Modern Railways – April 2019

8 Modern Railways April 2019 http://www.modern-railways.com

News Front

GWR ANGLING FOR SPARKS

TIMETABLE IN DECEMBER

Service intensification does not depend on completion of wires to Cardiff

GREAT WESTERN Railway is

hoping to bring passengers the

benefits of electrification between

Cardiff and London at the December

timetable change.

When Network Rail confirmed

that the energisation date for the

final section of electrification,

between Bristol Parkway and Cardiff

Central, had been deferred to

November 2019, it appeared that

service changes to capitalise on the

project’s completion would also

have to be deferred. Following the

difficulties encountered last year,

the rail industry as a whole is taking

a more cautious approach to major

timetable changes, particularly those

which are dependent on timely

completion of infrastructure works.

However, the performance of

the Intercity Express Trains between

Bristol Parkway and Paddington,

where electrification is complete,

has inspired confidence at GWR

that the proposed additional

services could be operated from

December without significant

risk to performance, regardless of

whether electrification in South

Wales is completed in November.

SPEED-UP

Headline improvements are a

15-minute reduction in journey

times between South Wales and

Paddington, and the doubling of

services between Bristol Temple

Meads and Paddington, exploiting

the recently completed four-tracking

of Filton Bank, north of Temple Meads.

‘Some of the Bristol fast services might

be introduced slightly later’ said GWR

managing director Mark Hopwood.

GWR proposes to increase service

frequency from two to three trains

per hour from Cardiff to London in

the morning peak and from London

to Cardiff in the evening peak. One

of those trains per hour, working

from and to Swansea, would omit

some intermediate station calls to

save slightly more than 15 minutes.

‘The electrification work is moving

forward at a steady pace. We’ve

got confidence that that will come

in,’ said Mr Hopwood. ‘Even if we

didn’t have the electrified railway

west of Bristol Parkway, it wouldn’t

put the whole timetable at risk.’

The outcome of GWR’s bidding

for the proposed timetable

changes will not be known until

late spring or early summer.

Mr Hopwood acknowledged

that GWR’s performance last year

had been affected by line closures

and other difficulties, including

timescales for crew training being

compressed as a consequence of

late completion of earlier sections

of electrification. Performance had

improved significantly, and fewer

trains were being short formed. Last

year’s short formations included

five-car IETs frequently replacing

eight-car HSTs. Five-car IETs are still

occasionally deployed, but only

as a last resort and sometimes to

avoid cancelling a service following

disruption, said Mr Hopwood.

The 10-car IET formations can be

split to provide two trains in such

circumstances, a flexibility which

was not available with HSTs.

TURBOS TO POMPEY

On the inter-urban route between

Cardiff and Portsmouth Harbour,

five-car trains were now being

deployed more consistently,

Mr Hopwood said, some being

Class 166+165 formations and others

Class 158s. Some passengers are

dissatisfied with the 3+2 seating

of the former Thames Valley

commuter stock, but Mr Hopwood

said 2+2 seating was available

in former first class sections.

The route connects several

cities and carries large numbers of

passengers into their nearest city.

Mr Hopwood said short-distance

passengers wanted different

things from their trains than the

longer-distance passengers. The

long-term solution was to create

a limited stop service, but this

could only happen with sufficient

infrastructure and rolling stock to

enable provision of local services

without loss of service frequency

for users of the smaller stations.

Another option for the future is

deployment of bi-mode trains, such

as Class 769 Flex units, between

Cardiff and Bristol Temple Meads,

where the current journey time

is a cause of complaint and there

are plans for several additional

stations. Electric operation

between Cardiff Central and

Patchway would enable faster

acceleration from stations, which

Mr Hopwood said would generate

a small saving in journey times.

The Welsh Government has

commenced a £50 million project

to create a park and ride station

at Llanwern, with stabling sidings

for special event days, and is

co-funding the planned Cardiff

Parkway station, east of Cardiff

Central. Monmouthshire County

Council has been promoting a

‘walkway’ station at Magor, west

of Severn Tunnel Junction.

Mr Hopwood said it was important

to consider the impact of any new

stations on journey times for existing

passengers. While bi-mode operation

was a possibility for the future, GWR

was not currently planning to use

its Class 769s as far west as Bristol.

He confirmed that GWR could

operate 12-car Class 387 formations

from London to Cardiff for weekend

events in the Welsh capital that

draw large numbers of spectators

from England. For major events

in Cardiff on weekday evenings,

Class 387s could be sent onwards

from their Swindon base after

the evening peak to help with

the surge of passengers requiring

homeward transport. Rhodri Clark

GWR trains at Cardiff Central: on 26 February 2019, an

electrification gantry frames a five-car Class 165+

formation, flanked by GWR IETs. Gwion Clark

008-009_MR_Apr 2019_news.indd 8 12/03/2019 14: