Cardiff shuttles between planning options

27 September 2007

A third public transport contender last week formally entered the lists to solve the planning headache which afflicts Cardiff for the mile between the city centre and the rapidly-developing Cardiff Bay.

Redevelopment of this mile of old docklands has already started with the four-lane Lloyd George Avenue and its bus lanes. But further extensive redevelopment is stymied by an ancient rail embankment overshadowing the long-gone tenements of Tiger Bay, now a council housing estate.

The battle has already opened between the city’s unitary council and Arriva Wales, which would sweep away both the embankment and the short shuttle Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay branch line. Under new Welsh legislation, it is believed no public inquiry would be needed.

Already, council-owned Cardiff Bus has taken the opportunity to inaugurate 130-seat bendy-buses every 10 minutes along the mile. Addressing the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Wales’ meeting at Cardiff County Hall, managing director David Brown admitted that although some buses carried only a handful of passengers, they were great Bay festival people-movers.

And when the railway closes, passenger numbers should almost double to push the route into profit.

But CILT heard of a third transport option that would avoid the city’s notorious traffic congestion, which afflicts Cardiff Bus badly. John Parry, managing director of Parry People Movers, said one of his 40-seat tram-like vehicles would retain a rail link but enable removal of both the embankment and the notorious Herbert Street rail bridge, which constricts on a bend at the eastern end of the otherwise-large Callaghan Square.

Such a people-mover could manage the new grade from Queen Street station, enabling the four lanes of Herbert Street to be crossed on the level, also saving 40% of rail costs. Parry said: ‘At Bay station, the people-mover could become a tram, and bridge the 500 yards to the Millennium Centre opera house and other attractions.’

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Cardiff shuttles between planning options

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