South Wales 'Metro' updates

[Nicholas Lewis]

Apologies if it has already been linked, but there's a new BBC Wales documentary "How to Fix a Railway" on the Metro upgrades. It's available on iPlayer here:

BBC One - How to Fix a Railway

Going behind the scenes with Wales’s newest rail body.

www.bbc.co.uk

Thanks for posting not sure its been shown on BBC nationally so maybe initially a regional programme.

 

[Envoy]

Thanks for posting not sure its been shown on BBC nationally so maybe initially a regional programme.

If you have Freesat it is CH 976 or Sky CH 978 UK wide but 101 in Wales. Also on i-player.

 

[Markdvdman]

Hmm watched it on the Iplayer. Was a bit of too much of covid stuff really, more veg rather than meat!!! However, sayng the end point is now 2025 rather than what they told us as 2024 is not a good sign! There are issues with Treherbert that could be the reason for that I guess but those of us in the so called core valley lines have another 2 years of frustration it seems. The worst is the Pontypridd to Cardiff bus replacements whereby they cut the half hourly rail service to hourly. Still, will be nice when it is all done so they can then work on the rest of Wales who deserve it too!!

 

[DaveHarries]

[.....] There are issues with Treherbert that could be the reason for that I guess [.....]

What are the issues with Treherbert? IIRC the plan was abolition, at some point, of the current method of working the line by NSKT (?) in favour of conventional signalling as well as some more double-tracking and some new / extended platforms.

Dave

 

[Markdvdman]

What are the issues with Treherbert? IIRC the plan was abolition, at some point, of the current method of working the line by NSKT (?) in favour of conventional signalling as well as some more double-tracking and some new / extended platforms. Dave

I believe there are issues with gas pipes. That is what somebody heard from a mate who is in the know. Allegedly. I hope they are wrong and everything will be ready by next year......

 

[Hwnt52]

Two pictures from Quakers Yard today. All work is due to be completed in May and the station fully opened. The Merthyr line is closed for the coming week.

 

[Markdvdman]

Coming 2 weeks you mean. Will be good as that passing loop will be a great help due to the cancellations recently!

 

[adrock1976]

Two pictures from Quakers Yard today. All work is due to be completed in May and the station fully opened. The Merthyr line is closed for the coming week.

SNIPPED IMAGES

Are the platform heights standard height or are they lower for tram trains?

 

[edwin_m]

Are the platform heights standard height or are they lower for tram trains?

Standard height. The tram-trains have higher floors than the Rotherham ones.

 

[snowball]

I too thought that the platforms look low in the photos.

 

[adrock1976]

Standard height. The tram-trains have higher floors than the Rotherham ones.

I too thought that the platforms look low in the photos.

Many thanks for the clarification.

The reason I asked was that the platforms in the photos appeared to be low.

 

[Hwnt52]

Two more photos of the Merthyr Line works, taken from the Abercanaid overbridge just north of Pentre-bach in typical valleys weather. The first is looking north towards Merthyr with the class 66 in the distance) and the second is looking south towards Pentre-bach station. Rebuilding the long double track section here has required four works trains from Westbury for each of the last three days.

 

[Meerkat]

I guess it’s just an illusion but those gantries look really high.

 

[John R]

I guess it’s just an illusion but those gantries look really high.

Amazing how other countries seem to be able to produce lightweight elegant gantries for high speed main line railways, but here we have heavy ugly things for relatively low speed trams.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I guess it’s just an illusion but those gantries look really high.

They also don't seem long enough to reach across the only track in the photo !. Or will there be an add on bit of reach with the normal tubular arms.

 

[CapitalStar378]

I too thought that the platforms look low in the photos.

They are just lower by the platform surface height by the look of it.

 

[WelshBluebird]

They've finally made official what the local rumours have been saying for a while - the Treherbert line needs a long term closure for the works. Current plan is rail replacement buses from the end of April this year until year next year. All I can say is that I bloody hope it is better organised than the current replacement buses have been. Because if not, every potential passenger will be pushed away from the railways by the time it reopens!

Link for the source of the news - https://news.tfw.wales/news/a-century-of-history-to-be-transformed-on-the-treherbert-line, with the relevant quote added:

The sheer scale of work needed on the on the Treherbert Line will mean the route between Pontypridd and Treherbert will be closed from 30 April 2023 until early 2024. No train services will operate during this time.

Why they couldn't have come out and said this months ago I have no idea given a closure of this length must have been in the planning for ages.

 

[Western 52]

I also wonder if the works taking place on the Taff Vale lines would prevent any future freight operating? Potential for freight is low at the moment but with the greener agenda who knows what opportunities may present themselves.

 

[Meerkat]

They've finally made official what the local rumours have been saying for a while - the Treherbert line needs a long term closure for the works. Current plan is rail replacement buses from the end of April this year until year next year. All I can say is that I bloody hope it is better organised than the current replacement buses have been. Because if not, every potential passenger will be pushed away from the railways by the time it reopens!

Link for the source of the news - https://news.tfw.wales/news/a-century-of-history-to-be-transformed-on-the-treherbert-line, with the relevant quote added:


Why they couldn't have come out and said this months ago I have no idea given a closure of this length must have been in the planning for ages.

Are they so incompetent they have only just realised this or have they just been hiding it since the plan was developed?

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

Are they so incompetent they have only just realised this or have they just been hiding it since the plan was developed?

There is another alternative namely that the work on the Aberdare and Merthyr lies has proved to be more complex and time-consuming than TFW expected and that to deliver the whole project within a reasonable timescale they decided to use the nuclear option.

I have no idea if this is the case but it is a possible explanation given that it would be virtually impossible to start the tram train services to Merthyr and Aberdare while still running DMUs up the Rhondda valley.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Wow...nearly a year...hope people remember there is a railway there when its finished!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Mar 2023 ==

I also wonder if the works taking place on the Taff Vale lines would prevent any future freight operating? Potential for freight is low at the moment but with the greener agenda who knows what opportunities may present themselves.

Probably would be fine between Pontypridd and Cardiff for extra freight lines but further up the valleys space would be a problem in some areas. A lot of the land once used for freight lines has been redeveloped/sold off etc.

 

[Dr Day]

Probably would be fine between Pontypridd and Cardiff for extra freight lines

Are you thinking about building new tracks just for freight or capacity for freight trains on the existing tracks? Either would appear pretty tricky between Pontypridd and Cardiff with the proximity of the track to the surrounding built up area (certainly at the Cardiff end) and 12-18 passenger trains per hour depending on the track section. The tram-trains will be presumably have to be compatible with Cwmbargoed freight as they share tracks through Queen Street.

 

[anthony263]

Are you thinking about building new tracks just for freight or capacity for freight trains on the existing tracks? Either would appear pretty tricky between Pontypridd and Cardiff with the proximity of the track to the surrounding built up area (certainly at the Cardiff end) and 12-18 passenger trains per hour depending on the track section. The tram-trains will be presumably have to be compatible with Cwmbargoed freight as they share tracks through Queen Street.

Some going via the cityline don't forget

 

[hilly]

Presumably any freight will run late night / early morning

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

I'm curious as to what freight people think might be carried on the Merthyr / Treherber / Aberdare lines. Ffos y Fran mine has applied for a short extention before closure but I think I'm right in saying that their coal is shipped via the Taff Bargoed and Rhymney Valley lines neither of which will see any Tram-Trains.

What else might there be?

 

[Tumbleweed]

Are you thinking about building new tracks just for freight or capacity for freight trains on the existing tracks? Either would appear pretty tricky between Pontypridd and Cardiff with the proximity of the track to the surrounding built up area (certainly at the Cardiff end) and 12-18 passenger trains per hour depending on the track section. The tram-trains will be presumably have to be compatible with Cwmbargoed freight as they share tracks through Queen Street.

Obviously it there would need to be freight loops at least.

 

[Com166]

Wow...nearly a year...hope people remember there is a railway there when its finished!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Mar 2023 ==


Probably would be fine between Pontypridd and Cardiff for extra freight lines but further up the valleys space would be a problem in some areas. A lot of the land once used for freight lines has been redeveloped/sold off etc.

Some years ago when Radyr signalling was done the 2 tracks were slewed to use the whole track bed and increase line speed between Radyr and Treforest

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

South Wales Metro reaches new milestone with arrival of first new tram-train​

https://nation.cymru/news/south-wal...lestone-with-arrival-of-first-new-tram-train/

The South Wales Metro project has reached another milestone with the arrival of the first brand new tram-train to Transport for Wales’ (TfW) new depot in Taff’s Well.

The Class 398 tram-train was delivered by road to the new Taff’s Well depot overnight on 21 March.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Some years ago when Radyr signalling was done the 2 tracks were slewed to use the whole track bed and increase line speed between Radyr and Treforest

Yes I remember - that was nearly 30 years ago!

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Yes I remember - that was nearly 30 years ago!

From what I remember it was around 1998.