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Metro

if it's about Cardiff.. Sport, Entertainment, Transportation, Business, Development Projects, Leisure, Eating, Drinking, Nightlife, Shopping, Train Spotting! etc.. then we want it here!
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NorthCityBoy

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Re: Metro

PostMon Mar 20, 2017 7:33 pm

I'd like to be positive about the Metro. Nothing would boost South East Wales more than an efficient, reliable, fully integrated transport system with a high frequency service. Old rail lines reopened, new lines created, new stations opened on existing lines, cross valley express bus links, trams in Cardiff etc

I suspect, given the paltry amount of money that appears to be available for the scheme, the reality is likely to be considerably less exciting, mainly based around more buses and better ticketing. I would dearly love to be proved wrong.
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Peiriannydd

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Re: Metro

PostMon Mar 20, 2017 9:31 pm

Given the not-so-secret plan that the industrial site at Taff's Well will be a major hub for the Metro, I think that locating this centre in Ponty is actually a good move. It's close by both road and rail.

It's also close to Caerphilly and not very far from Merthyr, and places like Talbot Green are just up the A473. It's interesting that Caerphilly actually has offices at Nantgarw/Trefforest Estate, which I believe is within Rhondda Cynnon Taff.

There's also a political element. It demonstrates that the Metro and the City Deal is just about Cardiff. The neighbouring councils are puting up a lot of money as part of this deal, they should see something.
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Simon__200

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Re: Metro

PostTue Mar 21, 2017 1:00 pm

Surely, slapping it in Brunel House would have made the most sense?
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RandomComment

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Re: Metro

PostTue Mar 21, 2017 3:31 pm

I just think its interesting that some people here who lament political opportunism, who oppose significant state intervention in private markets, have welcomed this Ponty announcement with quite such gusto.

I'm not saying this is a bad decision. It might act as the pump priming for a wider regeneration of Pontypridd, and spur on other relocations or inward investments. But the fact that such a heavy hand was felt to be needed - not only the civil servants but actually telling the eventual operator what building they had to be based in (which is a pretty big deparature from things previously) - does suggest the government isn't confident in the Metro strategy itself doing much to boost economic performance of potential Metro nodes like Ponty.

Jantra

Re: Metro

PostTue Mar 21, 2017 3:44 pm

RandomComment wrote:I just think its interesting that some people here who lament political opportunism, who oppose significant state intervention in private markets, have welcomed this Ponty announcement with quite such gusto.

I'm not saying this is a bad decision. It might act as the pump priming for a wider regeneration of Pontypridd, and spur on other relocations or inward investments. But the fact that such a heavy hand was felt to be needed - not only the civil servants but actually telling the eventual operator what building they had to be based in (which is a pretty big deparature from things previously) - does suggest the government isn't confident in the Metro strategy itself doing much to boost economic performance of potential Metro nodes like Ponty.


Generally I am against state intervention when it is in the form of direct subsidy, price setting or other forms of control. In this case the office has to be built somewhere so this is not a decision regarding shall the state intervene. You can argue that building in Ponty is intervening within Ponty, however we can probably agree that overall building in Cardiff would have greater agglomeration effects therefore choosing the location as is isn't the state looking to increase economic activity overall, but in fact it is the state making a decision more along the lines of political outcomes
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Peiriannydd

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Re: Metro

PostTue Mar 21, 2017 8:54 pm

I agree with Jantra, I am against state intervention in terms of subsidies etc., but I don't see anything wrong with steering investment in a particular area through a catalyst project/development. In fact, that's how a lot of large regeneration schemes are started. Don't tell me the state didn't have any intervention with kick-starting the regeneration of Cardiff Bay? Who made the decision to put the Assembly and the WMC down there? Private businesses?
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Lyndon

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Re: Metro

PostTue Mar 21, 2017 9:42 pm

Lots of our first division, gold-standard employers are located in Wales because the government put them here: Airbus in Broughton, Tata Steel in Port Talbot, GE Healthcare in Cardiff, GE Aviation in Nantgarw. That was in the good old days of course, when we had a government that still believed in an active regional economic development strategy (and had loads of nationalised industries).
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moyceyyy

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Re: Metro

PostThu Mar 30, 2017 4:42 pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-sout ... s-39436502

Anyone see this?

Seems like PR to the 9th degree to me. It's been made clear there are NO more trains given to Arriva for the duration of their contract, so these trains have basically had a re-shuffle and they are claiming that they've "doubled capacity". I can almost guarantee that this wont change anything. Cardiff's trains are fucked for the next 18 months at least - there's nothing that can be done until the next contract is given out.

Goodness me, I hope we get some change during the next franchise, especially if it needs to tie into the metro.
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Zach

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Re: Metro

PostThu Mar 30, 2017 7:22 pm

Most of the extra seats seem to be on specifical trains??
I see trains from Penarth are not getting extra seats or carriages, which is a shame as sometimes I can't sit on the double legroom seats into town :D
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NorthCityBoy

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Re: Metro

PostThu Mar 30, 2017 9:47 pm

A woman from Arriva Clowns Wales was interviewed on Radio Wales this morning and she kept banging on about the re signalling having "unlocked the potential". When she was questioned about it, all that's happening is some quieter midday services are losing coaches to a handful of busier services with a handful of new services being introduced. Quite how this is doubling capacity is beyond me.
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