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As far as I'm aware they never once said it would be a big switch over all at once. And complaining to the twitter support staff just makes you look like a prat to be perfectly honest.
They have already had the 756s out running on the valley lines and will continue to introduce them at a reasonable rate. Id much rather them run the 150s then have loads of cancellations because of teething problems.
In fact I seem to recall someone saying they wouldn't be on the treherbert lines until the new year.
They first entered passenger service on 15 November with 2 out on the Merthyr to Aberdare via Cardiff route. Now 15 December and still no more than 2 in service. Very disappointing.
As far as I'm aware they never once said it would be a big switch over all at once. And complaining to the twitter support staff just makes you look like a prat to be perfectly honest.
They have already had the 756s out running on the valley lines and will continue to introduce them at a reasonable rate. Id much rather them run the 150s then have loads of cancellations because of teething problems.
In fact I seem to recall someone saying they wouldn't be on the treherbert lines until the new year.
The challenge comes that elsewhere, the Mk4 shortage this week has been explained as getting ready for the 5th diagram that comes with the new timetable. That seemed daft because the new timetable is an arbitrary date. Stock available to run should run and new units should be introduced as quickly as safely possible.
Statements about timetable dates do not help, but neither does holding stock back because of timetable dates.
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There'll likely be a couple of sets out and about on Friday but in reality there's a big push to ensure everything is in place for the full 5 diagram roll out from Monday that has almost seen this week written off.
This is from the Mk4 Trip Planning and Reports section.
Operating should be about putting out the best service possible. Achieve that and the marketing can follow. If a statement about new stock is needed then it should just be "we are introducing new trains..." and nothing more commital.
Not until May 2025, unfortunately. There were news stories and posts on this thread a while back because the unions had agreed to it, but part of the agreement was not to start before May 2025.
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Update (Tuesday 17th Dec) there are 3x756s out today
Not until May 2025, unfortunately. There were news stories and posts on this thread a while back because the unions had agreed to it, but part of the agreement was not to start before May 2025.
There's still no New Year's Day service on the Valley lines this year either.
Cardiff - Barry gets 2tph, with 1tph onto Bridgend and 1tph to Barry Island, but that's it.
Nothing else anywhere on the Cardiff local & Valleys lines. Of course this could be due to engineering works, but if it was, TfW would be providing a replacement bus service, which they are not.
I'm pretty sure when TfW took over they wanted to end the anomaly of the Valley lines not having any NYD services...........
If they are doing engineering work on NYD, it would be somewhat odd to introduce a service for the first time using a replacement bus service. Better to wait until the engineering work in connection with the modernisation is complete and then introduce it.
Besides, they may have found no local bus companies able to provide an adequate number of vehicles on a day when many drivers will be reluctant to commit to for obvious reasons.
As far as I'm aware they never once said it would be a big switch over all at once. And complaining to the twitter support staff just makes you look like a prat to be perfectly honest.
They have already had the 756s out running on the valley lines and will continue to introduce them at a reasonable rate. Id much rather them run the 150s then have loads of cancellations because of teething problems.
In fact I seem to recall someone saying they wouldn't be on the treherbert lines until the new year.
I had TfW literature through my front door earlier this year claiming that they would be phasing out the 150s this year on Valley lines...
EDIT: I should clarify I'm on the Treherbert train, they did not claim in any literature that the 756's wouldn't be on this line until the new year -- this is completely false and re-writing history
I went out this morning for a look at progress on some of the infastructure projects around Cardiff.
Coryton branch line
I wanted to see if there was any evidence of the electrification having been completed. It was supposed to have gone live during the blockade in October but a few press reports have come out which talk about electrification being completed in February. My suspicion was that there was some confusion on the part of the journalists between "electrification completed" and "electric trains in service", but I didn't have any evidence for this! So I went over to Coryton and as was on the lookout for any indications that it might not be completed and live - like temporary earthing straps attached to the overhead line or construction materials waiting at the lineside. I'm pleased to say that I found nothing suspicious - the work appears to be completed, with all the construction compounds taken down and no evidence of any outstanding works. So my assumption is that everything is completed and live.
I started at Coryton station (having walked from Radyr):
I then took a train to Heath Low Level. En route, I noticed that there's a large area of hardstanding between Birchgrove and Ty Glas that appears to have been used as a construction compound.
In the first picture, the wire rising from the conductor wire (in front of the bridge) goes to a surge arrestor on the cantilever above - it's not an earthing strap.
Heath High Level:
I walked across the road to Heath High Level to get a train back to Queen St. Here the overhead line also appears to be complete and live.
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Cardiff Bay branch line
At Butetown station, there's clear evidence of the construction work for the second platform. The site has been cleared and there's an access track allowing machinery to be driven alongside the railway. Some sheet piling has been done, with heaps of sheet pile lying to one side waiting to be installed. I also saw several circular pile caps which will eventually be for overhead line masts.
Cleared site
Sheet pile installed
Sheet pile awaiting isntallation
Access track
A little new trackwork - I think that the track further from the camera has been laid to provide a position reference for the other works. This is just on the approach to Cardiff Bay, so it's likely that pointwork will be installed somewhere here to allow trams to access both platforms.
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Here's the current state of the first platform at Butetown:
The main construction work has been casting concrete steps and ramps at both ends of the platform.
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At Cardiff Bay there's also been a certain amount of concrete casting going on for the last few weeks. In particular, steps and a ramp have been built at the corner of Hemingway Road and Lloyd George Avenue to provide a broad exit from the station towards the Millennium Centre. Some of the solid compound fence has been taken down and replaced with mesh fencing so we can see into the site a lot better now.
It looks like passengers will go down the steps or ramp to track level, walk across what will eventually be the track heading onwards to Pierhead Street, and then climb back up again to platform height. This is definitely a tramway-style station.
On the existing platform, a peek through into the construction site:
Note the very broad steps down from the platform, designed to handle a large crowd. It looks like there will be quite a lot of circulating space provided - presumably so that during major events there's enough space to marshal a crowd and perhaps even put up temporary queuing areas as is done at Central on event days.
The ticket machine visible was powered up and working - presumably it was moved so as to be ready for the platform changeover, but then that was postponed.
Here's a view across (taken from the train window) into the new platform area. There are still various foundation structures visible that are waiting for something to be fitted on top of them.
Finally, the tramway-style foot crossing at the north end of the station - this will eventually let passengers out into Lloyd George Avenue.
Heath High Level:
I walked across the road to Heath High Level to get a train back to Queen St. Here the overhead line also appears to be complete and live.
Not really, no. With no trains on the line, no current will be flowing, and so no power is consumed. It’s the same as if you switch everything off in your house and go out - there’s still electricity supplied to your house but your meter won’t record any power consumption as no power is being used.
Not really, no. With no trains on the line, no current will be flowing, and so no power is consumed. It’s the same as if you switch everything off in your house and go out - there’s still electricity supplied to your house but your meter won’t record any power consumption as no power is being used.
Coryton branch line
I wanted to see if there was any evidence of the electrification having been completed. It was supposed to have gone live during the blockade in October but a few press reports have come out which talk about electrification being completed in February. My suspicion was that there was some confusion on the part of the journalists between "electrification completed" and "electric trains in service", but I didn't have any evidence for this! So I went over to Coryton and as was on the lookout for any indications that it might not be completed and live - like temporary earthing straps attached to the overhead line or construction materials waiting at the lineside. I'm pleased to say that I found nothing suspicious - the work appears to be completed, with all the construction compounds taken down and no evidence of any outstanding works. So my assumption is that everything is completed and live.
When the power went on through Radyr there were posters all around announcing the date that the wires would be energised on. This didn't happen on the Coryton Line during the October closure.
I would have thought that if energised later on there would have been at short closure while they turned on the power and looked for flying sparks, so to speak, and I don't think there's been one (other than the usual lack of trains on Sundays) since.
It would presumably only take one bit of incomplete work and not necessarily in a visible way to prevent the power from being turned on.
E.g. everything metal within a certain distance of the wires has to be earthed. It would be hard to see if any of this work hadn't been completed.
Or one overbridge hasn't had the parapets extended yet.
Or even something that is complete but someone's found it doesn't meet the regulations and will need changing.
I then took a train to Heath Low Level. En route, I noticed that there's a large area of hardstanding between Birchgrove and Ty Glas that appears to have been used as a construction compound.
Sunday 22 December - no Class 756 electric trains out in service today. TFW really are dragging their feet getting these trains into service on the central valley lines.
Sunday 22 December - no Class 756 electric trains out in service today. TFW really are dragging their feet getting these trains into service on the central valley lines.
Even allowing for the passengers doors not being at the ends of a 756, I don't think one would fit in Ty Glas.
So presumably it needs one of:
- A platform extension
- SDO
- Missing out Ty Glas (which I suspect wouldn't be very popular although Ty Glas and Birchgrove must be a strong ontender for shortest distance between stations on the UK network).
Even allowing for the passengers doors not being at the ends of a 756, I don't think one would fit in Ty Glas.
So presumably it needs one of:
- A platform extension
- SDO
- Missing out Ty Glas (which I suspect wouldn't be very popular although Ty Glas and Birchgrove must be a strong ontender for shortest distance between stations on the UK network).
Ty Glas to Birchgrove is the shortest distance between two stations on the same line. If you're interested the longest is between Lockerbie and Kirknewton, although you can't get a train between those two.
When the power went on through Radyr there were posters all around announcing the date that the wires would be energised on. This didn't happen on the Coryton Line during the October closure.
I would have thought that if energised later on there would have been at short closure while they turned on the power and looked for flying sparks, so to speak, and I don't think there's been one (other than the usual lack of trains on Sundays) since.
It would presumably only take one bit of incomplete work and not necessarily in a visible way to prevent the power from being turned on.
E.g. everything metal within a certain distance of the wires has to be earthed. It would be hard to see if any of this work hadn't been completed.
Or one overbridge hasn't had the parapets extended yet.
Or even something that is complete but someone's found it doesn't meet the regulations and will need changing.
I agree with you that the lack of a publicity campaign on live wires is suspicious. On the other hand, I'm 90% sure that if there was some technical or regulatory reason why the overhead line couldn't be energised for safety reasons, there would be earthing clamps left on it so that in the event that someone did energise the line by mistake the line would immediately short out and trip the circuit breakers, cutting off the supply. There is a possibility that as the whole system is fed from one feed point just south of Heath Junction that a single earth clamp installed there is sufficient, but given that the rail industry tends to be very cautious about electrical safety (with good reason, nobody wants to see their colleagues get hit by a 25kV shock) then I'd expect to see multiple clamps installed. TfW have also had multiple incidents of cable theft earlier in the project so they'll definitely be anxious to avoid leaving brand-new copper cable hanging in the air ready to be cut down.
So presumably it needs one of:
- A platform extension
- SDO
- Missing out Ty Glas (which I suspect wouldn't be very popular although Ty Glas and Birchgrove must be a strong ontender for shortest distance between stations on the UK network).
My money is on SDO. The 756s have Automatic SDO equipment installed (see this brochure from the equipment manufacturer), so that would make the most sense. Is SDO in use at present on the Merthyr/Aberdare routes? If not, I suspect that the need to provide some testing of the ASDO and training on it to the crews (and limited general "training bandwidth" as there are only so many train crew you can roster for training at once) is another thing holding the 756 rollout back.
On the other hand, I'm 90% sure that if there was some technical or regulatory reason why the overhead line couldn't be energised for safety reasons, there would be earthing clamps left on it so that in the event that someone did energise the line by mistake the line would immediately short out and trip the circuit breakers, cutting off the supply. There is a possibility that as the whole system is fed from one feed point just south of Heath Junction that a single earth clamp installed there is sufficient, but given that the rail industry tends to be very cautious about electrical safety (with good reason, nobody wants to see their colleagues get hit by a 25kV shock) then I'd expect to see multiple clamps installed. TfW have also had multiple incidents of cable theft earlier in the project so they'll definitely be anxious to avoid leaving brand-new copper cable hanging in the air ready to be cut down.
But I've just been told that at least as of a few days ago one of the overbridges hasn't had its parapets extended yet. So maybe not? I don't think it's over an earthed bit.
TfW seem to have a new consultation out for their journey planning tool concept. https://haveyoursay.tfw.wales/journeyplanningtool I imagine this will play a big role in their metro plans with the interchange of buses and trains.
We're creating a new journey planning tool to help the people of Wales and the borders travel seamlessly. Whether that's walking/wheeling, cycling, by train or bus or by car, we want to create a tool that caters for your favourite way to travel.
We're looking to bring together all your current travel options into one place to make your journey planning easier - whether that's for work or fun.
This will be your planning tool so we need to know what's important to you
We want your help to build a journey planning tool that meets your needs.
And as it turns out he verified that personally a few days ago.
Maybe such things are a nice to have rather than a necessity, or perhaps it's on a permanently earthed bit (though if so that would seem to leave Coryton unpowered, and while turnrounds are short I would have thought it nice to be able to charge batteries at the end of the line).
But also if it was on October 21st it was done without all the placards warning that the wires were going live that were used on the lines through Radyr.
There are three Class 756s out again today (in passenger service - two more on testing or training runs as well). Is this the first time they have run in service on a weekend?
There are three Class 756s out again today (in passenger service - two more on testing or training runs as well). Is this the first time they have run in service on a weekend?
A good article from Mark Barry in WalesOnline, pushing for phase 2 of the Cardiff Crossrail project, including frequency enhancements to the Coryton & City lines, as well as linking Phase 1 to the main lines at Cardiff Central.
There are three Class 756s out again today (in passenger service - two more on testing or training runs as well). Is this the first time they have run in service on a weekend?
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