Metro

Dont think nothing has been happening - the Cardiff Bay & Butetown station work shows a junction north of Butetown to allow Central connection - and onward line connections at Cardiff Bay. Current plans have been future proofed.

The Central Quay masterplan includes options for the new tram platforms - and I am absolutely certain that these will be adressed in more detail in the Network Rail masterplan under development.

And Cardiff Council will be developing options for Callaghan Square.

Stuff is happening - just not all out there in the public domain.

Thanks for the update, that's good to hear. Looking forward to some plans being published.

A plan has been posted on Twitter for the Callaghan Square section of the new line. There is a fair bit of remodelling to the road layout, looks like the roundabout is going and the new station will be next to the current water feature.

https://twitter.com/SW_MetroUpdates/status/1764426069031956905

This will be out for consultation shortly with enabling works starting this autumn and construction envisaged to start autumn 2025.

A plan has been posted on Twitter for the Callaghan Square section of the new line. There is a fair bit of remodelling to the road layout, looks like the roundabout is going and the new station will be next to the current water feature.

https://twitter.com/SW_MetroUpdates/status/1764426069031956905

This will be out for consultation shortly with enabling works starting this autumn and construction envisaged to start autumn 2025.

Is this going to be elevated? The line on Lloyd George Avenue side seems to sweep through brick walls as it comes from Callaghan Square.

Has to be some form of tunnel - the required elevation to clear the Bay line would be massive. I did wonder if they would just utilise the existing road and pedestrian underpasses (albeit widened / deepened) but it does look like they'd be creating something new.

It will be at street level and will incline up to the Cardiff Bay line after leaving Callaghan Square station and crossing the road, hence the need to remodel the square to accommodate.

The station in the middle of Callaghan Square makes sense - as does the connection layout to Bay line.

What doesnt make sense is the layout to the west of Callaghan Square - where two tramlines are shown running on the east bound carriageway of the new road layout. This precludes duplex operation and would require a large section of road to be shut down every 15 (?) minutes to allow tram running.

It would make more sense to have the tram line running to the south of the road and then crossing perpendicular to the road further west. Or at least to have the tram lines situated in the centre of the road so it woukd run in same direction as traffic flow.

Also the Central station platforms seem to have shifted. They were previously located to the east of the South entrance and are now located to the west.

I wonder if the tram line location here is simply speculation based around road layout plan - we should see the Masterplan for South Central soon which should answer these questions.

RE Crossrail Phase 1
That diagram recently shared is only one of several early design options investigated. The final design still not nailed down, But to be aware junction with bay line will be at-grade, mixing with traffic will be avoided (so no in-road sections, just road crossings), alignment/platforms at Central will accommodate connection west to the throat at the end of platform 8, likely no station in Callaghan Sq (given proximity of stations at Butetown and Central). Local highways have to be re-designed to wrap around...

I'm still struggling with the line joining on the LGA side. I looked at it yesterday and where the new track is drawn crossing the existing track is 20 feet high on a brick wall. That's why I thought it was going to be like the DLR and run above the road.
The new station is pretty close to the existing Bay station so a Callaghan Square station wouldn't be out of keeping.

I'm still struggling with the line joining on the LGA side. I looked at it yesterday and where the new track is drawn crossing the existing track is 20 feet high on a brick wall. That's why I thought it was going to be like the DLR and run above the road.
The new station is pretty close to the existing Bay station so a Callaghan Square station wouldn't be out of keeping.

Its not difficult - new line comes in from Callaghan Square - southbound line passes through an underpass - through the brick retaining wall - before turning south and rising up gradually parallel to Bay line. Meanwhile nortbound line gradually falls away from Bay line down to grade at Callaghan Square.

But I think a future Circle connection towards Queen Street would not work at grade, and an elevated junction (similar to DLR) would be required.