Great Western Coffee Shop

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:V06747/2023-10-28/detailed

Bristol to Cardiff in 40 minutes. You wonder how much passenger figures would rise if that were a regular say half hourly service.

Mark

I don't know.   I suspect a regular half hourly service taking 5 minutes longer and promoted as "on the hour and half hour, every hours, getting there in just three quarters of an hour" would ...

... oh, hang on a moment ... what have we already in each hour? ...
12:00 Bristol to Cardiff, arrive 12:45
12:32 Bristol to Cardiff, arrive 13:21

The :00 stops at Filton Abbey Wood and Newport
The :32 stops at Filton Abbey Wood, Patchway, Severn Tunnel Junction and Newport

I'm suspecting an adjustment to make a clockface half hourly service, 47 minutes, 3 calls on the way would be pretty attractive.  That's assuming you have reliability an capacity.  The when the extra stations open between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel, you'll also have a half hourly Cardiff to Severn Tunnel Junction, alternate trains extended to Gloucester and Bristol, all stations.

Haha! So we do. *Eats worms*. Apologies, my views on the Bristol to Cardiff timetable coloured by a series of grim experiences with overcrowding on trains whether two carriage or five/timetable disruption/issues with connections at Bristol.

Mark

Technical question,can a five car IET fit into platform zero at cardiff central?

Well I have yet find the answer to the above question.

Anyway the 12:19pm special to Cardiff was cancelled.

The return special was also cancelled,

the 18:00pm to BTM five coach IET was full and standing on departure

ALTHOUGH a special did run departing approx 18:30pm calling Bristol Parkway and BTM

IET / platform 0?   Best research I can give you - from http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/wales_western_plannong_rules.pdf the usable length is 99 metres so it would need selective door opening.  Terminating IETs can do so at short platforms - for example the 109 metres at Frome, and as I recall there is s significant length or plain track at Cardiff platform 0 to the east, above / just beside the upper stories of the main station building.  However, I don't know what the signalling section would allow, nor whether this platform has been programmed into IETs. 

It is electrified (I think); I would be concerned at crowd control on the access stairs for a terminating football special.

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/p0overhead.jpg)

Cardiff P0 is only to be used by IETs in emergency’ situations.  It’s not in the Selective Door Operation database (P1-4 are the only ones that are).  If it was ever used it would probably be worked via local door operation by the TM.  It is electrified.

The newest TPR says: "Can fit up to a 4x23m DMU car only." That's about what can be put in a timetable, but the sectional appendix covers all operations and it says: