03.01.13
Cardiff ‘Crossrail’ plans proposed
Plans have been proposed for a £200m Cardiff Crossrail, running east-west from St Mellons to the M4 at Creigiau and north-south from the M4 to the bay.
The Metro Consortium has produced a report on the plans, which would make use of the planned electrification of south Wales, due between 2014 and 2019, and bring economic regeneration to the area.
South Wales currently suffers from a relative lack of transport connectivity, the report states. New stations could be build at Ely Bridge, St Mellons, Crwys Rd, Wedal Rd, Rover Way, Splott and Waterhall over ten years, the consortium suggests.
Metro Consortium advisor Mark Barry said: “Transport is the backbone of regional development. There are major development sites in the city, existing and new, which are not connected to the regional rail network. It's not a really clever, coherent strategy where most of your major sites do not connect to your regional transport network.
“Transport is not the be-all and end-all. It should be an enabler of development at key locations. By better connecting Cardiff, you are also increasing the travel-to-work area of places like Newport, Pontypridd, and Caerphilly, which will allow them to play a more prominent regional role.”
His report states: “Whist this project is costly [perhaps £150m-£200m] it is affordable and can be delivered incrementally.
“For example, when one considers that 40,000 new homes in Cardiff could secure a sales value of £6bn (at £150k per residence) then it would not appear unreasonable or unrealistic to secure a proportion of this value to contribute to the overall costs of the Cardiff Crossrail project.”
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