Gaer Junction to Park Junction in Newport (South Wales)

[Dai Corner]

Somebody asked about Newport-Crosskeys services in the South Wales Metro thread but their and my posts were deleted by mods as they were deemed off topic. I thought I'd start this thread in case anybody is interested in discussing services over this mile or two of line.

The aspiration is to run trains from Newport to Ebbw Vale but the existing infrastructure and signalling only permit a Newport-Crosskeys shuttle and it's not possible to provide good connections into/out of Cardiff-Ebbw Vale trains in both directions. Work is ongoing to resignal and partially redouble the branch and once this is completed half hourly services between both Newport and Cardiff and Ebbw Vale will be possible.

 

[Freightmaster]

Work is ongoing to resignal and partially redouble the branch...

Is there an expected date for that work to be commissioned - this Christmas perhaps?




MARK

 

[Brissle Girl]

Somebody asked about Newport-Crosskeys services in the South Wales Metro thread but their and my posts were deleted by mods as they were deemed off topic. I thought I'd start this thread in case anybody is interested in discussing services over this mile or two of line.

The aspiration is to run trains from Newport to Ebbw Vale but the existing infrastructure and signalling only permit a Newport-Crosskeys shuttle and it's not possible to provide good connections into/out of Cardiff-Ebbw Vale trains in both directions. Work is ongoing to resignal and partially redouble the branch and once this is completed half hourly services between both Newport and Cardiff and Ebbw Vale will be possible.

Is that the case? I thought the redoubling would permit one train an hour to each of Cardiff and Newport. Will double track extend far enough north to enable a train to get up to EV and back within 15 mins including turn-around time?

 

[Dai Corner]

Is that the case? I thought the redoubling would permit one train an hour to each of Cardiff and Newport. Will double track extend far enough north to enable a train to get up to EV and back within 15 mins including turn-around time?

You're right. My bad.

I think there's an aspiration to rebuild the line from Aberbeeg to Abertillery and run hourly from there to both Newport and Cardiff and I was misremembering.

Anyway, there have been no trains at all from Newport to the branch for months now, except on Sundays when there are some Cardiff-Newport-Ebbw Vales. They've simply been removed from the timetable with no formal announcement.

 

[oglord]

the existing infrastructure and signalling only permit a Newport-Crosskeys shuttle

Well that's not strictly true. There is no infrastructure reason why trains cannot run all the way from Newport to Ebbw Vale, just political reasons.

 

[Dai Corner]

Well that's not strictly true. There is no infrastructure reason why trains cannot run all the way from Newport to Ebbw Vale, just political reasons.

The political reason being that Cardiff is considered a more important destination than Newport for stations north of Crosskeys?

 

[oglord]

The political reason being that Cardiff is considered a more important destination than Newport for stations north of Crosskeys?

Which was contrary to the stated purpose in reopening the line to mitigate for steel jobs losses in Newport and Ebbw Vale.

 

[Woolos 22]

The centre of newport fail to keep it office base employment there. As cardiff has a lot of office base jobs with in easy walking distance for the station.

 

[oglord]

The centre of newport fail to keep it office base employment there. As cardiff has a lot of office base jobs with in easy walking distance for the station.

Even if that was true, the purpose of the reopening was to HELP Newport (and Ebbw Vale) mitigate against job losses. How does it help Newport to have loads of its catchment area syphoned off somewhere else? At no point during the reopening discussions was it ever suggested that the trains would travel to within half a mile of Newport High Street and than travel 12 miles in the opposite direction to Cardiff!

 

[slowroad]

Even if that was true, the purpose of the reopening was to HELP Newport (and Ebbw Vale) mitigate against job losses. How does it help Newport to have loads of its catchment area syphoned off somewhere else? At no point during the reopening discussions was it ever suggested that the trains would travel to within half a mile of Newport High Street and than travel 12 miles in the opposite direction to Cardiff!

Maybe. But the world changes. No point in running empty trains.

 

[oglord]

Maybe. But the world changes. No point in running empty trains.

They never even tried!

 

[Dai Corner]

Maybe. But the world changes. No point in running empty trains.

They never even tried!

The ones they did run between Newport and Crosskeys were virtually empty in my experience.

 

[oglord]

The ones they did run between Newport and Crosskeys were virtually empty in my experience.

Unadvertised, repeatedly cancelled and ultimately stopped altogether with no warning. What point are you trying to make here? That we shouldn't have extra services for people who want to travel to Newport or further east?

 

[Oxfordblues]

Two trains ran yesterday East Usk-Machen and vice-versa, so an important line for freight.

 

[Dai Corner]

Unadvertised, repeatedly cancelled and ultimately stopped altogether with no warning. What point are you trying to make here? That we shouldn't have extra services for people who want to travel to Newport or further east?

It's almost as though TfW didn't want to run the service in the first place?

The MS for Newport West made a big thing of it. I wrote and asked her to ask the Minister responsible when he expects the service to resume but didn't get a response.

 

[Anonymous10]

It's almost as though TfW didn't want to run the service in the first place?

The MS for Newport West made a big thing of it. I wrote and asked her to ask the Minister responsible when he expects the service to resume but didn't get a response.

Tfw are short of stock. Im sure it'll come back but only once the 197s are introduced in South Wales to ease the stock issue.