Longwood Drive doesn't present a problem. Just build a bridge to go underneath. If there is a will (and money) then there is a way.

Always an enjoyable watch, even when it is an area of Cardiff with which I am totally unfamiliar. Looking forward to you doing Penarth to Biglis Junction. 😉

Very informative and well argued. I would have like to have heard a comment from TfW at the end to finish it off.

Thank you for the walking tour and explaining the past history. Always enjoy watching your videos. See you on the next Bob! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿👍🙂🇺🇸

Thank you for another excellent video, Bob.

I agree with you , the costing alone would be astronomical but the P&R should be built.

First, that presented drawing of a possible route employs 50m radius tracks so it entirely ignores that trains like large radiuses and minimal inclines. Trams can maybe do that route. Trains can not. Now, secondly, it IS possible to draw a more train-suitable 450m radius circle from starting 300 m before the coryton cut reaches the middle lock. That way the 'top' of the circle would be in between the highway and longwood drive. That connection hits the taff vale railway where it runs right alongside the taff river (just below where the old mill used to be). This route avoids the middle lock easily, crosses longwood drive twice but more importantly it avoids built-up areas. One little problem left, by my estimation that route has more than a 2% descent, dropping probably 25m within 1km, which would be 1:40. Perhaps someone has an accurate lidar measurement of the height difference? Now that incline could be solved by making the Coryton cut deeper, starting as far back at Coryton but it won't come cheap... and with that it will more tend towards what ianssmith says, go underneath using a bridge twice or reroute the road in parts.

quite agree bob but it could be done but the cost would be out of this world.

Great video, Bob 👍

It's a very picturesque area isn't it? I need to add it to my long list

Thank you for a good balanced consideration of the practical aspects. I see a lot of people commenting in Facebook groups about lines that should be reopened and/or linked up, but some are a combination of very expensive work to remove or cross more recent buildings and infrastructure, with questionable limited benefits, so are clearly impractical. As you say, it's easy to draw on a map, and it may look a great idea, but it's quite a different matter in practice.

I cannot see this as a viable proposition, I think your views present a water tight case to prove it is just not viable and I totally agree with everything you have said. It is an interesting video and well worth making, thank you for making it. There are lots of ideas being banded about for reinstating railways in Wales, Aberystwyth to Carmarthen and Afon Wen Junction (on the Cambrian Coast Line) to Bangor to name but two. Feasibility surveys for both have come up with eye watering costs and will almost certainly never get off the ground, I suspect the same would be true of this idea.

This is an idea that has been around for several decades. It would require a large sum to build a bridge over the R. Taff and some extensive modifications to the track between Radyr and Taff's Well. Is it the best place to invest this large sum or are there other projects where the benefits would be greater? What about extending the railway to Asda, Corytown and building a park & ride car park nearby to reduce motorway traffic coming into Cardiff centre?

A fanciful idea Bob and beyond the practicalities you've outlined. Just think of the cost. There surely cannot be a net economic cost benefit. Since the TfW metro is supposedly all about integtated transport systems you could have a fleet of Clippers, for example, running between Coryton to Radyr to complete the city circle and indded connection to Llandaff North station for connection to the wider rail system.

Unfortunately, as can be seen on the east side of Cardiff. If there wasn’t a reason such as a coal mine, a steelworks or a factory that benefited, the money just wasn’t provided to install a station or a line. The only way I could ever see them justifying a cost of that magnitude in the future, would be to reach net zero targets, together with a campaign to make car ownership severely restricted.

😊 thanks for the explanation! The Viaduct idea does seem rather fancy full and really expensive! Let's hope they get the the M4 Cardiff Parkway and Velindre stations built sooner than later! They should improve the visibility of the Coryton line

Hi mate are you aware of culverhouse cross top of Ely and the wenvoe tunnel?

Radyr platform / platforms on other side of river rather than reuse much of old course ?

The Nature Reserve didn't stop the M4 motorway did it.

I don't think the engineering issues you've presented are insurmountable, simply a matter of funding. The key issue that I can see is how the services would interact with the already constrained network. Building such a link would be pointless without an increase in services, at least 4 per hour per direction compared to the current 2. This would likely require full duling of the Coryton line (not impossible as existing trackbed still exists but certainly not cheap). Additionaly, adding an extra 4 tph/d to the section between Radyr station and a new bridge across the Taff (which is planned to handle 12 tph/d) seems a far more complex issue. Same capacity issues on the existing Rhymney line Heath Junction and of course Central/Cardiff West Junction and Queen street where the biggest capacity contraints lie. Just looking at the junctions between the Coryton line and Taff Vale/Rhymney lines - both will likely need to be grade separated juntions to allow for such an increase in frequency. Whilst obviously very expensive this also seems almost impossible at the Rhymney line junction without serious demolition of nearby houses (obviously this is provided the rolling stock is tram-trains/similar vehicles allowing for tighter radius and steeper inclines). I do feel there would be significant demand for such a service, massively improving cross city connections between the northern and western suburbs of the city and making Radyr a major junction for connections between the valleys and Northern Cardiff. However the only way this line will be well used is with 4 trains per hour per direction and the money required to achieve this simply doesn't make economic sense at the moment. The only way this is ever built is if its built in stages over decades. - Extend to J32 P&R (likely between Longwood drive and M4 due to space requirements) which will tackle one of the hurdles. - Introduce passing loop on Coryton line to allow for 4tph. - Then over decades slowly tackle the other capacity constraints on the line (these will be economically viable as they will benefit existing lines). - The final task will be connecting from P&R to just north of Radyr - a relatively small connection - but wouldn't expect it till like the 2070s or something lol. Basically I think its extremely unlikely, at least in the next 50 years. Plenty of other improvements that are easier to achieve and have better ROI (principally - increasing frequencies on the existing Coryton and city lines to 4tph)

I think that your final question about it being needed is the nail in the coffin for this idea. The answer is most probably No. Also the most reliable metro systems avoid junctions and loops to avoid delays causing knock-on effects. Even London's Circle line is no longer a circle.