Ebbw Vale line improvements

[snowball]

Now it's an NR press release as well:

New Ebbw Vale services to begin in December

Brand new rail services are set to be launched on one of South Wales’ key lines, almost doubling the number of travel options.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

The text seems to be the same as in the tfw version in #14.

 

[Nevasleep]

If I'm reading the RTT link for February correctly, thats a big change to times arriving into Cardiff for commuters.
Previous Arrivals: 07:34, 08:34, 09:34
New Arrivals: 06:59, 08:02, 09:01
Likewise with new departures from Cardiff being 16:02, 17:02, 18:02
Possibly not great if you work 8-4 or 9-5 in Cardiff city centre without any flexibility (although good for 8:30 to 16:30).

Hopefully there'll be more than two carriages for the 08:02 arrival.

 

[John R]

There is also a 0735 from Ebbw Vale Town arrives into Cardiff at 0839 with a fast change at Newport, so other options are available.

Indeed, whereas now there are only two arrivals before 0930, there will be five by 0901.

 

[Woolos 22]

Yes that is the plan so the trains to Newport will be able to make connection to London and Bristol and Bath Spa
Update new ballasts is being layed in the new platform in newbridge today

 

[Nevasleep]

There is also a 0735 from Ebbw Vale Town arrives into Cardiff at 0839 with a fast change at Newport, so other options are available.

Indeed, whereas now there are only two arrivals before 0930, there will be five by 0901.

Ahhh that's good news!

 

[snowball]

Press release:

Network Rail on track to deliver final stage of multi-million-pound upgrade to the Ebbw Vale line

Network Rail is reminding passengers that buses will replace trains on the Ebbw Vale line on Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October as work on the £70m upgrade enters its final stage.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Network Rail is reminding passengers that buses will replace trains on the Ebbw Vale line on Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October as work on the £70m upgrade enters its final stage.

This weekend, Network Rail will be installing brand new track at Newbridge station and in the Crosskeys area, when a bus replacement service will run between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central. The work will enable Transport for Wales to launch new services from December, including a new hourly passenger service between Ebbw Vale Town and Newport.

Before the introduction of new services, there will be a 19-day closure of the line from Wednesday 15 November to Sunday 3 December (inclusive) to allow for the final stage of work to take place. Once complete, the line will see the introduction of two trains per hour – one to Cardiff and one to Newport – opening up leisure and business travel opportunities and boosting the local economy.

The transformation of the line has been funded by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council via a loan from the Welsh Government, with the Department for Transport and Network Rail providing a further £17m to deliver signalling upgrades and track renewal.  Work on the line has taken place throughout the year, including the construction of two new platforms at Newbridge and Llanhilleth stations this spring, the installation of new signal posts, and track work in various locations along the route.

 

[snowball]

And another press release:

Passengers urged to plan ahead as Ebbw Vale line upgrade reaches final stage

Network Rail is reminding passengers to check before they travel as the multi-million-pound upgrade of the Ebbw Vale line moves into its final stage.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Network Rail is reminding passengers to check before they travel as the multi-million-pound upgrade of the Ebbw Vale line moves into its final stage.

Buses will replace trains between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central from Wednesday 15 November to Sunday 3 December as teams work around the clock to transform the line.

Engineers from Network Rail will carry out 1.2 km of track upgrades at nine different locations between Crosskeys and Crumlin, to complete the creation of a seven-mile loop to enable trains to pass in the future.

Elsewhere on the line, contractors from Siemens will finish setting up and connecting the new signalling system around the Park Junction area. This will help improve the resilience and reliability of passenger and freight journeys.

The work is all part of the multi-million-pound investment to provide an additional hourly service between Ebbw Vale Town and Newport. The transformation of the line has been funded by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council via a loan from the Welsh Government, with the Department for Transport and Network Rail providing a further £17m to deliver signalling upgrades and track renewal.

During the 19-day temporary closure of the line, Transport for Wales will be running a bus service between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central. Passengers are urged to plan ahead at /www.journeycheck.com/tfwrail and www.nationalrail.co.uk

 

[StKeverne1497]

Do you know if there a programme of works to install these additional guard / safety rails wherever they are deemed necessary on the national network or at present only on new sections of track?

I presume these are where check rails are not deemed necessary.

There are none on the new sections of TfW track which are now in use.

I have absolutely no idea how common their installation is, but the first time I noticed them - and wondered if someone was planning on running a miniature railway - was at the bay platform in Pontypridd. You can (just about) see them in this Google Maps link, in this photograph from Geograph and this one from yourpontypridd.co.uk. My visit was perhaps eight or nine years ago and I doubt they had been newly installed then. Note how close the line is to the edge. I believe the platform was out of use for some time when they widened the road, removing the under-the-arches businesses, and only reopened some time later?

 

[John R]

For those fans of mechanical signalling tomorrow sees the last day of working of Park Junction box and its associated semaphores. Not the easiest to photograph unfortunately, but as you can see, it’s a fairly substantial structure.

At least its closure is heralding some good news with the imminent introduction of the half hourly service up the Ebbw Valley, rather than simply being the result of a rationalisation or straightforward modernisation.

 

[zwk500]

Any knowledge of what will happen to the Box and equipment?

 

[John R]

Any knowledge of what will happen to the Box and equipment?

Sorry no, but I believe the box is listed.

 

[John Webb]

.....but I believe the box is listed.

It is indeed, see https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=&id=87671
It was listed in 2014.

 

[56xx]

For those fans of mechanical signalling tomorrow sees the last day of working of Park Junction box and its associated semaphores. Not the easiest to photograph unfortunately, but as you can see, it’s a fairly substantial structure.

It's the end of an era as far as I know in the South Wales Valleys apart from possibly Tondu. It always pleased me to see the signaler leaning out of the central window in the box watching the the train they had just cleared passing the box.

 

[Signal_Box]

Any knowledge of what will happen to the Box and equipment?

Equipment stripped for spares, box left until it’s burnt down unfortunately.

 

[Anonymous10]

Equipment stripped for spares, box left until it’s burnt down unfortunately.

Would be better if sold or rented out if you ask me. Oh well.

 

[Signal_Box]

Would be better if sold or rented out if you ask me. Oh well.

Ideally yes, but the issue is access and location.

Access is very difficult for anything other than railway use, vehicular access again is only of use for railway activities.

Best we can hope for is the lights are left on, and the local underbelly don’t realise it’s empty. Unless you know it’s there, you’d be forgive not walking right by without noticing it.

ironically recent vegetation clearance has made the box more visible from the footpath.

I’ll be sorry to see it close, I’ve some very happy memories working there.

 

[CardiffKid]

Would be better if sold or rented out if you ask me. Oh well.

To whom and what for?

 

[Anonymous10]

To whom and what for?

If access could be improved slightly, you could adapt it into a cafe, a house or a heritage attraction.

 

[CardiffKid]

If access could be improved slightly, you could adapt it into a cafe, a house or a heritage attraction.

House possibly, although would only appeal to a small subsection of train enthusiasts, although with no drive way and limited access it's far from ideal.

Cafe? No chance as it has no passing trade and the housing nearby are unlikely to provide enough trade to sustain it.

Heritage attraction? Nice idea but far to small, no parking and ironically limited public transport!

 

[StKeverne1497]

If access could be improved slightly, you could adapt it into a cafe, a house or a heritage attraction.

Or a holiday let. Access is the big issue - it looks pretty impossible - but some strange places make some very lucrative holiday lets.

 

[John R]

Or a holiday let. Access is the big issue - it looks pretty impossible - but some strange places make some very lucrative holiday lets.

Access, together with the possible limited appeal of accommodation in a somewhat nondescript Newport suburb, where the only possible selling point is 4 dmus per hour trundling slowly past.

 

[Dai Corner]

Access, together with the possible limited appeal of accommodation in a somewhat nondescript Newport suburb, where the only possible selling point is 4 dmus per hour trundling slowly past.

And the odd freight to/from Machen quarry.

When I first met my ex she lived in a house backing on to the line. She could never understand why I went out to the back garden to enjoy the sound.

 

[Signal_Box]

House possibly, although would only appeal to a small subsection of train enthusiasts, although with no drive way and limited access it's far from ideal.

Cafe? No chance as it has no passing trade and the housing nearby are unlikely to provide enough trade to sustain it.

Heritage attraction? Nice idea but far to small, no parking and ironically limited public transport!

And no mains water connection.

 

[Dai Corner]

And no mains water connection.

Really? Do signallers take their own water in or do drivers drop off a supply when they exchange tokens?

Either way, it's another archaic practice that's disappearing.

 

[Starmill]

Really? Do signallers take their own water in or do drivers drop off a supply when they exchange tokens?

Either way, it's another archaic practice that's disappearing.

Surely there's a local potable water tank and a company comes and fills it up for them?

 

[Signal_Box]

Really? Do signallers take their own water in or do drivers drop off a supply when they exchange tokens?

Either way, it's another archaic practice that's disappearing.

Theres an arrangement with a landowner who’s property the temporarily mains run through, if they decide to cut it (which they have in the past) then yes its bottles of water del by the MOM and a chemical toilet.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Nov 2023 ==

2N32 - 153910 + 153312 brought the curtain down on Park Junction (passenger trains) at 2319.

Possession to be taken 0055 Wednesday 15th November, with some 21 engineering trains passing through to hell the final push to close the box down.

 

[Freightmaster]

Possession to be taken 0055 Wednesday 15th November, with some 21 engineering trains passing through to hell...

Is Ebbw Vale really that rough?!





MARK

 

[Signal_Box]

Is Ebbw Vale really that rough?!





MARK

depends if your passing through or you live there !

 

[Woolos 22]

Some photo for some the work at newbridge

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Is Ebbw Vale really that rough?!

I'd say Bargoed is far worse The 231s will doubtlessly start to look a lot nicer when they move over to their originally-intended routes.
Actually, having said that, Maesteg could give it a run for it's money.