Extension to Ebbw Vale Town station

[trawscymru27]

If the extension to Abertyleri is built, it would be good to see 1 tph Ebbw Vale - Cardiff, 1 tph Ebbw Vale - Newport and 1 tph Abertyleri - Cardiff. If timed carefully, passengers from Ebbw Vale would then have 2 tph to Cardiff, one involving a change at Llanhilleth.

 

[PHILIPE]

If the extension to Abertyleri is built, it would be good to see 1 tph Ebbw Vale - Cardiff, 1 tph Ebbw Vale - Newport and 1 tph Abertyleri - Cardiff. If timed carefully, passengers from Ebbw Vale would then have 2 tph to Cardiff, one involving a change at Llanhilleth.

I think Abertyleri would go to Newport as that is where people from that area prefer to go. They only want to go to Cardiff for Rugby !!!

 

[RP]

If the extension to Abertyleri is built, it would be good to see 1 tph Ebbw Vale - Cardiff, 1 tph Ebbw Vale - Newport and 1 tph Abertyleri - Cardiff. If timed carefully, passengers from Ebbw Vale would then have 2 tph to Cardiff, one involving a change at Llanhilleth.

I seem to recall that there was a suggestion that the current enhancement works would provide capacity for up to three trains an hour. I'm not sure, however, whether the remaining single track section from Park North Junction to Risca South Junction would still be a constraint though for this.

I'm not sure either whether the overbridge at Chartist Drive, Rogerstone, constructed at the time of the Risca-Rogerstone bypass road scheme, is of sufficient width to permit double track - more than happy to be proved wrong! There is also a single track underbridge between Rogerstone and Pye Corner, though I imagine that this could be replaced at reasonable cost. Strange, when you recall that this section was quadruple in the 1960s!
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I seem to recall that there was a suggestion that the current enhancement works would provide capacity for up to three trains an hour. I'm not sure, however, whether the remaining single track section from Park North Junction to Risca South Junction would still be a constraint though for this.

I'm not sure either whether the overbridge at Chartist Drive, Rogerstone, constructed at the time of the Risca-Rogerstone bypass road scheme, is of sufficient width to permit double track - more than happy to be proved wrong! There is also a single track underbridge between Rogerstone and Pye Corner, though I imagine that this could be replaced at reasonable cost. Strange, when you recall that this section was quadruple in the 1960s!

Just picked up Modern Railways June issue. Article on the extension and redoubling expresses concern about the two miles or so of single track at lower part of line

 

[NX]

The bridge you refer to is a single portal design, bearing in mind when the bridge was built the line was freight only with Jo real chance of passenger reopening, let alone redoubling, new stations and electrciation !

NX

 

[RP]

The bridge you refer to is a single portal design, bearing in mind when the bridge was built the line was freight only with Jo real chance of passenger reopening, let alone redoubling, new stations and electrciation !

NX

Thanks for confirmation and agree that the situation is much changed. The odd thing is that the next overbridge up the line adjacent to the site of the previous Rogerstone station (which also spans the parallel A467 dual carriageway) appears to have sufficient clearance for two tracks!

Alas, the former Gwent County Council was notably unsupportive of railway development and carried out much conversion of redundant railway trackbeds to road improvements. The opening of the Ebbw Vale line almost doubled the number of railway stations in the former Gwent area in 2008!

 

[Gareth Marston]

Thanks for confirmation and agree that the situation is much changed. The odd thing is that the next overbridge up the line adjacent to the site of the previous Rogerstone station (which also spans the parallel A467 dual carriageway) appears to have sufficient clearance for two tracks!

Alas, the former Gwent County Council was notably unsupportive of railway development and carried out much conversion of redundant railway trackbeds to road improvements. The opening of the Ebbw Vale line almost doubled the number of railway stations in the former Gwent area in 2008!

Gwent is well provisioned with motorways, dual carriageways and bypasses, yet aside from Monmouthshire the old county is pretty poor and run down. Gwent CC believed that roads would bring prosperity but despite building a dual carriageway into the centre of Pontypool off the M4 Torfaen remains depressed.
Roads do not bring prosperity A lesson that some of today's politicians need to learn.

 

[PHILIPE]

Gwent is well provisioned with motorways, dual carriageways and bypasses, yet aside from Monmouthshire the old county is pretty poor and run down. Gwent CC believed that roads would bring prosperity but despite building a dual carriageway into the centre of Pontypool off the M4 Torfaen remains depressed.
Roads do not bring prosperity A lesson that some of today's politicians need to learn.

Look at the A470 a trunk road from North to South. In one area near LLanwrst it's like a country lane !!! On the other hand, how would the North fare without the A55.

 

[Gareth Marston]

Look at the A470 a trunk road from North to South. In one area near LLanwrst it's like a country lane !!! On the other hand, how would the North fare without the A55.

Well all the moaning about delays on it when theirs accidents wouldn't happen
In fact as far as I can tell the North Walain motorist lobby want duplicate motorway alongside it so there wont be any hold up, this of course will never happen.

I got a road atlas of Wales and photocopied it and then marked all the Motorways, dual carrigeways and purpose built single carriageways and then drew a line 3 miles either side of them. 95% of Glamorgan and anywhere with a population over 10,000 in North Wales were in this zone. Wales is relatively well connected by roads.
Portugal has spent Billions of EU Euros on building a fabulous motorway network and it remains one of the few places in western Europe with a GVA per head lower than Wales.

 

[NX]

Looking at the formation of the old abertillary route, the track bed is pretty much untouched a part from what looks like a cycle route, with into the town centre.

NX

 

[Holly]

The line can't go as far as it did in days of yore because of new buildings and roads. There is a lift, more like a cliff railway, about 100 yards away to go up to the Town Centre.

Please can you, or someone else, tells us more about this lift?
Just curious.

 

[swt_passenger]

Please can you, or someone else, tells us more about this lift?
Just curious.

Pictures here: http://www.dawnus.co.uk/en/content/cms/civil-projects/outdoor-mechanical-l/

 

[John R]

I seem to recall that there was a suggestion that the current enhancement works would provide capacity for up to three trains an hour. I'm not sure, however, whether the remaining single track section from Park North Junction to Risca South Junction would still be a constraint though for this.

I'm not sure either whether the overbridge at Chartist Drive, Rogerstone, constructed at the time of the Risca-Rogerstone bypass road scheme, is of sufficient width to permit double track - more than happy to be proved wrong! There is also a single track underbridge between Rogerstone and Pye Corner, though I imagine that this could be replaced at reasonable cost. Strange, when you recall that this section was quadruple in the 1960s!
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Just picked up Modern Railways June issue. Article on the extension and redoubling expresses concern about the two miles or so of single track at lower part of line

If the long term intention is to provide a 2tph service then the current redoubling of over 7 miles would appear a very expensive solution. A second dynamic passing loop would be a much more affordable solution, and quite adequate (if not ideal) for a half hourly service. Thus I can only conclude that the intention is to provide a more frequent service at some point in the medium term future, and so better to do the work now, rather than have further disruption in the future, particularly if the work wasn't done at the same time as the line is electrified.

In terms of the capacity constraint at the southern end of the line, trains are allowed 7 mins to pass through it, so it shouldn't be beyond the wit of the timetablers to schedule a third train, particularly if one goes to Newport, so an even frequency is not required. Indeed, if the third train ran closely behind one of the others, and an intermediate section was created, this would help too. As will electric stock, which I'm guessing will reduce the 7 mins to around 5 with faster acceleration away from the two stops. Which would clearly then not be a constraint.

 

[snowball]

Official opening:

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...and-rail-link-for-ebbw-vale-officially-opened

The First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones said: "Since we reopened the Ebbw Vale rail line to passengers in 2008, the route has become a vital link for the community to access jobs and services. It has proved very popular with some 300,000 journeys annually. Our investment in new stations here and at Pye Corner this year will ensure even more people can use this service.

“This project is an important part of our investment in Phase 1 of the Metro and the improvements made to the track will allow for extra services to be introduced in the future. But the Metro is much more than just a transport project; it will be a catalyst for transforming the economic and social prospects for the south east region of Wales and improve connectivity across Wales as a whole.”

 

[45rpm]

Can someone please advise as to where Ebbw Vale Town is in relation to where this railtour went to? www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/870523pt.htm Ithink I require a bit of new track,but would be interested to know just how much I would be scoring.

 

[RP]

I think 40 122 may be at the upper end of the exchange sidings (ref Waunllydd North on the timetable) and a large building in the other photograph resembles the hotel now called 'Ambala' which is quite close to Ebbw Vale Parkway. So, dependent on where you were on the train you might have an extra mile or so of track.

Worth exploring anyway as the area no longer looks like your pictures! Much of the line is being redoubled at present.

 

[NX]

News is the life thing at Ebbw Town has been trashed by the local idiots.

Didn't see that coming did we!

NX

 

[berneyarms]

News is the life thing at Ebbw Town has been trashed by the local idiots.

Didn't see that coming did we!

NX

By that I can only assume you meant "lift" rather than "life", and that you were referring to the funicular cable car that connects the town with the station?

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/ne...cable_car_to_close_just_a_week_after_opening/

Vandals force Ebbw Vale cable car to close just a week after opening
Last updated 07:29 Friday 19 June 2015
by Nathan Briant


A MULTI-million pound cable car system in Ebbw Vale which only opened last Wednesday has already spent one day shut and was closed briefly earlier today.

The £2.5 million European Union-funded funicular which links Ebbw Vale's town square to The Works took one year to build. But two separate incidents, one of teenagers kicking its cars’ doors out of alignment and then others climbing on a security fence, closed it last Friday.

It is operated by Blaenau Gwent council, forming a part of the town's regeneration project, and a spokesman said a minor technical problem had closed it again for 10 minutes today.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said nothing had been reported to them.

The cab has capacity for 19 adults and the 40 metre journey takes about 20 seconds. It is open from 7am until 7pm daily.

And Cllr Mostyn Lewis, whose Ebbw Vale South ward includes the cable car system, said because of the vandalism it had been agreed an engineer would ride on every journey until the end of the present school year.

He said: “Let’s give it a chance. If it is abused then they will close it and then the general public and the majority will suffer.”

And he added of the project itself: “I think it is a wonderful thing for the borough. It all came through the European Union and Welsh Government funding. It is something needed for the regeneration of Ebbw Vale and the beauty of it is you can get up into the town.

“I’m all for it. I have been since it was first suggested.”

A Blaenau Gwent council spokesman said: “The cableway has been open for just over one week. Given the complexity of the facility, owing to the many safety features and controls, there have been some minor issues relating to the mechanical and electrical aspects of the cableway.

“To date there have been two separate occasions where user behaviour has caused the cableway to shut down. The first occasion triggered the peripheral security sensors of the site, and the second occasion disrupted the cabin door controls.

“The shutdowns have all been rectified within a short timescale; it usually takes one to two hours to safely put the cableway back into service.”

The First Minister Carwyn Jones took his own trip on the funicular last Thursday after he officially opened Ebbw Vale’s £11.5 million railway station.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-33198171

Vandals target new £2.5m Ebbw Vale cable car

A new cable car system in Blaenau Gwent has had to close to the public twice just days after opening - after being targeted by vandals.

The £2.5m funicular cable car connects Ebbw Vale's town square with The Works - the regenerated site of the former steel works.

The system took a year to build and was only opened last Wednesday.

Door controls were attacked on one occasion, while security sensors were trigged in another incident.

"To date there have been two separate occasions where user behaviour has caused the cableway to shut down," confirmed an official for Blaenau Gwent council, which is responsible for operating the funicular cableway.

"The first occasion triggered the peripheral security sensors of the site, and the second occasion disrupted the cabin door controls.

"The shutdowns have all been rectified within a short timescale; it usually takes one to two hours to safely put the cableway back into service."

The council said its teams in the area were carrying out regular patrols of the cableway, and the area was also under round-the-clock CCTV monitoring.

The service was in full operation on Friday.

The cable car, which is capable of carrying 22 people, is unmanned and operated by the users themselves.

It travels 140ft (43m) between two stations, dropping 75ft (23m) as it descends.

 

[HowardGWR]

News is the lift thing at Ebbw Town has been trashed by the local idiots.

Didn't see that coming did we!

NX

Sure as night follows day, as I sadly predicted a while back. I am amazed CCTV is not fitted (if so).

 

[RP]

Mechanical Lift out of order 'due to essential maintenance' when I tried to use it this morning!

Noticed today that since my most recent trip (15.6.15) a number of gradient boards have been erected, the last one showing a gradient of 1 in 50 easing to 1 in 568 (if I recall correctly) at the terminus station. I don't recall having seeing these for a very long time, though I noticed on some of the photographs and excellent video coverage that the Borders Railway has them. Can't say I have seen others, and there weren't any below Ebbw Vale Parkway, though the line side is very overgrown.

Unusual travel opportunities this weekend (27/28 June) due to the complete blockage between Newport and Cardiff Central - most Saturday trains from Ebbw Vale Parkway (not Town, served by bus shuttle) to Newport and Cheltenham Spa, most Sunday trains from Ebbw Vale Town to Gloucester. Don't recall any eastward extension of services from Ebbw Vale previously!

 

[PHILIPE]

Mechanical Lift out of order 'due to essential maintenance' when I tried to use it this morning!

Noticed today that since my most recent trip (15.6.15) a number of gradient boards have been erected, the last one showing a gradient of 1 in 50 easing to 1 in 568 (if I recall correctly) at the terminus station. I don't recall having seeing these for a very long time, though I noticed on some of the photographs and excellent video coverage that the Borders Railway has them. Can't say I have seen others, and there weren't any below Ebbw Vale Parkway, though the line side is very overgrown.

Unusual travel opportunities this weekend (27/28 June) due to the complete blockage between Newport and Cardiff Central - most Saturday trains from Ebbw Vale Parkway (not Town, served by bus shuttle) to Newport and Cheltenham Spa, most Sunday trains from Ebbw Vale Town to Gloucester. Don't recall any eastward extension of services from Ebbw Vale previously!

See thread (already posted)
www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=115649
(Post #12)