Strategic Rail Improvements

The Next Train ...

It's not often someone reads interesting and enlightening articles about Wales in the London papers. So it was good to see this article by George Monbiot in the Guardian. George argues that we should consider a plan by the inimitable Father Deniol to open/reopen a railway line through central Wales to connect the north and south. I won't repeat the argument, because the article is one worth reading in its entirety.

The suggestion isn't as unrealistic as it might seem at first glance. In contrast to the department of transport in England, the Welsh and Scottish governments have adopted a policy of reopening railways for passenger use where there is justification for doing so. In Wales the lines between Barry and Bridgend, and Cardiff and Ebbw Vale have been reopened, and the services have proved particularly popular. In the case of Ebbw Vale (re-opened earlier this year) passenger numbers mean that the government is already having to consider improvements to increase the length and number of trains.

Now, the big advantage that the Ebbw Vale and Vale of Glamorgan lines had was that the track had not been lifted, the two lines continuing to be used for freight services after passenger services ended. This isn't true of the majority of the railway lines included in Father Deiniol and George Monbiot's scheme.

But that aside, it's worth noting one small sentence buried in a recent statement from the deputy First Minister - who is also, of course, Minister for Transport. This is what Ieuan Wyn Jones had to say in the Senedd on 2 December:

"Considering the success of reopening the line between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff, I am going to seriously research options for reopening disused railway lines for new passenger services."

You don't need to be a railway expert to list the possible schemes. Huw Lewis is already campaigning to reopen the line from Ystrad Mynach to Dowlais, while the Heads of the Valleys scheme is investing over half a million pounds to extend the rail network which could, ultimately, connect Blaenafon and Pont-y-pwl. In the north possibilities include reconnecting Caernarfon and Bangor and reopening the Vale of Clwyd line. The later is part of Father Deiniol's scheme.

This will need faith and vision - but of course these are two of Father Deiniol's virtues!

If you want to study what's possible, the Adlestrop Railway Atlas (pdf) is fascinating!

BBC, 30 Dec 2008

Of course, some will say that this type of project is just not possible, but it is worth noting that a similarly ambitious scheme is now taking place in Ireland. The re-opening of the ‘Western Corridor’ is very similar to this ‘All-Wales’ rail proposal in that it involves approximately the same amount of line re-opening and goes through remote regions to connect them to vibrant centres.

This is a pioneering and inspired idea that could gain much public support and deliver many benefits to Wales. Given the lack of vision that our politicians are often accused of, I would urge them to look up from their TV screens in the Assembly Chamber and to commission a full feasibility study into this plan.

With the Assembly is about to spend £1 billion on plans for a bypass around Newport (to alleviate rush hour traffic) and for upgrading the Heads of the Valleys road, surely this public money would be better spent on developing a coherent rail network around Wales.

It is time the Assembly lived up to its green credentials and supported a scheme that would not only bring sustainable economic benefits to our nation but, more importantly would provide the links between North and South Wales that would finally enable Wales to unite, in transport terms, as a nation.

North-South Rail Links - a new approach? 24 June 2008

THE RAILWAY SYSTEM WILL BE SAFEGUARDED AND DEVELOPED BY:

i) THE PROVISION OF NEW STATIONS AT CAERLEON,
COEDKERNEW, ROGERSTONE, BASSALEG (PYE CORNER),
MAESGLAS AND LLANWERN;
ii) THE PROTECTION OF DISUSED RAILWAY LINES FROM
DEVELOPMENT;

4.32 The Gwent Rail Study produced for the former Gwent County Council in 1990, identified the opportunity to provide new stations at Caerleon and Rogerstone. In addition the South Wales Consortium of Local Authorities commissioned a report from Halcrow Fox which recommended a new station facility at Coedkernew to cater for the passenger transport needs of the LG Development and for the Duffryn Expansion Area. The TIGER (Transport Integration in the Gwent Economic Region) Public Transport Strategy is being reviewed to investigate the potential for, and siting of, a railway station at Llanwern as part of the Transport Development Area within the Eastern Expansion Area.

4.34 The existing rail network may also provide opportunities for road-rail transfer points. Development of these facilities could contribute to reduction in heavy road freight and be important to the economy in being attractive to inward investment. Support will be given to applications for Freight Facilities Grant and Track Access Grant. A detailed planning consent for a Rail Freight Terminal has already been granted at Llandevenny in the east of the County Borough.

http://www.newport.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/plans_and_strategies/cont063489.pdf

The case for a new station at Caerleon is also strengthened by the increasing road congestion through the town, and on the roads into Newport. The impacts of increasing road congestion, and potential for modal shift to rail, are an issue along the whole route, particularly between Abergavenny and Pontypool where the neighbouring A4042 is a increasingly busy single carriageway road and with no proposals to address the congestion and heavy use made of that road. Similarly, around Cwmbran and Newport itself, the existing dual carriageways are experiencing increasing instances of congestion.

Preliminary studies of new stations at Llantarnam and Sebastopol have been undertaken, and have demonstrated the value of taking forward these proposals in the context of the introduction of more frequent local services to Abergavenny.

Source

• Merthyr - Brecon (a brand-new route, the old being far too indirect, electrified as part of ValleyLines)
  
• Brecon - Builth Road (around half would use a new, shorter, alignment compared to the dismantled railway)
  
• Builth Road - Rhayader (principally a reopened route)
  
• Rhayader - Llanidloes (brand new alignment, probably the most expensive part of the whole scheme)
  
• Llanidloes - Moat Lane (principally a reopened route, but with chords linking to both Newtown and Machynlleth at Moat Lane rather than a station)
  
• Welshpool - Gobowen via Oswestry (principally a reopened route)
  
• Welshpool - Dovey Junction - Porthmadog (heavily upgraded existing line)
  
• Porthmadog - Bryncir (all new route, inspired by a post on the Syniadau blog)
  
• Bryncir - Caernarfon - Bangor (principally a reopened route, if the north Wales line is electrified then so to would be Caernarfon - Bangor, perhaps with later extension to Llanberis)
  

• Hourly/Half Hourly Cardiff - Brecon electric service
  
• Hourly Brecon - Newtown class 158 service, continuing alternately (to Wrexham via Oswestry in one hour, Bangor/Holyhead via Portmadog in the next)
  
• The existing every two hours Birmingham - Pwllheli class 158s would continue, and assuming the Aberystwyth - Birmingham hourly service is delivered, this makes the whole Cambrian lines network at least hourly expect the Porthmadog - Pwllheli section
  
• Caernarfon - Llandudno/Crewe/Chester hourly service (which could be electric, as outlined above)
  
• Optional Newtown - Wrexham every two hours service to make the Welshpool - Wrexham route up to hourly as well