Pye Corner Station - Opens 14th Dec 2014

[anthony263]

I don't see why Newport requires an additional platform for the Ebbw Vale - Newport service especially since the station has 4 platforms already and I do think trains terminating there can shunt out of the station to a siding.

 

[Gathursty]

The pictures of this station look good. I do believe I passed the site when navigating from Rogerstone to the M4 last year and it looked like a good place to build a station. I may head down over Christmas to christen it and spend more time in the Bristol area at the same time if I'm free and am up to it.

A connection to Newport surely mustn't be too faraway now. Is there any room between Pye Corner and Newport station to put/use a siding for passenger trains between turns up the Ebbw Vale line, if not at the stations themselves?

 

[anthony263]

There is a siding on the marches line after you have come off the SWML and head towards Hereford which could possibly be used.

Perhaps of course the Ebbw Vale - Newport service could be extended to Abergavenny serving new local stations along the marches route or perhaps to Chepstow

 

[PHILIPE]

There has been no problem accommodating at Newport in Platform 4 when Engineering work has necessitated the diversion there in lieu of Cardiff. The "get out of the way" has been East Usk in the past.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Perhaps of course the Ebbw Vale - Newport service could be extended to Abergavenny serving new local stations along the marches route or perhaps to Chepstow

Is there not some talk of a new station in the area of the former stations at Magor and Undy Halt?

 

[Starmill]

As a local, I can tell you Pye Corner station is around 250 yds north of the former Bassaleg Junction station.
It is a single platform but Railtrack has stated the design allows for expansion. The original track remains in situ with no connection to the new line, which has been slightly realigned into the platform. A second platform could be built on the other side of the original trackbed I suppose. I can only guess that it would be able to service a possible shuttle service to Newport, though I understand that presently, due to the signalling, train reversal is not possible on the branch, other than at the terminus of course.
There may be some murmurings about it being a white elephant but I will confidently predict that it will be just as popular as other stations on the line. Passenger loading figures to Cardiff have far exceeded what was forecast, and at peak times the train is at capacity and also well used throughought the day by shoppers. However there is still a demand for a connecting or through service to Newport for onward travel to the east and north of the country.
http://imgur.com/DgclFVG

It looks great. I too think a fairly large number of people will switch to use of this station in place of Rogerstone, independently of fares issues. Rermarkably well sized car park that is - and do I spot a TVM shelter too?

 

[MikeWh]

Project sponsor at the Department of Transport, Tony Potter, said: “What is phenomenal is the speed it’s all come together. It’s been one of the fastest new station builds we’ve ever done if not the fastest.

He's forgotten about Workington North then!

 

[Techniquest]

In fairness, Workington North was always designed and built to be a temporary facility, Pye Corner is obviously due to last for a long time!

I didn't realise Pye Corner was going to open so soon! Fingers crossed it proves successful like the rest of the Ebbw Vale line has done. Rather hopeful Ebbw Vale opens sooner rather than later, would be nice to have somewhere useful to go to on that line at long last!

 

[Starmill]

I didn't realise Pye Corner was going to open so soon! Fingers crossed it proves successful like the rest of the Ebbw Vale line has done. Rather hopeful Ebbw Vale opens sooner rather than later, would be nice to have somewhere useful to go to on that line at long last!

Should be just over a year from now that we can celebrate the opening of another station on this line!

Edwina Hart, the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, said the Ebbw Vale town centre extension should also be finished by Spring 2015, in a letter to Nick Smith MP for Blaenau Gwent.

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/11430118.Blaenau_Gwent_rail_improvements_by_2016/

 

[anthony263]

Good to see another new station opened on the Ebbw Vale branch and the extension to Ebbw Vale town is due to open next spring.

Shame we have other places such as Brackla which are still waiting for a station and will most likely have to wait until eletrification is complete.

But still well done and hopefully we will see many more stations/lines opened

 

[northwichcat]

I see that it will have the easy-to-remember 3-letter station code of PYE

They could have used one Greek letter instead. I'm hoping the first year usage is 3.142 thousand.

 

[Techniquest]

I'll have to pop down there in the spring then if Ebbw Vale itself will finally get the line extended into it. Might even make it a bit of a circular trip as I can get the X4 from Hereford to Ebbw Vale, then train it back via Cardiff. That could be a not-at-all-cheap bash though!

 

[PHILIPE]

I'll have to pop down there in the spring then if Ebbw Vale itself will finally get the line extended into it. Might even make it a bit of a circular trip as I can get the X4 from Hereford to Ebbw Vale, then train it back via Cardiff. That could be a not-at-all-cheap bash though!

You'll have a good walk from the bus to the station which is called Ebbw Vale PARKWAY. Should be extended to the town in the near future. There was a shuttle bus when the line first re-opened to Passenger trains but this was subsequently withdrawn due to lack of patronage. All the locals drove to the Park and Ride Car Park.

 

[Starmill]

You'll have a good walk from the bus to the station which is called Ebbw Vale PARKWAY. Should be extended to the town in the near future. There was a shuttle bus when the line first re-opened to Passenger trains but this was subsequently withdrawn due to lack of patronage. All the locals drove to the Park and Ride Car Park.

How full does the car park get? It doesn't look that big on the satellite images. I've done the Ebbw Valley line but of course I've never been to the town. What's it like? Shops and cafés etc? The railway actually serving it will hopefully help out a bit.

 

[Techniquest]

Oh I know, I'm not doing said trip until the extension is opened!

Been through Ebbw Vale in 2005 on a trip from Hereford to Merthyr on the X4, looks like a reasonably sized town but well over 9 years since the trip means I fail to remember much as we passed through on the coach (Volvo B10M coach I think it was, Stagecoach's 52495 if that helps!), no doubt it's changed a lot since then. I mean, Swansea's Kingsway sure has and not for the better whatsoever. If a major Welsh city can see enormous changes I'm sure a relatively minor Welsh town will be no better!

 

[edwin_m]

They could have used one Greek letter instead. I'm hoping the first year usage is 3.142 thousand.

But a circle doesn't have any corners!

 

[quarella]

View attachment Scan0021.pdf

TIGER Ebbw Valley Railway Public Exhibition. TIGER is Transport Integration in the Gwent Economic Region. (How much time and money was spent coming up with that acronym.

Pye Corner is shown as a Future Phase with no time frame. An hourly service to Newport was estimated to start in 2009.

 

[headshot119]

Well I'm sat waiting for departure at Cardiff Central, first stop Pye Corner. I'll pop some photos up later.

 

[krus_aragon]

With reference to the Welsh name, Radio Cymru simply referred the newly opened station as "Pye Corner yn ardal Basaleg" (in the Bassaleg area).

 

[PHILIPE]

There are quite a few place names in Wales that have no Welsh equivalent to the English.

 

[headshot119]

I've posted a little trip report on another section of the forum, it contains some photos of the new station.

 

[davetheguard]

Thanks a lot for taking the trouble to write up the report and submit the photos Headshot119!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There are quite a few place names in Wales that have no Welsh equivalent to the English.

Sugar Loaf being my favourite example (named after a nearby hill)...

 

[northwichcat]

There are quite a few place names in Wales that have no Welsh equivalent to the English.

Yet there are English towns which have Welsh equivalents and not just the cities and border towns, Northwich has one as well.

 

[causton]

"Pye Corner tickets.

It has been reported that the full range of fares for Pye Corner have not been uploaded to Avantix machines. Excluding journeys Pye Corner - Rogerstone/Crosskeys the fares appear to the same as Rogerstone.
Also tickets purchased from the TVM (cash only at present) will be dated 10 days in advance. For example a ticket purchased on 14 Dec 2014 will show the date of 24 Dec 2014. When the connection to the BT network is made the correct date should be shown."

Good start to the ticketing side of things, at least

 

[PHILIPE]

Rode from Pye Corner to Cardiff and back at 13 02 and worked by 150251 and 143622 so that there was no Conductor in the 150 for ticketing purposes as he was riding in the 143 and, of course, no through access. The platforms will accommodate 6 Cars as confirmed by the Stop boards. One thing I was disappointed with was the fact that Disabled Car Park spaces were located further away from the platform entrance than many other spaces. Automated tannoy announcements but only the train announced and none of the waffle and nanny state announcements.

 

[headshot119]

"Pye Corner tickets.

It has been reported that the full range of fares for Pye Corner have not been uploaded to Avantix machines. Excluding journeys Pye Corner - Rogerstone/Crosskeys the fares appear to the same as Rogerstone.
Also tickets purchased from the TVM (cash only at present) will be dated 10 days in advance. For example a ticket purchased on 14 Dec 2014 will show the date of 24 Dec 2014. When the connection to the BT network is made the correct date should be shown."

Good start to the ticketing side of things, at least

The TVM was put out of service this morning because of these issues after I pointed them out to staff on the platform.

 

[Copeland]

Pye Corner station has now opened. See clip below.
The day didn’t run entirely smoothly as the ticket machine was not working correctly. It was showing incorrect date and only giving out singles, so they closed it down. Didn’t travel up to Ebbw Vale, but they were giving out free return tickets to Cardiff for the day! Plenty of ATW bods there so had an interesting conversation with a manager, who said that online return fare from Pye Corner has now been corrected from £3.00! to £6.70, the same as Rogerstone. He also said that planned works are; a second platform with the relaying of double track here for an extra passing loop (the original line has been recently lifted), installation of a second platform at Llanhilleth and laying of the planned double section north of Cross Keys. Incidentally, platform at Pye Corner is 6 car length, others on the line being 4 car. It seems they are now lengthening platforms due to the high passenger loading on the trains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF0Q0LNAW_8

 

[Starmill]

Pye Corner station has now opened. See clip below.
The day didn’t run entirely smoothly as the ticket machine was not working correctly. It was showing incorrect date and only giving out singles, so they closed it down. Didn’t travel up to Ebbw Vale, but they were giving out free return tickets to Cardiff for the day! Plenty of ATW bods there so had an interesting conversation with a manager, who said that online return fare from Pye Corner has now been corrected from £3.00! to £6.70, the same as Rogerstone. He also said that planned works are; a second platform with the relaying of double track here for an extra passing loop (the original line has been recently lifted), installation of a second platform at Llanhilleth and laying of the planned double section north of Cross Keys. Incidentally, platform at Pye Corner is 6 car length, others on the line being 4 car. It seems they are now lengthening platforms due to the high passenger loading on the trains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF0Q0LNAW_8

Sounds like this could go in the Unexpectedly Met Forum Members' thread

 

[headshot119]

Sounds like this could go in the Unexpectedly Met Forum Members' thread

I'm in that video as well