South Wales Metro and Tram Trains

[rf_ioliver]

Not sure if this has been answered - at least I can't find a good explanation after much searching.

But, looking at the trains ordered for the SW Metro, I'm a little confused why the Rhymney Valley lines get "proper" trains while the Merthyr, Cynon and Rhondda get the tram-trains. I recall there was some plan to run these as trams in Cardiff (?!) but that's not come to anything I can think of.

Which then leads to the question are the tram-trains really suitable? Will they actually have enough capacity, speed etc for the proposed service upgrades?

Any light shed on this would be appreciated,

thanks

Ian

 

[Energy]

I think lots of people will prefer a tram train over the current pacers.

 

[JetStream]

I think it's because the Rhymney line will maintain freight traffic.

 

[PHILIPE]

Not sure if this has been answered - at least I can't find a good explanation after much searching.

But, looking at the trains ordered for the SW Metro, I'm a little confused why the Rhymney Valley lines get "proper" trains while the Merthyr, Cynon and Rhondda get the tram-trains. I recall there was some plan to run these as trams in Cardiff (?!) but that's not come to anything I can think of.

Which then leads to the question are the tram-trains really suitable? Will they actually have enough capacity, speed etc for the proposed service upgrades?

Any light shed on this would be appreciated,

thanks

Ian

There is a lengthy thread here:-

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/south-wales-metro.117763/page-95#post-4252866

However it is such a long thread to trawl through, your immediate question has been answered which I think was the best thing. You could look through it at your leisure now. Happy reading

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

I think it's because the Rhymney line will maintain freight traffic.

That's part of the reason but it's also that Caerphilly and Penarth are basically part of the Cardiff conurbation even if the locals don't like to admit it! Having Caerphilly trains running through Central to Penarth effectively provides a north-east to south-west crossrail service across the urban area.

 

[Cardiff123]

That's part of the reason but it's also that Caerphilly and Penarth are basically part of the Cardiff conurbation even if the locals don't like to admit it! Having Caerphilly trains running through Central to Penarth effectively provides a north-east to south-west crossrail service across the urban area.

The Rhymney line will also run through to Barry Island and Bridgend via the Vale of Glamorgan from 2022/23

 

[twpsaesneg]

That's part of the reason but it's also that Caerphilly and Penarth are basically part of the Cardiff conurbation even if the locals don't like to admit it! Having Caerphilly trains running through Central to Penarth effectively provides a north-east to south-west crossrail service across the urban area.

Penarth there's a case for saying that, but the mountain between Cardiff and Caerphilly definitely cuts them apart!!!

Agreed though, Rhymney valley trains will continue onto the Vale, and I don't think the other valleys will. Also Cwmbargoed is still retained as a freight route which makes tram trains less easy to justify.

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

Penarth there's a case for saying that, but the mountain between Cardiff and Caerphilly definitely cuts them apart!!!

Geograhicaly that's true, of course. In economic terms though Caerphilly's explosive growth over recent decades has seen it become pretty much a dormitory town for Cardiff. There's not much employment in Caerphilly itself.

I can remember it as a pretty small, scrappy market town surrounded by open countryside. These days, pretty much the whole of the basin is filled with housing.

 

[NotATrainspott]

This is covered in the other thread in a lot more detail but the basic idea of the tram-trains is that extensions to the South Wales Metro network will be more viable than would be the case if it were heavy rail only. Tram tracks are essentially just as capable of moving metro passengers but can cost massively less to install given that they don't need to be fully separated from the rest of the environment. For instance, it's not permissible to build new heavy rail lines with level crossings due to the safety hazard they create. Trams are allowed to have level crossings because they're even allowed to share the same lanes as road traffic and weave their way through pedestrian areas.

I don't think the existence of freight trains is going to be a barrier to tram-trains, so long as they would be operating in train mode on the shared section. However, any line sections shared with freight wouldn't be able to start introducing tram-only innovations like barrow crossings at stations for accessibility or cheaper dualling, so there won't be as much of a point using them compared to standard heavy rail trains.