Transport for Wales introduces improved Cardiff-Holyhead rail service

https://www.railtechnologymagazine.c...rdiff-holyhead

Nice to see ,should be a very nice trip

They'd be hard-pushed to make it any worse....

You still have to go into England.

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Originally Posted by tforturton

They'd be hard-pushed to make it any worse....

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Indeed it can only improve surely. Wow, five coaches too, unbelievable luxury - no more standing!

the article says it went from Holyhead to Cardiff in 2.5 hours? that's surely not right, unless the new train is high speed rail

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Originally Posted by Rjk

the article says it went from Holyhead to Cardiff in 2.5 hours? that's surely not right, unless the new train is high speed rail

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That's what I was thinking, the "old" service takes four and a half hours plus.

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Originally Posted by Rjk

the article says it went from Holyhead to Cardiff in 2.5 hours? that's surely not right, unless the new train is high speed rail

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The quickest currently showing is 4.5 hrs. 2.5 hours would be pushing it, non stop.

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Originally Posted by IanD

The quickest currently showing is 4.5 hrs. 2.5 hours would be pushing it, non stop.

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2.5 hrs just plain wrong. 4.5 he journey at best.

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Originally Posted by IanD

The quickest currently showing is 4.5 hrs. 2.5 hours would be pushing it, non stop.

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2.5 hrs just plain wrong. 4.5 hr journey at best.

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Originally Posted by Former Labour leader

2.5 hrs just plain wrong. 4.5 hr journey at best.

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4.5 hrs with limited stops. 2.5 hours must be a typo.

https://nation.cymru/news/faster-to-...ort-for-wales/

However long it is better than the drive up and back lol

This is actually a bit of a con. The train in the picture is just a slightly re-vamped one that has been running for years - there has been a Diesel Loco and Coaches train from Holyhead ( early am ) to Cardiff and Return ( normally 6pm ) for ages. The same locos are being used, the coaches are a bit newer - but not any newer I think that the ones GWR run with 45 year old HSTs between Cardiff and Taunton everyday. The service was only stopped because of covid that allowed TfW to spruce up the stock.

The new services from Swansea to Manchester will be an improvment - but they are not coming until December 2022 which is 18 months away - and thats a long time ( remember electrification was going to go all the way to Swansea but then got stopped ).

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Originally Posted by Toadstool

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( remember electrification was going to go all the way to Swansea but then got stopped ).

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I didn't find that shocking

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Originally Posted by life on mars

However long it is better than the drive up and back lol

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Haha so true. Done it a few times visiting relatives it's a trek whichever route.

Lovely scenery if you go through mid Wales but its not the most chill drive. Had the sat nav on as well and watching those minutes tick down isn't good. Felt like I'd been driving hours and it still said 3 and a half hours left.

Will probably cost about £100 return

Rail fares in this country are criminal

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Originally Posted by xsnaggle

You still have to go into England.

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Why is that an issue for a small percentage of complete morons though?

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Originally Posted by Toadstool

This is actually a bit of a con. The train in the picture is just a slightly re-vamped one that has been running for years - there has been a Diesel Loco and Coaches train from Holyhead ( early am ) to Cardiff and Return ( normally 6pm ) for ages. The same locos are being used, the coaches are a bit newer - but not any newer I think that the ones GWR run with 45 year old HSTs between Cardiff and Taunton everyday. The service was only stopped because of covid that allowed TfW to spruce up the stock.

The new services from Swansea to Manchester will be an improvment - but they are not coming until December 2022 which is 18 months away - and thats a long time ( remember electrification was going to go all the way to Swansea but then got stopped ).

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I think the tfw carriages are mk4's, which are a good few years younger than the hst's. As for the hst's, they may be old but they are still comfortable and with 4 carriages they go like shit off a shovel

Need to see carmarthen to aberystwyth and pwllheli to Bangor lines reopen to make a wales circle line

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Originally Posted by Rhiwbina Blues

Need to see carmarthen to aberystwyth and pwllheli to Bangor lines reopen to make a wales circle line

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It'd be nice to have a line again to Brecon / Hay as well.

There's a freight line from Swansea to almost Glynneath and one from Aberdare to Hirwaun. Reopen the old track inbetween and you could maybe have trains from Aberdare and Merthyr to Cardiff and Swansea, which would have to help the area. potentially extend to linkup the heads of the valleys too.

A proper rail link into the airport terminal building - with a check in desk at Cardiff central where you can leave your bags.

Open a station to get to the St Fagans park for those who don't want to drive - and have a old style station which you could connect to a steam train that does loops of the park.

Here ends my party political broadcast

Out if interest, does anyone know if the Coryton to Radyr line has finally been upgraded to 4 carriages? Last I heard they were due to come into service in April but may have been delayed due to Covid.

I don’t think the City line is due to be more than 2.

Again the TFW story for the valleys lines is strange - the brought in trains that had to be refitted to work on the Rhymney Line, but they are so unreliable that have to have a Diesel engine permanently stationed at Cardiff and Rhymney ( which they have to pay for ) in case one of the trains breaks down.

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Originally Posted by chrisp_1927

I think the tfw carriages are mk4's, which are a good few years younger than the hst's. As for the hst's, they may be old but they are still comfortable and with 4 carriages they go like shit off a shovel

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The original hst coaches are mk3s but have been significantly upgraded with the removal of slam doors and introduction of sliders - but I take your point.

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Originally Posted by IanD

Out if interest, does anyone know if the Coryton to Radyr line has finally been upgraded to 4 carriages? Last I heard they were due to come into service in April but may have been delayed due to Covid.

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Platforms are currently not long enough for 4 carriages

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Originally Posted by Its been emotional

Platforms are currently not long enough for 4 carriages

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They were due to be extended, I believe. Part of the upgrade.

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Originally Posted by Toadstool

The original hst coaches are mk3s but have been significantly upgraded with the removal of slam doors and introduction of sliders - but I take your point.

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I think they're still classed as mk3, not positive mind. Either way, I bloody love em. Pleasure to work and the passengers like them aswell. I wish the iets were more like them

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Originally Posted by Rjk

the article says it went from Holyhead to Cardiff in 2.5 hours? that's surely not right, unless the new train is high speed rail

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The Hovver-train is coming!

There’s going to be a new rail station at Ely Paper Mills site but still nothing that I can see about East Cardiff although Plasdwr got a mention

From someone ITK:
"City Line*gets brand new tram-trains [Class 398]. *They are being built by Stadler in Valencia as 3 car trains and are expected in service late 2022 or early 2023. * They will run twice an hour, although extras can be expected whenever people have a burning desire to*get to Ninian Park. *It is being marketed as South Wales Metro, so frequency enhancement is more attractive than longer trains."

Why would anyone want to get to Holyhead quicker? More Assembly bollocks

https://www.wales247.co.uk/plans-rev...h-west-cardiff

I won't believe any of these "plans2 until it physically takes shape.

We've had a train station "planned" for St Mellons for thirty years!

This is what pissed me off about the Burns report on the M$ and the speed restrictions.
The Welsh Government leapt on the speed camera part but none of the rest.
The report said that 60% of the traffic using the Brynglas tunnels was people commuting between Newoprt and Cardiff. That astounds me. Over the last 4 years I've made that trip many time and rarely went anywhere near the tunnels. But they said in order to reduce that they needed to having a practical and fully integrated public transport system, and put speed restrictions on as part of that to ease flow.
This included the rail stations from Bristol to Cardiff which took in the east of the city. But as they were trying to get people who come from Chepstow and the Bristol area on board (Sorry about the pun) it would seem reasonable that once all these people arrive in Cardiff that they have an efficient transport system to take them to the place the actually want to go, which we all know is non-existent.
The Burns report said all these things should be dealt with but as we see they put the speed restrictions in within weeks but have done nothing else. The buses that do run in Cardiff are now even worse than they were before the pandemic, but they don't care.

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Originally Posted by xsnaggle

This is what pissed me off about the Burns report on the M$ and the speed restrictions.
The Welsh Government leapt on the speed camera part but none of the rest.
The report said that 60% of the traffic using the Brynglas tunnels was people commuting between Newoprt and Cardiff. That astounds me. Over the last 4 years I've made that trip many time and rarely went anywhere near the tunnels. But they said in order to reduce that they needed to having a practical and fully integrated public transport system, and put speed restrictions on as part of that to ease flow.
This included the rail stations from Bristol to Cardiff which took in the east of the city. But as they were trying to get people who come from Chepstow and the Bristol area on board (Sorry about the pun) it would seem reasonable that once all these people arrive in Cardiff that they have an efficient transport system to take them to the place the actually want to go, which we all know is non-existent.
The Burns report said all these things should be dealt with but as we see they put the speed restrictions in within weeks but have done nothing else. The buses that do run in Cardiff are now even worse than they were before the pandemic, but they don't care.

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I think just maybe it is easier and quicker to put a 50mph limit on the M4 than deliver an integrated public transport network encompassing most of South Wales.
Clearly they would like to do the latter

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Originally Posted by Rjk

I think just maybe it is easier and quicker to put a 50mph limit on the M4 than deliver an integrated public transport network encompassing most of South Wales.
Clearly they would like to do the latter

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Of course its easier and they make money from it but it does nothing to solve the problem that it was supposed to be just a small part of the solution to.
The actual speed limit doesn't bother me it is just the attitude of hammer the motorist first and think about everything else later. As bobh said, still no mention of a rail service from/to the east of the city. And anyone coming into Cardiff by rail has a real problem going to where they want to be in good time. Not that that matters because they haven't upgraded the service from Bristol as the report mentioned either, so no one will be benefitting from that either

The issue with the main line is it hasn't been devolved and it may never be devolved because Westminster would need to admit to years of underinvestment in rail in wales.

At least the metro is coming along, maybe not as quickly as hoped but improvements are on the way.

It'll be interesting to see the Metro v the Westminster track performance/infrastructure once it's up and running, it could very well show how under funded the rest of the train system in Wales really is.

I hope the Welsh Gov pull it off, it sounds an excellent system if it reaches its potential.