With the new first minister in the Welsh Assembly having (thankfully) called a halt to the second M4 around Newport, what are the main flows of traffic through the Brynglas tunnels at peak times and what public transport services could be introduced to attract modal shift away from the M4?
Would massive improvements to the Ebbw Vale line services (including 2tph from Newport, alternating between Abertillery and Ebbw Vale services) and/or new Cardiff-Hereford stoppers to serve a new station at Caerleon be a good option? Or openning up the Newport - Machen freight line to passenger services and extending it to join up with the Rhymney line? Or would it be better to target long-distance traffic on the M4, with more and faster trains from west of Cardiff into Wales' capital to link up with increased services to Bristol and Cheltenham? I know that additional services (and electrification) beyond the planned 2tph additional Paddington-Bristol on Filton Bank are awaiting remodelling closer to Temple Meads, but an idea I've had for an interim measure. Once electrification to Cardiff is complete (this year, hopefully) bring in some of the EMUs coming off lease elsewhere (eg. 458s or 379s) to run a Cardiff - Bristol Parkway service, with connections into Temple Meads available on the new GWR services. This new service would also be a reaction to the removal of the Severn Bridge tolls, and would be diverted to Temple Meads instead of Bristol Parkway once the infrustructure allows it.
Another idea (ideally done alongside the extra Cardiff-Bristol service, which would possibly allow removal of one or two stops from the Cardiff-Portsmouth) would be to divert the existing Taunton-Cardiff services to Cheltenham/Worcester via Yate and Gloucester. The Bristol-Cardiff path from the Tauntons could then be transfered to the Wales & Borders franchise and extended to Swansea.
Would massive improvements to the Ebbw Vale line services (including 2tph from Newport, alternating between Abertillery and Ebbw Vale services) and/or new Cardiff-Hereford stoppers to serve a new station at Caerleon be a good option? Or openning up the Newport - Machen freight line to passenger services and extending it to join up with the Rhymney line? Or would it be better to target long-distance traffic on the M4, with more and faster trains from west of Cardiff into Wales' capital to link up with increased services to Bristol and Cheltenham? I know that additional services (and electrification) beyond the planned 2tph additional Paddington-Bristol on Filton Bank are awaiting remodelling closer to Temple Meads, but an idea I've had for an interim measure. Once electrification to Cardiff is complete (this year, hopefully) bring in some of the EMUs coming off lease elsewhere (eg. 458s or 379s) to run a Cardiff - Bristol Parkway service, with connections into Temple Meads available on the new GWR services. This new service would also be a reaction to the removal of the Severn Bridge tolls, and would be diverted to Temple Meads instead of Bristol Parkway once the infrustructure allows it.
Another idea (ideally done alongside the extra Cardiff-Bristol service, which would possibly allow removal of one or two stops from the Cardiff-Portsmouth) would be to divert the existing Taunton-Cardiff services to Cheltenham/Worcester via Yate and Gloucester. The Bristol-Cardiff path from the Tauntons could then be transfered to the Wales & Borders franchise and extended to Swansea.