Carmarthen Station « The Anonymous Widower

FirstGroup Applies To Run Rail Services Between Hereford And London via Cwmbran

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from FirstGroup.

These first two paragraphs, add more detail to the title.

FirstGroup plc has submitted the first phase of an application for a new open access rail service between Hereford and London to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

FirstGroup plans to expand its open access rail operations as part of its successful Lumo business, building on Lumo’s existing service which has transformed long-distance connectivity between London and Edinburgh. This has helped materially grow rail demand on the East Coast Mainline in recent years, through a new and enhanced choice for customers and providing more trains to more destinations.

These are some more points from the press release.

Route and Frequency

The news item says this about route and frequency.

FirstGroup’s proposal is for two return journeys a day (one on Sundays) between London Paddington and Hereford, calling at Bristol Parkway and Severn Tunnel Junction as well as providing direct London services at Cwmbran, Pontypool & New Inn and Abergavenny.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the route between Bristol Parkway and Pontypool & New Inn stations.

Note.

Bristol Parkway station is in the South-East corner of the map.
Severn Tunnel Junction station is marked by the blue arrow in the middle of the map.
The electrified South Wales Main Line connects Bristol Parkway and Severn Tunnel Junction stations.
From Bristol Parkway, the electrified Great Western Main Line goes to London Paddington via Swindon and Reading.
From Severn Tunnel Junction station the South Wales Main Line goes West to Newport, which is on this map and then to Cardiff, Swansea and West Wales.
Pontypool & New Inn station is in the North-West corner of the map on the Welsh Marches Line between Newport and Crewe stations.
Welsh Marches Line is connected to the South Wales Main Line at Maindee triangular junction, which is a few miles East of Newport station.
Cwmbran station is on the Welsh Marches Line between Newport and Pontypool & New Inn stations.

After a quick look on Wikipedia and Real Time Trains, it appears that few if any trains run in either direction between Cwmbran and Severn Tunnel Junction stations using the North-East side of Maindee junction.

Lumo’s trains would use this route to go between Bristol Park and Pontypool & New Inn stations via Severn Tunnel Junction, and Cwmbran.

This second OpenRailwayMap shows the Northern part of the route between Pontypool & New Inn and Hereford stations.

Note.

The orange track is the Welsh Marshes Line between Newport and Crewe.
Pontypool & New Inn station is in the South-West corner of the map.
Abergavenny station is on the West side of the map.
Hereford station is in the North-East corner of the map.

Looking at the route as a whole, it is a very simple route.

Trains go as fast as traffic allows, non-stop to Bristol Parkway station.
Trains then take the South Wales Main Line with a single stop at Severn Tunnel Junction station to Maindee Junction, just to the East of Newport.
Trains then take the Welsh Marches Line to Hereford stopping at Cwmbran, Pontypool & New Inn and Abergavenny stations.

It is an innovative route, that has these advantages.

It uses a little-used leg of Maindee Junction.
London Paddington and Maindee Junction is electrified.
The fastest Hitachi trains seem to take about one hour and forty minutes between London Paddington and Maindee Junction.

As direct trains between Newport and Hereford take around fifty minutes, a time of two-and-a-half hours between London Paddington and Hereford could be possible.

This would compare with current Great Western Railway services, which take upwards of two hour and forty-five minutes, which often have a change of train.

Lumo Trains Should Be Faster Between London Paddington And Bristol Parkway

This may seem surprising, but most if not all current services stop between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway, stop at Swindon and Reading.

Cutting out a stop saves a few minutes on the journey.

New Trains

The news item says this about new trains.

The new Hereford service would support further investment in new trains. In December 2024 FirstGroup placed a £500m order for 14 trains from Hitachi Rail in County Durham. The Group has an option for a potential second order of similar size and the Hereford fleet would form part of this option.

Yesterday, I went to North Wales and used Avanti West Coast from Euston. The trains both ways were new Class 805 trains, which are bi-mode versions of Lumo’s Class 803 trains. These Class 805 trains travel all the way between Crewe and Holyhead on their diesel engines, so the much shorter leg between Maindee Junction and Hereford will definitely be in range.

But Hitachi are developing battery-electric versions of these trains and as there-and-back between Maindee Junction and Hereford is only 88 miles, I wouldn’t be surprised in a couple of years that Cwmbran, Pontypool & New Inn, Abergavenny and Hereford stations have a direct electric service from London.

Services At Hereford

The news item says this about services at Hereford station.

For Hereford, the two direct London paths each weekday would increase services on this flow from four today, to six. The new services would help mitigate the current large gaps in the timetable with additional daytime and evening arrivals into London, giving Hereford more regular connectivity. The new services would also provide the stations on the route with new direct journey opportunities to Bristol Parkway.

I also believe it would be a faster, fully electric service.

Services At Abergavenny

The Wikipedia entry for Abergavenny station says this about services at the station.

With a few exceptions, the weekday daytime service pattern typically sees one train per hour in each direction between Manchester Piccadilly and Cardiff Central, with most trains continuing beyond Cardiff to Swansea and West Wales. There is also a two-hourly service between Cardiff and the North Wales Coast Line to Holyhead via Wrexham General. These services are all operated by Transport for Wales. The northbound Premier service from Cardiff to Holyhead calls here on Monday to Fridays but the southbound service does not call here.

Note.

The station has partial step-free access
The station has 74 parking spaces.

Two trains in each direction would improve the services at Abergavenny station.

Services At Pontypool & New Inn

The Wikipedia entry for Pontypool & New Inn station says this about services at the station.

On weekdays and Saturdays, there is generally a two hourly service between Holyhead and Cardiff in the middle of the day, with additional peak time services southbound in the mornings and northbound in the evenings for commuters to Newport and Cardiff. These include services between Manchester Piccadilly and West Wales via Crewe and Swansea. From December 2013 the evening northbound Arriva “Premier” service train began to call at Pontypool for the first time. The southbound service in the morning does not call here. On Sundays, an irregular service operates, with 8 trains calling southbound and 10 northbound. These mainly run between Manchester and Cardiff.

Note.

The station is step-free with lifts.
The station has 150 parking spaces.

Two trains in each direction would improve the services at Pontypool and New Inn station.

Services At Cwmbran

The Wikipedia entry for Cwmbran station says this about services at the station.

Services that stop at Cwmbran in both directions are all operated by Transport for Wales and include the hourly service between Manchester Piccadilly, Cardiff Central and West Wales and the two hourly service between Holyhead and Cardiff Central. Most Sunday services only run on the former route (there are only two services each way to/from Holyhead).

Note.

The station is being made step-free with lifts.
The station has 76 parking spaces.

Two trains in each direction would improve the services at Pontypool and New Inn station.

The Heads Of The Valleys Road

The A465 or Heads of the Valleys Road could be considered the South Wlaes equivalent of the North of England’s M62 Motorway.

This description is from the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry.

Approximately following the southern boundary of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, the Ordnance Survey Pathfinder guide describes it as the unofficial border between rural and industrial South Wales. The A465 provides an alternative route between England and the counties in South West Wales and to the ferries to Ireland.

This Google Map shows its route between Merthyr Tydfil and Abergavenny.

Note.

Merthyr Tydfil is in the South-West corner of the map.
Abergavenny is in the North-East corner of the map.
The full length of the road is just under seventy miles.
The Heads of the Valleys Road connects to all the towns, that are the Northern termini of the South Wales Metro.
At it’s Western end, the A 465 connects to the M4 near Swansea.

The news item says this about the tourism benefits of the service.

The new service is expected to have positive economic and social benefits for the communities it serves. Both of FirstGroup’s open access services Lumo and Hull Trains are on track to deliver more than £1.4bn in economic benefits along their routes and FirstGroup hopes to have a similar positive effect for the South Wales and Herefordshire communities.

The service should also provide a convenient link for visitors travelling to the Brecon Beacons/ Bannau Brycheiniog National Park; Blaenavon World Heritage Site and cathedral city of Hereford, driving growth and supporting jobs in the area’s tourism sector.

I do wonder if other tourism related services will be developed at Pontypool & New Inn, Abergavenny and Hereford?

Monmouthshire

This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for Monmouthshire gives a flavour of the Welsh county.

The county is rural, although adjacent to the city of Newport and the urbanised South Wales Valleys; it has an area of 330 square miles (850 km2) and a population of 93,000. After Abergavenny (population, 12,515), the largest towns are Chepstow (12,350), Monmouth (10,508), and Caldicot (9,813).

I was surprised that the population of the county, was as high as 93,000.

This second paragraph, lists the railway stations.

Monmouthshire is served by four railway stations: in the south are the Severn Tunnel Junction railway station at Rogiet on the South Wales Main Line, which connects South Wales to London; and Chepstow railway station and Caldicot railway station on the Gloucester–Newport line; and in the north, Abergavenny railway station on the Welsh Marches line.

Severn Tunnel Junction and Abergavenny stations will be served by Lumo’s new service.

From my experience of using parkway stations in East Anglia with connections to London, I suspect residents of several towns outside of Monmouthshire will use these two stations for trips to the capital.

Are plans in place for extra parking and bus services?

Travelling To And From Heathrow Airport

I wouldn’t be surprised if Lumo picks up quite a few passengers, who are going to and from Heathrow.

Consider.

I suspect Severn Tunnel Junction to London Paddington will take about one hour and forty minutes, with just the single stop at Bristol Parkway.
The Elizabeth Line to the Airport will take 28 minutes and cost £13.90, according to Transport for London.
The Elizabeth Line is an easy step-free change from National Rail at Paddington.
Elizabeth Line trains between Paddington and Heathrow are every six minutes.
It’s not a very long walk at Heathrow between the Elizabeth Line and the terminals.
Driving from say Monmouth to Heathrow will take about two-and-a-quarter hours and cost you to cross the Severn Bridge and for parking.

If your local Great Western Main Line station is between say Chippenham and Cardiff, you might be surprised at how fast and affordable it can be to go to and from Heathrow by Great Western Railway and Elizabeth Line.

When Lumo starts running to Heathrow, I am sure it will be faster, as the trains will not stop East of Bristol Parkway station.

Running In Conjunction With Services Between London Paddington And Carmarthen

The news item says this about running services in conjunction with Lumo’s services to Carmarthen.

The service would operate in conjunction with the planned service from London to Carmarthen which is due to launch in December 2027, and it is anticipated it could begin at the same time.

Consider.

Both routes are identical between London Paddington and Maindee Junction.
Both routes could share depots.
Hitachi’s trains can split and join with alacrity.
Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 trains have twenty-six metre cars, which mean a five-car train is 130 metres long.
Bristol Parkway station has 280 metre long platforms. Pairs of trains could split and join here.
Seven Tunnel Junction has three 171 metre long platforms. Pairs of trains could not use this station, unless the platforms were lengthened.
Newport station has three platforms longer than 278 metres. Pairs of trains could split and join here, if the Hereford trains reversed direction.

I suspect if trains split and joined, it would be at Bristol Parkway station.

Note that Bristol Parkway station has 1,800 car park spaces, so Lumo could target passengers wanting to park and take the train to London, Cardiff, Newport and other Welsh destinations.

Co-operation With Great Western Railway

In Does Innovation Get Mr. Ed Miliband Better Prices To Doncaster?, I talked about the ticketing on the East Coast Main Line.

It appears to me, that if you put more seats on a popular route, like King’s Cross and Doncaster, then the availability drives down prices.

I also believe that if the tickets are all available through a common walk-up system, then this fills the seats.

The system has now been applied to the West Coast Main Line and I believe that if Great Western Railway and Lumo collaborated on ticketing, this would improve competition between London Paddington, Bristol Parkway and Cardiff.

There is also the issue of train rescue.

Supposing a pair of five-car Hitachi trains broke down with a fault, that allowed the train to be towed to the nearest station, so that passengers could be disembarked.

Hitachi trains are designed, so that up to twenty-four trains can be joined together in rescue mode.

That would certainly be an impressive sight.

June 7, 2025 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Bristol Parkway Station, Cardiff Central Station, Carmarthen Station, Chester Station, Class 803 Trains, Class 805 Train, Cwmbran Station, Great Western Railway, Hereford Station, Lumo, Lumo Paddington And Carmarthen, Lumo Paddington And Hereford, Open Access Operators, Paddington Station, Pontypool & New Inn Station, Severn Tunnel, Severn Tunnel Junction Station, South Wales Main Line, Ticketing, Welsh Marches Line | Leave a comment

Is FirstGroup’s Order For Fourteen Trains For Lumo And Hull Trains More Identical Than Is Generally Assumed?

Currently, Hull Trains operate Class 802 trains and Lumo operate Class 803 trains.

Both trains are five-car Hitachi A-Trains and appear to be similar in size, although there are other differences.

Hull Trains have a two-class layout, whereas on Lumo everybody sits in the same class.
Hull Trains are a true bi-mode with the 700 kW Rolls-Royce mtu diesel generators.
Lumo only have a battery for emergency hotel power.
Hull Trains currently operate a route, where up to a hundred miles in each round trip can be on diesel.
Lumo’s current route is all electric.

However, the differences in train specification doesn’t stop the two operators using each other’s trains.

This is from an article in the November 2023 Edition of Modern Railways, that is entitled Extra Luggage Racks For Lumo.

The co-operation between sister East Coast mail line open access operators Lumo and Hull Trains continues, with one recent move, being the use of a Hull Trains ‘802’ on Lumo services to cover for a shortage of the dedicated ‘803s’ while one unit was out of action for repairs following a fatality. Although the two types are similar, there are notable differences, most obviously that the Hull Trains units are bi-modes while the Lumo sets are straight EMUs and a training conversion course is required for Lumo drivers on the ‘802s’. There are also challenges from a passenger-facing perspective – The Hull Trains units have around 20 % fewer seats and a First Class area.

A future Chief Executive of FirstGroup might at some future date decide to convert all trains to the same specification.

Drive Systems Of The Five-Car Class 80x Trains

I’m writing them down for all the five-car Class 80x trains to make it easier to understand.

Class 800 train – DPTS–MS-MS-MC–DPTF – (LNER) 3 x 560 kW or (GWR) 3 x 700 kW diesel generators.
Class 801 train – DPTS–MS-MS-MC–DPTF – 1 x 560 kW diesel generators
Class 802 train – DPTS–MS-MS-MC–DPTF – (LNER) 3 x 700 kW diesel generators.
Class 803 train – DPTS–MS-MS-MS–DPTF
Class 805 train – DPTS–MS-MS-MC–DPTF – 3 x 700 kW diesel generators.
Class 810 train – DPTS–MS-MS-MC–DPTF – 4 x 735 kW diesel generators.

Note.

All these five-car trains have the same drive configuration.
Traction motors are on cars 2 and 4.
Trains with one diesel generators have them under car 3.
Trains with three diesel generators have them under cars 2/3/4.
Trains with four diesel generators have them under cars 1/2/4/5.
The traction battery in the Class 802 battery-electric test train was 750 kW, according to The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains.

It is all a very balanced design.

A Standard Basic Train For Hull Trains And Lumo

This may be possible and could be the following.

A Class 802 or Class 803 train to the latest specification.
Five cars.
Interior to the customers specification.
Ability to work in pairs.
A standard size traction battery in car 3.

The battery could be changed according to route.

Carmarthen – 75.3 miles – See Thoughts On Lumo’s Proposed Paddington And Carmarthen Service.
Edinburgh – 100 miles – To cover the Lincolnshire Diversion.
Hull – 100 miles – To cover the Lincolnshire Diversion.
Paignton – 128.2 miles – See Thoughts On Lumo’s Proposed Paddington And Paignton Service.
Rochdale – 100 miles to cover reverse at Rochdale.
Sheffield – 100 miles – To cover Retford and Sheffield both ways.
Stirling – Possibly no batteries required.

I can see a battery range of 100 miles covering most routes.

There could be two or three batteries close together in cars 2, 3 and 4, driving the traction motors in cars 2 and 4 and being charged by them.

These are my thoughts on individual Hull Trains and Lumo routes.

Beverley And Hull

In Could Hull Station Be Electrified?, I put forward my view that if Hull station were to be electrified, it opens up various possibilities of running battery-electric trains to Hull and Beverley.

Hull Trains services would charge the battery, every time they went through Hull station.

Distances needed on battery power to electrification would be.

Beverley – 16.7 miles for return trip.
Bridlington – 31.1 miles
Doncaster – 40.8 miles
Scarborough – 53.8 miles
Temple Hirst – 36.1 miles

Except for Scarborough, a single battery would probably suffice.

Beverley and Hull are handled without a battery at present, but Hull Trains might like to carry sufficient power in batteries to be able to handle the Lincoln Diversion.

Carmarthen

Cardiff and Carmarthen via Gowerton is 75.3 miles, which probably means two batteries would be needed.

See Thoughts On Lumo’s Proposed Paddington And Carmarthen Service, for more details.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is handled without a battery at present, but Lumo might like to carry sufficient power in batteries to be able to handle the Lincoln Diversion.

Paignton

Paignton is the longest route at 128.2 miles and I doubt, it would be talked about if it wasn’t technically possibly.

See Thoughts On Lumo’s Proposed Paddington And Paignton Service, for more details.

Rochdale

Sheffield

Stirling

Stirling could be handled without a battery, but Lumo might like to carry sufficient power in batteries to be able to handle a small diversion.

January 11, 2025 Posted by AnonW | Design, Transport/Travel | Beverley Station, Carmarthen Station, Class 802 Train, Class 803 Trains, Edinburgh Station, Hull Station, Hull Trains, Lumo, Paignton Station, Rochdale Station, Sheffield Station, Stirling Station | Leave a comment

Thoughts On Lumo’s Proposed Paddington And Carmarthen Service

Lumo have permission for an open access service between London Paddington and Carmarthen.

Stops will be Bristol Parkway, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Cardiff Central, Gowerton and Llanelli
It will be run under the Lumo brand.
There will be five services per day.

Lumo hope services will start in 2027.

I would suspect that the train would run between London Paddington and Carmarthen like this.

Run between London London Paddington and Cardiff Central using the 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
Whilst running between London Paddington and Cardiff Central, the train’s batteries will be fully charged using the overhead electrification.
Run between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen using the onboard battery power.
Charge the train as required at Carmarthen.

Note.

London Paddington and Cardiff Central is 145.2 miles or 233.7 km.
Cardiff Central and Carmarthen via Gowerton is 75.3 miles or 121.2 km.
In case of disruption, trains could wait at Cardiff Central, until the batteries had enough charge.

A battery capability of 75.3 miles or 121.2 km will be needed to reach Carmarthen.

A Fast Run Between London Paddington And Bristol Parkway

Consider.

Currently, the fastest trains to Bristol Parkway take one hour and thirteen minutes between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway.
The route is fully electrified.
But the trains do make as many as three stops at Reading, Didcot Parkway and Swindon, before they stop at Bristol Parkway.
London Paddington and Bristol Parkway are 111.7 miles apart.

This is an average speed of 91.8 mph.

Lumo will be making Bristol Parkway the first stop.

60 mins will be 111.7 mph.
54 mins will be 125 mph.

It could be a very fast time from London Paddington, if the trains can hold their operating speed of 125 mph for long periods to Bristol Parkway.

I would expect that a fast service between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway could attract passengers, if there were lots of parking.

A Fast Run Between Bristol Parkway And Cardiff Central

Consider.

Currently, the fastest trains take thirty-five minutes between Bristol Parkway and Cardiff Central.
The route is fully electrified.
The speed limit varies between 75 and 90 mph.
The train makes a single stop at Newport.
Bristol Parkway and Cardiff Central are 34.2 miles apart

This is an average speed of 58.7 mph.

Lumo will be stopping at Severn Tunnel Junction and Newport.

The time may be a couple of minutes slower.

But I still expect that Cardiff Central will be reached in ninety minutes from London Paddington.

A Battery Run Between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen via Gowerton

Consider.

Cardiff Central and Carmarthen via Gowerton is 75.3 miles or 121.2 km.
The route has no electrification
The train makes stops at Gowerton and Llanelli
Cardiff Central and Carmarthen via Gowerton has a speed limit of mainly 75 mph, although there are sections up to 90 mph.

Times between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen via Gowerton would be.

At 75 mph the trip would be 60 minutes.

At 80 mph the trip would be 56 minutes.

I would estimate a time between London Paddington and Carmarthen of two hours and 35 minutes, as opposed to an hour longer by Great Western Railway, but that train makes eleven stops, as opposed to the six that Lumo intend to make.

Conclusion

It looks like Lumo will make most of their time savings to Camarthen by cutting stops and high speed running to betweeen London Paddington and Bristol Parkway stations.

January 9, 2025 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Bristol Parkway Station, Cardiff Central Station, Carmarthen Station, Lumo, Lumo Paddington And Carmarthen, Open Access Operators, Paddington Station | 1 Comment

FirstGroup Acquires London – South Wales Open Access Business And Plans Lumo To Devon

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.

This is the sub-heading.

‘Growing our open access rail portfolio is a key priority’, FirstGroup CEO Graham Sutherland said on December 5 when the company announced that it had acquired Grand Union Trains GWML Holdings Ltd. GUT holds track access rights to launch an open access passenger service between London and Carmarthen. FirstGroup has also applied for paths to launch a London to Paignton service.

FirstGroup seem to have acted quickly to replace the business that they have lost to the Government.

This is said about the London Paddington and Carmarthen route.

The London Paddington to Carmarthen service is now expected to launch in December 2027, with GUT having secured track access rights to the end of 2037.

There will be five services each way per day, calling at stations including Bristol Parkway, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Cardiff Central, Gowerton and Llanelli. FirstGroup said it would provide low fares, ‘more customer choice and much-needed additional capacity’.

It is still considering rolling stock options, and ’updates will be provided in due course’. The trains would have one class, free wi-fi and onboard catering.

After the successful trial of battery-powered high speed trains that I wrote about in ‘UK-First’ Intercity Battery Trial Exceeds Expectations, I would suspect that the train would run between London Paddington and Carmarthen like this.

Run between London Paddington and Cardiff Central using the 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
Whilst running between Paddington and Cardiff Central, the train’s batteries will be fully charged using the overhead electrification.
Run between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen using the onboard battery power.
Charge the train as required at Carmarthen.

Note.

London Paddington and Cardiff Central is 145.2 miles or 233.7 km.
Cardiff Central and Carmarthen via Gowerton is 75.3 miles or 121.2 km.
In case of disruption, trains could wait at Cardiff Central, until the batteries had enough charge.

A battery capability of 121.2 km will be needed.

This is said about the London Paddington and Paignton route.

An application has been submitted to the Office of Rail & Road for the service to incorporate five return trips per day between London Paddington and Paignton via stations including Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Taunton, Exeter St David’s and Torquay from May 2028, as well as a sixth path between Highbridge & Burnham and London.

I suspect that the Paignton route will use a similar profile to the Carmarthen route.

Run between London Paddington and Chippenham using the 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
Whilst running between Paddington and Chippenham, the train’s batteries will be fully charged using the overhead electrification.
Run between Chippenham and Paignton using the onboard battery power.
Charge the train as required at Paignton .

Note.

London Paddington and Chippenham is 93.5 miles or 233.7 km.
Chippenham and Paignton is 128.6 miles or 207 km.
In case of disruption, trains could wait at Chippenham , until the batteries had enough charge.

A battery capability of 207 km will be needed.

This page on the Hitachi Rail web site is entitled Intercity Battery Trains, where this is a paragraph.

Replacing one diesel engine with just one battery reduces emissions by more than 20% and offers cost savings of 20-30%. Our intercity battery powered trains can cover 70km on non-electrified routes, operating at intercity speeds at the same or increased performance.

I am a Graduate Control and Electrical Engineer and I believe that, if you have a train with two batteries, then by sequencing and managing the power, a range of 140 km. should be possible. As a typical Class 802 train, as used by Hull Trains has three diesel engines, would the train have a range of 210 km., if all three were swapped for batteries?

One fact, that has been disclosed by Hitachi, is that diesel engines and battery packs are identical in weight and power, so train performance and handling is unaffected, by the number of batteries.

If we look at the routes of First Group present and future subsidiaries and how much is on unelectrified track, we can create the following table.

Beverley – Hull Trains – 71.3 km.
Carmarthen – Lumo – 121.2 km.
Hull – Hull Trains – 58,1 km.
Paignton – Lumo – 207 km.
Rochdale – Lumo – 16.7 km.
Sheffield – Hull Trains – 37.5 km.
Worksop – Hull Trains – 12.2 km.

Note,

One two or three batteries could be fitted.
Some destinations could be served without any charging at the destination.
Hitachi have proposed short lengths of 25 KVAC overhead line to charge trains.
For some destinations, it may be a more affordable to add another battery than add a charger.

It’s all very modular.

December 5, 2024 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Battery-Electric Trains, Carmarthen Station, Class 802 Train, Devon, Electrification, FirstGroup, Hull Trains, Lumo, Lumo Paddington And Carmarthen, Lumo Paddington And Paignton, Paignton Station | 1 Comment

How Many Direct Trains Should There Be Between London Paddington And Newquay?

The Mid-Cornwall Metro will see the following improvements on the Atlantic Coast Line between Newquay and Par stations.

A second platform built at Newquay station.
There will be a passing loop across Treegoss Moor.
There will be a step-free bridge at Par station.

This will allow the current service on the line to be increased from two-hourly to hourly.

FirstGroup’s services in the UK, include several services, where a service is extended to a terminus away from the main line.

Avanti West Coast – two trains per day (tpd) to Blackpool
Great Western Railway – six tpd to Carmarthen
Hull Trains – five tpd to Hull.
Hull Trains – two tpd to Beverley.
Hull Trains (proposed) – two tpd to Worksop and Sheffield.

Given that there will only be an hourly local service on the Atlantic Coast Line, I suspect that FirstGroup will be able to run up to six tpd to Newquay to satisfy the traffic needs of the London and Newquay service.

How Will Great Western Railway Run A Service To Newquay?

Last weekend, when I went to Ebbw Vale, I wrote My Train To Wales Today Divided At Swansea.

My train, that day was a ten-car train formed of a pair of Class 800 trains.

The front train was signed as going to Swansea.
The rear train was signed as going to Carmarthen.
At Swansea the trains split into two.
The front train finished its journey.
The rear train reversed out and continued to Carmarthen.

Returning to London Paddington, trains join at Swansea.

Will Great Western Railway use a similar operation with Newquay services.

The train would be a ten-car train formed of a pair of Class 802 trains.

One train would be going to Plymouth and the other train to Newquay.
At Plymouth the trains split into two.
One train finishes its journey at Plymouth.
The other train continues to Newquay.

As Bodmin General station, has a second platform, that was recently built with financial help from Great Western Railway, could this be another destination served by splitting a train at Plymouth?

I discuss the implications of the second platform at Bodmin General station in Beeching Reversal – Increased Service Provision Bodmin General-Bodmin Parkway

How Long Would A Round Trip Take Between Plymouth And Newquay?

Current timings are as follows.

Plymouth to Par – 34.7 miles – 50 minutes
Par to Newquay – 20.8 miles – 51 minutes
Turnround at Newquay – 5 minutes
Newquay to Par – 20.8 miles – 51 minutes
Par to Plymouth – 34.7 miles – 50 minutes

Note.

Times are from Class 802 trains between Par to Plymouth.
Times are for Class 150 trains between Par and Newquay.

Total time is 207 minutes or three hours and twenty-seven minutes.

February 11, 2024 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Atlantic Coast Line, Automatic Splitting And Joining Of Trains, Bodmin General Station, Carmarthen Station, Class 800 Train, Class 802 Train, FirstGroup, Hull Trains, Mid-Cornwall Metro, Newquay Station, Paddington Station, Par Station, Swansea Station | Leave a comment

My Train To Wales Today Divided At Swansea

According to the Wikipedia entry for Great Western Railway, seven of their hourly services to Swansea now continue to Carmarthen station.

My train was such a train, although I got off at Newport station.
The service was formed of two five-car Class 800 trains; 800026 and 800027.
I would assume that at Swansea, the trains will have split and the rear train will reverse and continue to Carmarthen.
The lead train would stay in Swansea.
I have traced the Carmarthen train on Real Time Trains and it clearly shows that the train picked up another train at Swansea as it came back to London.

All the trains involved in the splitting and joining were Class 800 trains.

The splitting and joining at Swansea means the following.

There is a ten-car train between London and Swansea, which will give maximum capacity to and from the rugby at Cardiff.
There is a five-car train between Swansea and Carmarthen, which doesn’t need the capacity of a ten-car train.

This is probably a more efficient use of trains and it maximises capacity to and from Cardiff, in both directions.

Is this splitting and joining at Swansea, the first regular use of the technique in service with Class 800 trains?

This YouTube video shows the station displays at Reding, when a Swansea/Carmarthen pair go through.

February 3, 2024 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | A Day Trip To Ebbw Vale Town Station, Automatic Splitting And Joining Of Trains, Cardiff Central Station, Carmarthen Station, Class 800 Train, Great Western Railway, Newport (South Wales) Station, Swansea Station | 1 Comment

More Trains To Carmarthen

The last time, I looked at the number of GWR trains to Carmarthen its Wikipedia entry, it was just a couple.

Today, one train per hour (tph) is shown between London Paddington and Swansea, with this supplementary information.

7 trains per day continue to Carmarthen, calling at Gowerton (limited), Llanelli, Pembrey & Burry Port, Kidwelly (limited) and Ferryside (limited)
On Summer Saturdays, 2 trains per day run to Pembroke Dock, calling at all stations between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock

In Regulator Approves New Grand Union Train Service From Carmarthen To London Paddington, I talked about the plans of Grand Union Trains to run five trains per day (tpd) between London Paddington and Carmarthen.

This would appear to give a total of twelve tpd between London Paddington and Carmarthen.

This page on the Crown Estate web site is entitled Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind, where this is said.

The Government has set an ambition to deliver up to 5GW of floating wind by 2030, with rapid expansion anticipated thereafter.

At The Crown Estate, we are committed to helping the UK achieve its net zero ambitions. To support this, we are excited to deliver a new leasing opportunity in the Celtic Sea for the first generation of commercial-scale floating offshore windfarms – unlocking up to 4GW of new clean energy capacity by 2035, kick-starting industry in the region, and providing power to almost four million homes.

We will be inviting full commercial scale projects up to 1GW, which may be developed in a phased or ‘stepping stone’ approach. Recognising the need to develop the UK supply chain and supporting infrastructure for this nascent technology, this approach is deliberately intended to provide opportunities for growth and investment. This will also facilitate the co-ordination of the necessary infrastructure, such as ports and grid connections, all of which are key to the sustainable development of the UK floating wind sector over the long term.

This leasing opportunity will provide the foundation for greater capacity in the future and help establish an exciting new industrial sector for the UK, creating opportunities for significant new investment in jobs, skills and infrastructure for the communities onshore.

It appears to me, that Great Western Railway and Grand Union Trains both believe that there will be large increase in demand for rail travel between London Paddington and Carmarthen and also along the South Wales Coast.

Grand Union Trains are also proposing the building of a new parkway station at Parc Felindre North of Swansea.

But then this area of South Wales and the Celtic Sea, has the four things needed for the development of up to 5 GW of offshore wind; a lot of wind, a large area of empty sea, steel and deep water ports to assemble all the floating wind turbines.

A Zero-Carbon High Speed Railway Between London Paddington And Carmarthen

Consider.

The Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Carmarthen is 222.5 miles and trains take around three hours and fifty minutes, which is an average speed of 58 mph.
Between Bristol Parkway and Reading stations, the operating speed is 125 mph.
In South Wales, the operating speed is generally between 70 and 100 mph.
Only the 77.4 miles between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen via Swansea is not electrified.

There is probably scope to increase the operating speed using digital signalling and by improving the track.

I would suspect that a time between London Paddington and Carmarthen of under three-and-a-half hours is possible.

The Range Of Battery-Electric Trains

Hitachi have not been specific about the zero-carbon range of their Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.

In Stadler FLIRT Akku Battery Train Demonstrates 185km Range, I talk about Stadler’s record-braking Battery-electric; Akku, which covered 185 km or 115 miles.

I suspect that Hitachi’s engineers and those at their battery suppliers; Turntide Technology will be ultra-competitive, so I wouldn’t be surprised that the zero-carbon range of the Hitachi train is very competitive to the Stadler FLIRT Akku.

A hundred mile range would allow electric services to be run on these routes.

Cardiff and Carmarthen – 77.4 miles
Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads and return – 48.8 miles
Chippenham and Bristol Western-super-Mare and return – 86.9 miles
Swindon and Cheltenham Spa and return – 86.5 miles
East Coast Main Line and Hull and return – 72.2 miles
Plymouth and Penzance – 79.5 miles
Taunton and Newbury – 89.6 miles
York and Scarborough and return – 84.1 miles

I am fairly sure that Hitachi will aim for at least a hundred mile battery range for their Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.

This would be competitive with other train manufacturers like Stadler and Siemens.
They would handle a lot of important routes.
With development they could probably handle Edinburgh and Inverness.

I can’t wait to have a ride.

June 8, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Cardiff Central Station, Carmarthen Station, Celtic Sea, Digital Signalling, Electrification, Grand Union Railway, Great Western Main Line, Great Western Railway, Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, South Wales, South Wales Main Line, Stadler FLIRT Akku, Swansea Station, Turntide Technologies | 2 Comments

Regulator Approves New Grand Union Train Service From Carmarthen To London Paddington

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from the Office of Rail and Road.

This is the sub-heading of the press release.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has opened up the Great Western Main Line to competition and enabled a significant increase in rail services between London and South Wales.

These points are made in the press release.

The rail regulator has approved the introduction of new train services between London, Cardiff and South West Wales from the end of 2024.
The services will be operated by a new open access operator, Grand Union Trains, bringing competition to the Great Western route out of Paddington.
Passengers travelling between London, Bristol Parkway, Severn Tunnel Junction, Newport, Cardiff, Gowerton, Llanelli and Carmarthen will benefit from an extra five daily return services and greater choice of operator.
The decision opens up the Great Western Main Line to competition for the first time, with potential benefits in terms of lower fares, improved service quality and innovation for all passengers using the route.
The application, submitted to ORR in June 2022, was disputed by Network Rail due to concerns about capacity on the network. But following careful consideration and analysis, ORR has directed Network Rail to enter into a contract with Grand Union.
Grand Union has committed to significant investment in new trains.
As an ‘open access’ train operator, however, it will not get paid subsidies from public funds, unlike current operators along the route.

ORR supports new open access where it delivers competition for the benefit of passengers. In making this decision, the regulator has weighed this up against the impact on Government funds and effect on other users of the railway, both passengers and freight customers.

These are my thoughts.

The Company

Grand Union Trains have certainly persevered to get this approval.

The company was created by Ian Yeowart, who previously created open access operators; Alliance Rail Holdings and Grand Central before selling both to Arriva.
After multiple negotiations with the Office of Road and Rail (ORR), Yeowart must know how to get an acceptable deal.
Grand Union Trains have a similar application for a service between Euston and Stirling with the ORR.

Grand Union Trains also have a web site.

The home page has a mission statement of Railways To Our Core, with this statement underneath.

At Grand Union we are passionate about Britain’s railways. We are committed to the traditional values of providing a high-quality customer service and a comfortable journey experience at a fair price.

I’ll go with that.

The Financial Backing Of The Company

All the UK’s open access operators are well-financed either by Arriva or First Group.

The ORR would not receive any thanks, if they approved an operator, which duly went bust.

So what is the quality of the financing behind Grand Union Trains?

This article on Railway Gazette is entitled RENFE Looks At Entering UK Rail Market Through Open Access Partnership, which starts with this paragraph.

Open access passenger service developer Grand Union Trains is working with Spain’s national operator RENFE and private equity firm Serena Industrial Partners on a proposed service between London and Wales.

That is fairly clear and would surely help in the financing of Grand Union Trains.

The Route

Trains will run between Carmarthen and London Paddington, with stops at Llanelli, Gowerton, Cardiff, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol Parkway.

A new station at Felindre will replace Gowerton at some time in the future.

There will be five trains per day (tpd).

I have some thoughts and questions about the route

Felindre Station

Felindre station is named in Wikipedia as the West Wales Parkway station, where it is introduced like this.

West Wales Parkway is a proposed railway station north of Swansea, near to the boundaries of the neighbouring principal area of Carmarthenshire, and the villages of Felindre and Llangyfelach. The station is proposed to be situated at the former Felindre steelworks, near Junction 46 of the M4 and A48, and near Felindre Business Park and Penllergaer Business Park. The project is in the planning stages, as part of a wider Department for Transport proposal to re-open the Swansea District line to passenger traffic.

This Google Map shows where, it appears the Felindre station will be built.

Note.

The Felindre Business Park in the North-West corner of the map, with a Park-and-Ride.
The M4 running across the bottom of the map.
The Swansea District Line runs East-West between the motorway and the Business Park.

It looks that the new station could be located on the South side of the Business Park.

When High Speed Two Opens Will Trains Call At Old Oak Common?

When High Speed Two opens, all GWR trains will stop at Old Oak Common station for these connections.

Chiltern for for Banbury, Bicester, High Wycombe and the West Midlands
Elizabeth Line for Central and East London and the Thames Valley
Heathrow Airport
High Speed Two for Birmingham and the North
Overground for Outer London

As Old Oak Common will be such an important interchange, I think they should.

Will The Platforms At Carmarthen Station Need Lengthening?

This Google Map shows Carmarthen station.

Note.

The station has two platforms.
There are certainly pictures of the station with an InterCity 125 in the station. There is a picture on the Wikipedia entry for Carmarthen station.

These pictures show the station.

I suspect that the station will be upgraded to accommodate Grand Union Trains.

The Trains

An article in the June 2022 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled Grand Union Bids For London To Carmarthen, gives these details of the trains.

Three classes.
2023 start for the service.
Cycle provision.
Vanload freight will be carried.
Electric trains could start between London and Cardiff by 2023.
In 2025, trains could be nine-car bi-modes.
South Wales-based operation and maintenance.
125 full-time jobs created.

It certainly seems to be a comprehensive and well-thought out plan.

I have a few thoughts on the trains.

What Make Of Trains Will Be Procured?

Consider.

Lumo’s Class 803 trains were ordered from Hitachi in March 2019 and entered service in October 2021.
So if they ordered their version of the Hitachi trains by the end of 2022, the trains could be in service by July/August 2025.
It would probably be easier, if the only fast trains on the Great Western Main Line between London and South Wales were all Hitachi trains with identical performance.

But the Spanish backers of Grand Union Trains may prefer Spanish-designed trains assembled in South Wales. So would a bi-mode version of CAF’s Class 397 trains be suitable?

On the other hand, the Carmarthen and Cardiff section of the route without a reverse at Swansea is only seventy-five miles.

This Hitachi infographic shows the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.

Consider.

Charging could be provided at Carmarthen using a short length of electrification or one of Furrer + Frey standard chargers.
Charging would also use the electrification between London Paddington and Cardiff.
A nine-car Class 800 or Class 802 train has five engines and a five-car train has three engines.
The Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train was announced in December 2022.
In the intervening two years how far has the project progressed?
For the last twelve months, Lumo have been running trains with an emergency battery-pack for hotel power. How are the batteries doing, whilst being ferried up and down, the East Coast Main Line?

Can Hitachi configure a train with more than one battery-pack and a number of diesel engines, that has a range of seventy-five miles? I suspect they can.

I suspect that CAF also have similar technology.

There is also a benefit to Great Western Railway (GWR).

If GWR were able to fit out their Class 802 trains in the same way, they would be able to run between Cardiff and Swansea on battery power.

It is only 45.7 miles.
Charging would need to be provided at Swansea.
GWR could still run their one tpd service to Carmarthen.

It looks like both train operating companies could be able to do as Lumo does and advertise all electric services.

What Could Be The Maxmum Range Of A Hitachi Train On Batteries?

This Hitachi infographic shows the Hitachi Regional Battery Train.

Consider.

It has a battery range of 90 km or 56 miles on the single battery.
I would expect that by a regional train, Hitachi mean a five car Class 800 or 802 train, like those that go to Cheltenham, Lincoln or Middlesbrough.
A five-car Hitachi Regional Battery Train would have a battery that could contain power equivalent to 280 car-miles.
Five-car Class 800 or 802 trains have three engine positions.
These Hitachi trains have a very sophisticated control system, which I wrote about in Do Class 800/801/802 Trains Use Batteries For Regenerative Braking?

I believe the engineers at Hyperdrive Innovation have designed the battery-packs that replace the diesel engines as simulations of the diesel engines, so they can be a direct replacement.

This would mean that battery-packs could be additive, so the following could apply to a five-car train.

Two battery packs could have a range of 112 miles.
Three battery packs could have a range of 168 miles.

GWR generally runs pairs of five-car trains to Swansea, which would be 90 miles without electrification.

If five-car trains with two battery packs, could be given a range of 112 miles, GWR could run an electric service to Swansea.

They could also run to Carmarthen, if Grand Union Trains would share the charger.

What ranges could be possible with nine-car trains, if one battery pack is good for 280 car-miles?

One battery-pack, gives a range of 280/9 = 31 miles
Two battery-packs, give a range of 2*280/9 = 62 miles
Three battery-packs, give a range of 3*280/9 = 93 miles
Four battery-packs, give a range of 4*280/9 = 124 miles
Five battery-packs, give a range of 5*280/9 = 155 miles
Six battery-packs, give a range of 6*280/9 = 187 miles
Seven battery-packs, give a range of 7*280/9 = 218 miles

Note.

I have rounded figures to the nearest mile.
There are five cars with diesel engines in a nine-car train, which are in cars 2,3,5, 7 and 8.
Diesel engines are also placed under the driver cars in five-car Class 810 trains.
For the previous two reasons, I feel that the maximum numbers of diesel engines in a nine-car train could be a maximum of seven.
I have therefor assumed a maximum of seven battery packs.

These distances seem sensational, but when you consider that Stradler’s Flirt Akku has demonstrated a battery range of 243 kilometres or 150 miles, I don’t think they are out of order.

But, if they are correct, then the ramifications are enormous.

Large numbers of routes could become electric without any infrastructure works.
Grand Union Trains would be able to run to Carmarthen and back without a charger at Carmarthen.
GWR would be able to run to Swansea and back without a charger at Swansea.

Prudence may mean strategic chargers are installed.

Rrenewable Energy Developments In South West Wales

In Enter The Dragon, I talked about renewable energy developments in South West Wales.

I used information from this article on the Engineer, which is entitled Unlocking The Renewables Potential Of The Celtic Sea.

The article on the Engineer finishes with this conclusion.

For now, Wales may be lagging slightly behind its Celtic cousin to the north, but if the true potential of the Celtic Sea can be unleashed – FLOW, tidal stream, lagoon and wave – it looks set to play an even more prominent role in the net zero pursuit.

The Red Dragon is entering the battle to replace Vlad the Mad’s tainted energy.

South West Wales could see a massive renewable energy boom.

Grand Union Trains will increase the capacity to bring in more workers to support the developments from South Wales and Bristol.

December 3, 2022 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Arriva, CAF, Carmarthen Station, Celtic Sea, Class 397 Train, Elizabeth Line, Felindre Station, FirstGroup, Furrer + Frey, Grand Union Trains, Great Western Main Line, Great Western Railway, Heathrow Airport, High Speed Two, Hitachi, Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, Hitachi Regional Battery Train, Lumo, Office Of Rail And Road, Old Oak Common Station, Open Access Operators, Paddington Station, RENFE, Serena Industrial Partners, South Wales Main Line, Stadler FLIRT Akku, Wales | 5 Comments

Are These Two Stories Related?

These are two stories recently published in Railway Gazette.

Deutsche Bahn Sells Arriva Businesses To Private Equity Holding Company, which starts with this paragraph.

Deutsche Bahn has reached agreement to sell its Arriva local transport activities in Denmark, Poland and Serbia to München-based private equity holding company Mutares SE & Co KGaA.

That is fairly clear and is probably related with the German government’s desire for DB to concentrate on its core business.seren

This article on Railway Gazette is entitled RENFE Looks At Entering UK Rail Market Through Open Access Partnership, which starts with this paragraph.

Open access passenger service developer Grand Union Trains is working with Spain’s national operator RENFE and private equity firm Serena Industrial Partners on a proposed service between London and Wales.

That also is fairly clear and would bring competition to services to and from South Wales.

It would also help in the financing of Grand Union Trains.

The article also says the following.

RENFE seem to be expanding into partnerships to run services outside Spain.
A parkway station at Felindre will be build to avoid the reverse at Swansea, that would save 20 mins.
It will be a high quality service with new electro-diesel trains.
Four trains will be needed.
A 2025 start is envisaged.

Will this partnership with Grand Union Trains proceed with the development of Grand Union Trains’ London and Stirling service?

I have some thoughts and questions.

Will Deutsche Bahn Sell Other Arriva Businesses?

I think this is a reasonable question to ask, especially, as Deutsche Bahn owns two Open Access Operators in the UK; Chiltern Railways and Grand Central Trains.

Both operators have a good reputation.
Both operators need to decarbonise, either by updating their current stock or buying new trains.
Both operators have solid niche markets, where they are often responsible for the stations.
Both operators have expansion plans.

Would RENFE and Serena Industrial Partners be interested in taking over Arriva UK and developing the business?

The Talgo Factory At Longannet

I believe that there is reason to believe that one of Talgo’s reasons for a factory in Scotland, is that it could have been used to build Russian and dual-gauge trains for Eastern Europe. The trains would have been delivered by ferry from Rosyth.

There is also the not-small matter of the fleet for Rail Baltica, for which Talgo will surely be a bidder.

But Russia’s attack on Ukraine has scuppered that plan, or at least delayed it for a few years. But now, there could be a much larger market for trains in Eastern Europe and especially Ukraine.

If RENFE Acquire Open Access Operators In The UK, They Will Need New Trains

They will certainly need new trains for the South Wales operations, if they go ahead, but if they were to decarbonise Chiltern and Grand Central, the order could be substantial.

With one Spanish train factory in the UK and another a possibility, I would suspect any train order would go to a Spanish train-builder.

If the orders fell right, could we see Talgo’s factory at Longannet built after all?

October 1, 2022 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | CAF, Carmarthen Station, DB, Felindre Station, Grand Union Trains, Open Access Operators, Paddington Station, Rail Baltica, RENFE, Russia, Russian Attack On Ukraine, Serena Industrial Partners, Spain, Swansea Station, Talgo | 4 Comments

Will It Be Third-Time Lucky For Grand Union Trains In Wales?

It is three years since I wrote Grand Union Seeks ’91s’ To Cardiff and their proposal has not been accepted and the third iteration has been announced.

This article on Wales Online is entitled Independent Rail Firm Bids To Launch As Rival To Great Western On The Mainline From South Wales To London.

These are the introductory paragraphs.

An independent rail firm is hoping to launch a rival train service in Wales which they say will slash journey times between Carmarthen and London. Grand Union Trains is making a fresh bid to introduce an initial service in both directions between Cardiff and London on the existing Great Western line.

The company believes the move will “create passenger choice” and increase the number of trains available, with the hope that the service can be extended west in South Wales towards Carmarthen.

About This Blog

What this blog will eventually be about I do not know.

But it will be about how I’m coping with the loss of my wife and son to cancer in recent years and how I manage with being a coeliac and recovering from a stroke. It will be about travel, sport, engineering, food, art, computers, large projects and London, that are some of the passions that fill my life.

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The Anonymous Widower

FirstGroup Applies To Run Rail Services Between Hereford And London via Cwmbran

Is FirstGroup’s Order For Fourteen Trains For Lumo And Hull Trains More Identical Than Is Generally Assumed?

Thoughts On Lumo’s Proposed Paddington And Carmarthen Service

FirstGroup Acquires London – South Wales Open Access Business And Plans Lumo To Devon

How Many Direct Trains Should There Be Between London Paddington And Newquay?

My Train To Wales Today Divided At Swansea

More Trains To Carmarthen

Regulator Approves New Grand Union Train Service From Carmarthen To London Paddington

Are These Two Stories Related?

Will It Be Third-Time Lucky For Grand Union Trains In Wales?

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