THERE'S a shake-up to train services in the Vale which sees one town 'lose out' and another receive a bit of a gain
TfW will move new model 231 trains from the Penarth to Cardiff line and put them on the Barry/Barry Island line instead.
Along with being newer models, the trains will increase capacity slightly - the 231s have four carriage make-ups.
It might be good news for Barry, however for Penarth the move has left some in the town incredulous.
Local Penarth councillor Anthony Ernst wrote: “Penarth commuters are to lose valuable connections into the South Wales Valleys from June, as TfW introduces major improvements for Metro passengers.”
TfW responded by saying: “As part of our June 2024 timetable a number of key routes are changing in preparation for new trains and frequency improvements.”
Those changes include services to/from Penarth will go to/from Coryton and Caerphilly, where customers can change for services to Rhymney/Bargoed.
And the new Class 231 trains, currently in use to/from Penarth, will now be used on routes from Rhymney/Bargoed through to Barry/Barry Island via Cardiff. The Penarth route will use older trains until brand new Class 756 trains are introduced.
So why is this happening? TfW went into a little more detail about why the changes are taking place, saying: “The new timetables needed to link Penarth with Coryton and Caerphilly. Class 231s trains are not operationally cleared to travel on the Coryton line.
“We need to ensure our capacity is best targeted to demand. As four carriage trains, it makes more sense to target the 231s on the route between Rhymney/Bargoed through to Barry/Barry Island via Cardiff.
“Our older trains are approaching the end of their working lives and it would not make good financial sense to spend significantly to extend the time we use them for. What we are doing instead is putting them on some of the shorter routes on our network to keep them in service as long as possible.
“We’ve also had to introduce new trains in stages based on factors including; infrastructure improvements and electrification.”
A TfW spokesperson went on to say: “The Metro will see 60 brand new trains and tram trains introduced in the coming years to serve the Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr, Rhymney, Coryton, Penarth, Barry Island and Vale of Glamorgan lines.”
What do you think about the change in services in Barry? Let us know in comments, on our Facebook age, or email harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.
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