does electrification work actually start? I think the current works are just preparatory.

 

[snowball]

Please to see attached PDF Map of the Metro for which sections are getting electrified:>

Lovely, many thanks for that.

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

When does electrification work actually start? I think the current works are just preparatory.

I suppose it depends what you mean by preparatory. Certainly there are no wires going up as yet. Apart from the new depot being built at Taff's Well, a lot of the work being done could be defined as deferred maintenance as the network was in a pretty rundown state when it was transferred from NR to TfW.

As to when they start putting up the wires, I haven't heard anything but they'll need to get cracking pretty soon I'd have thought.

 

[snowball]

Please to see attached PDF Map of the Metro for which sections are getting electrified:>

Am I reading that map right that there are to be no wires through Queen Street station?

 

[John R]

Am I reading that map right that there are to be no wires through Queen Street station?

Yes, they are avoiding putting knitting over the (relatively) complex bits to save costs. I guess once you've decided to have some discontinuous sections and have to have batteries that's not a bad idea.

 

[southern442]

What's happening with the tram-trains then, I didn't think they were going to be either bi-mode or battery fitted? Is there anywhere they can actually go?

 

[vic-rijrode]

Welsh water were at the taffs well site yesterday when I drove past in my bus and there was a flurty of activity going on

As an inhabitant of Loegr, I am intrigued by Welsh Water being at Taffs Well. Is there actually a well from which welsh water could be drawn and could it have been used for steam locos? Just wondering, slightly tongue in cheek.

 

[John R]

Taff's Well - Wikipedia

Wikipedia says there is a thermal spring.

Taff's Well Park (Parc Ffynnon Taf) is the site of the Taff's Well Thermal Spring, a well that reached its height of popularity for visitors to the village in the mid to late 1800s.[3] It enjoys temperatures which average 21.6 degrees C.[4] The Well at Taff's Well is Wales' only natural thermal spa..

 

[Kyle2]

What's happening with the tram-trains then, I didn't think they were going to be either bi-mode or battery fitted? Is there anywhere they can actually go?

They're Bi-mode, electric and battery.

 

[vic-rijrode]

Taff's Well - Wikipedia

Wikipedia says there is a thermal spring.

Taff's Well Park (Parc Ffynnon Taf) is the site of the Taff's Well Thermal Spring, a well that reached its height of popularity for visitors to the village in the mid to late 1800s.[3] It enjoys temperatures which average 21.6 degrees C.[4] The Well at Taff's Well is Wales' only natural thermal spa..

Thanks - 21.6 degrees - rules it out for carriage heating even.....

 

[John R]

Or geothermal power for the overhead lines!

 

[Envoy]

The tracks through Cardiff Central and out to Ninian Park as well as the Vale of Glamorgan Coast Line remain under Network Rail control. The tram-trains will be allowed on Network Rail tracks between Ninian Park & Queen Street via Central - using battery power. The bay branch will probably be re-built and here again, battery power will be used. This line will be extended to end near the fountains - but much of this area is going to be changed. (Looks like they are going to demolish the entertainments building and build an arena/conference centre on the land). From the fountains, it could well be that the tram-trains will continue via roads eastward into Splott.

Of course, all this means that no longer will services take people from the central valleys down to Barry Island or Rhoose (for Airport) / Llantwit Major. The services to/from the central valleys (Merthyr/Aberdare/ Treherbert/Pontypridd) will do a loop in Cardiff using the City Line and the route via Llandaff North. Looks like many people will have to change trains at Central and being as the tram-trains will not have toilets, I just hope that they build sufficient toilets at Central (at platform) to cope when all these people have to change.

You can read about the proposed arena here (looks like the name of Cardiff has been banished in favour of Caerdydd - which all international guests realise is Cardiff in Welsh):> https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/first-images-new-150m-indoor-19355806

Subject to planning consent construction work on the project, at the site of Cardiff Council's existing car park at its County Hall headquarters at Atlantic Wharf in Cardiff Bay, will start next November and be ready to host its first event in February, 2024.

 

[K.o.R]

Please to see attached PDF Map of the Metro for which sections are getting electrified:>

What a mess.

 

[221101 Voyager]

What a mess.

Mind you, every infrastructure project is really!

They're usually all late, bits missing as it's gone overbudget so they've had to remove some things to keep costs down!

Just out of interest, when is this project expected to be complete and how much overbudget is it?

 

[Cardiff123]

Mind you, every infrastructure project is really!

They're usually all late, bits missing as it's gone overbudget so they've had to remove some things to keep costs down!

Just out of interest, when is this project expected to be complete and how much overbudget is it?

It's not over budget, but the plans have been changed since that map (which is from January 2019) to stay within the allocated budget. It's due to be completed between 2023-2024. The Taff Valley lines (through Pontypridd) will be completed first, with the tram-trains expected to be running on those lines by mid-2023, and the Rhymney Valley and Coryton lines are expected to be completed in 2024.