£200 million Cardiff rail links to end city's gridlock

Date: 31/12/2012

A variety of new railway stations in the suburbs of Cardiff could put an end to the gridlock many people in the city experience regularly.  The £200 million transport system has been dubbed the Welsh capital’s version of Crossrail.

In a joint paper published by Cardiff South and Penarth's Assembly Member Vaughan Gething and Transport Consultant Mark Barry, they say that 150,000 people around the city are not connected to the rail network currently.

With around 50,000 new homes planned by 2026 in the (LDP) Local Development Plan, the paper cites Cardiff's needs to develop a transport network for a city with more than 400,000 people.

"Whilst the benefits of Valley Line Electrification to the valleys are clear – including faster and more frequent journeys to Cardiff – the benefits for Cardiff residents are more limited," the pair wrote.

"In places like (RCT) Rhondda Cynon Taf, Caerphilly and The Vale of Glamorgan, who will have the larger part of their populations served by the newly electrified valley rail network, the average number of people per rail station is 11,000 to 12,000, the figure in Cardiff is over 17,000."

An east to west service connecting St Mellons to junction 33 of the M4 has been suggested, which would use electrified relief lines east of Cardiff Central, the city line and the reinstatement of the old track from Fairwater to Creigiau.

The crossrail will also be able to operate between the city centre and the Bay by adopting European-style tram-train technology, which can run on normal electrified heavy rail and on streets in tram mode.

On-street trams will run south of Cardiff Central between Tyndall Street and the Taff rail bridge, a realigned tram-train route which could extend to the International Sports Village.

New and enhanced stations at Ely Bridge, St Mellons, Crwys Road, Wedal Road (for Heath Hospital), Rover Way, Splott and Waterhall will also begin to address the city's poor rail connectivity.

The report indicated that the estimated cost of £150 million to £200 million is affordable and could be delivered incrementally over a period of around a decade. The Welsh government is also exploring the South Wales Metro concept and has indicated that the time is right to put forward projects such as Cardiff Crossrail.

Posted by Nick Anderson

International Transport News and Sustainable Transport News