Trefforest Season Ticket & Travel Queries

[howstaff]

Hi All,

Long time lurker (indeed with an old account I lost access to a long time ago!) but my first post in quite a while.

I'm looking to relocate to somewhere commutable to Cardiff for work, and having always had a job you need a car for (random hours, site visits with equipment, etc) I'm working out how I adjust to a much more '9 to 5' type of life. Having visited some places, I like Pontypridd and Trefforest and the area around there, so will likely be moving to there if possible. This poses a few questions of travel...

I've never owned or used a rail season ticket, so I was just wondering a few basics with this. For example, if my local station was Trefforest and work was at Grangetown, could I regularly break my journey - for example alighting at Queen Street on the way home to meet friends, resuming my journey from there later? Equally, with the season ticket prices being the same from Pontypridd and Trefforest would it permissible/sensible to purchase the ticket from Pontypridd as then I could carry on up there to use the 'town centre' facilities that exist there?

My railcard these days is on a phone app, would season tickets likely be similar or are smartcards (or even better both!) an option? Are there any other 'quirks' of a season ticket you'd think it's worth knowing as a novice?

Finally, especially with the metro upgrade, is there anything I should be aware of coming up? As far as I can tell, this line will keep a good service over the longer term, and hopefully the disruptions during the upgrade work will be minor/tolerable.

Sorry for a big set of questions to use as my opener returning to the forum!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Believe there are quite a few weekly season tickets in the Cardiff area all costing £27.50 per week. (Or £1100 per year).

Merthyr Tydfil to/from Barry Island is also the same price, giving you a few additional journey opportunities.

And yes, boarding and alighting at intermediate stations on route, such as Cardiff Central or Cardiff Queen Street, is permitted.

There maybe other options available as well.

 

[howstaff]

Hi Mcr Warrior, thank you for your reply.

That's an interesting thought! It certainly opens up the value of the ticket to make extra trips out and visit additional places beyond those just in my locality - I'll take a look!

 

[Watershed]

Unfortunately season tickets in the Valleys, despite being priced zonally, are still issued as point to point tickets. And thus, whilst it's the same price to get a Merthyr to Barry Island season as it is for an Aberdare or Treherbert one, it wouldn't be valid to travel on either of those lines/branches.

So you'll want to buy a season ticket that covers the lines you'll use the most, and then you may as well buy it as far as possible in that direction (e.g. it's the same price even for Maesteg to Merthyr).

There will be extensive engineering works in the coming years as part of the upgrades being made to the Valley Lines. This generally shouldn't affect Mon-Fri 9-5 commutes (although there may be some longer closures for a few weeks or a month), but evening and weekend journeys will certainly be affected and will often involve a replacement bus.

I would definitely keep this in mind when deciding where to move to, as other lines will not be as heavily affected.

 

[Max]

Couple of tips from a local. Of course, break of journey is perfectly allowed on season tickets but be prepared for occasional raised eyebrows at barriers and ticket offices in the area. My wife used to commute from Penarth to Cathays and regularly bought a monthly season to Radyr, as it was the same price and gave the extra flexibility of being able to use the city line (helpful for occasional visits to see friends in other parts of the city, walks along the Taff etc.). It occasionally prompted questions from gatelines, but as long as you are confident and know your validity it will be absolutely fine!

I would also be tempted to avoid buying on a smartcard, as there are definitely some bugs if you don't tap your smartcard the first time at the origin station (she had lots of issues trying to do this at Dingle Road). Although paper also has it's downsides if you keep your ticket near your mobile phone!

Happy commuting and let us know how you get on.

 

[howstaff]

Thank you both for your replies!

I must admit I was expecting more integration, coming from somewhere that combined bus/rail seasons are fairly commonplace, and assuming the system would be somewhat 'London-style'.

I think I'll definitely go for a ticket that gives me the most validity for my money, just as suggested I will take some time to work out which line offers the most usable options for me!

Whilst the engineering works may be disruptive, I always do have the car (not that the parking would be cheap!) and bus as backup options, so hopefully will be tolerable. Ultimately, when they're done there will be a lot to gain, especially with the frequency uplift. Hopefully over time I'll see the benefits with a smoother journey, and the improved connectivity will hopefully be good for the area and communities.

I'll probably opt for an app season ticket in that case, as I'm probably going to mess up a paper or smartcard by the sounds of it, does it need to be 'tapped in' similar to on the Docklands?

 

[Llanigraham]

If driving perhaps drive to Whitchurch, Rhiwbina or Llandaff and get the train from there. Better than trying to park in central Cardiff.

 

[howstaff]

Hi Llanigraham, that's good advice thank you I'll take a look at that

 

[Llanigraham]

Hi Llanigraham, that's good advice thank you I'll take a look at that

It's what I do when we are going down to the city.