Major update issued on plans for £100m Cardiff tram network
Major update issued on plans for £100m Cardiff tram network
Cardiff Council said that following a public consultation it has implemented a number of changes to the scheme
Artist impressions showing what the new tram route from Cardiff Central railway station to Cardiff Bay could look like at Callaghan Square.
(Image: The Urbanists )
The first phase of the ambitious Cardiff Crossrail project, with a new tram link running from Cardiff Central Station to Cardiff Bay, is on track to become operational by the summer of 2028.
Phase one, for which enabling work will commence this summer, will deliver a dedicated Crossrail station on the southside of Cardiff Central Station with the route running through Callaghan Square, before meeting the existing rail line that runs from Queen Street Station and alongside Bute Street down to the Bay.
Following a public consultation on the £100m project from Cardiff Council, for which it secured levelling up funding from the former Westminster Government of Boris Johnson with £50m match funding from the Welsh Government, a number of changes have been confirmed.
They council said these include:
The north section of Bute Street, travelling towards Cardiff Bay will remain open to traffic to ensure better road access between Butetown and Cardiff Bay
A commitment to access and inclusion groups to continue to engage through the detailed design process
More planting and green infrastructure on Callaghan Square
Improved bus movements on Custom House Street and a replacement bus layover bay on Park Street.
The council, which is working on the project with Transport for Wales, said tram-trains are scheduled to become operational on the route ahead of football matches being staged at the Principality Stadium for the UEFA 2028 European Championships.
Article continues below
How the first phase of Cardiff Crossrail from Cardiff Central Station to Cardiff could look. Image by Cardiff-based architectrual firm The Urbanists.
(Image: The Urbanists )
As part of the wider Cardiff Crossrail transport vision, and subject to funding, the aim is for it to be extended to Pierhead Street to support redevelopment plans at Atlantic Wharf alongside the new indoor arena.
It is then planned to move eastwards to link up with proposed new stations on South Wales Mainline at Newport Road and the Cardiff Parkway station at St Mellons, integrated in a new 900,000 sq ft business park.
Longer-term schemes for Crossrail include it reaching Plasdwr in the north west of the city.
Dan De'Ath, Cardiff council cabinet member for strategic planning, transport and climate change, said: 'Cardiff Crossrail is a bold and ambitious plan to deliver a new tram system for the city - one that will eventually stretch from the northwest to the east, connecting with the proposed Parkway Station.
"With further investment, we aim to create a reliable, affordable cross-city tram service that links some of Cardiff's most underserved communities to the rail network for the first time.
"This is a long-term investment in Cardiff's public transport infrastructure - designed not just to move people, but to transform how they move. While the cost of this section reflects the scale of the work, some of the funding will go towards improving public spaces and integrating walking and cycling routes.
"This is about building a greener, more sustainable transport system - like those already operating in cities such as Manchester, Nottingham and Edinburgh.'
As part of the delivery process Cardiff Council is seeking an order under the Transport and Works Act 1992 to authorise the construction and operation of phase one of Crossrail.
A decision to approve the making of an application for an order must first be endorsed by Cardiff Council before being submitted to Welsh Ministers via Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).
If approved by the council an application for the order is programmed to be submitted in July.
The application process is likely to take around 12 months and if the order is made by Welsh ministers, tram services should be operational by 2028.
The council's milestones for the projects are:
This summer commence some enabling ground and site investigation works.
Late this year completion of detailed design.
Spring 2026 commence some enabling highway and public realm works;
Late 2026 commence construction of the tram track and the associated platforms at Cardiff Central:
2028 completion of all infrastructure works and the summer of 2028 becoming operational.
Ian Tipper, Transport for Wales' chief infrastructure officer, said: 'We're continuing to work in partnership with Cardiff Council on exciting plans for the delivery of a brand-new tramway between Cardiff Central station and Cardiff Bay station. These plans align with the delivery of the Cardiff Bay line transformation, which will allow faster and more frequent services using brand-new tram-trains.
'Our ambition is that the new tramway will contribute towards a more sustainable transport network for Cardiff, which will encourage more people to leave their cars at home and instead choose more sustainable ways to travel.
'We're grateful for the contributions we received from our communities in the public consultation which was held back in autumn. This feedback will be vital in helping us shape this project so we can deliver a public tramway that people are proud of.'
UK Government Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'This project marks real progress in delivering better, greener transport for Cardiff. Crossrail will make it easier for people to get around the city and open up new opportunities for jobs, business and growth.
Article continues below
'We're serious about improving transport in every corner of the UK as part of our Plan for Change which is why we're investing at least £445m into rail projects alone in north and south Wales. With phase one set to complete in 2028, Cardiff is on track for a stronger, better-connected future.'
Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates said: 'Cardiff Cross Rail is an ambitious and innovative project connecting the city centre with the Bay. I am pleased that Cardiff Council are now pressing ahead with the legal orders to make the scheme a reality.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Cyberattack leads to Whole Foods shortages
A cyberattack on a primary organic food distributor has led to empty shelves at Whole Foods stores across the country. The company, Rhode Island-based United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), is one of the country's largest organic food distributors and a major partner with Whole Foods. It became aware of a cyberattack on June 5, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and took some of its systems offline, hampering its ability to distribute orders to customers. A spokesperson for United Natural Foods declined to share specifics about the cyberattack, saying it was an ongoing operation. But it comes in the wake of a series of cyberattacks where a notorious cybercriminal gang has been targeting major retail customers with ransomware, rendering key systems inoperable as hackers demand payment. A corporate Whole Foods spokesperson apologized for the inconvenience and said the company is working to restock shelves quickly, but declined to answer specific questions. Two Whole Foods employees, who were not authorized by the company to speak with the press about the incident, told NBC News that the shortages were significant. 'It's affecting operations in a very, very significant way,' an employee at a Sacramento Whole Foods said. 'Shelves don't even have products in some places. The shipments we receive are not what we need, or we did need it but it's too much of one product because UNFI can't communicate with stores to get proper orders.' A Whole Foods employee in North Carolina said: 'We had to shut down our sandwich station on Tuesday because we didn't get any bread delivered. My store almost ran out of trash bags the other day.' The UNFI spokesperson said there was not a clear timeline for when distribution would return to normal, but that on Thursday it had begun gradually bringing some systems back online. John Braley, the director of the Food and Agriculture-Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a nonprofit cybersecurity advisory nonprofit for the food and agriculture industry, said the food supply chain's complexity means that if a company is suddenly hampered by a cyberattack, it can cause trickle-down effects that keep food from reaching customers. 'For a standard, moderately processed food product found in a major supermarket, 10 or more companies can be involved in the supply chain. Even fresh produce — such as an apple sold at a farmers' market — may involve multiple companies, such as the farm itself, local distributor/food hub, and the retailer,' he said in an emailed statement to NBC News. Beyond Whole Foods, smaller companies have also faced shortages from UNFI being unable to automatically process orders. The Community Food Co-Op in Bellingham, Washington, told customers on Facebook Monday that, as UNFI is its primary distributor, 'you'll see sparsely stocked shelves in some of our aisles' and asked customers to limit purchases to two of each item. Caitlin Smith, a logistics coordinator at C.R. England, a trucking and logistics company, told NBC News that the UNFI outage has left her company unable to deliver refrigerated foods to a dairy processing customer. 'I have three drivers sitting stuck because of this whole UNFI debacle,' she said. The costs from the cyberattack will end up being passed onto the consumer, she said. 'At the end of the day, you and I as customers will end up paying for this. So it does have a domino effect.' Ransomware attacks are common. But a particularly vicious campaign has hit major retailers in recent months. At least three major British retailers were hit earlier this year, including Marks & Spencer, which had to pause online orders for weeks; the Co-op, which saw hackers leak significant customer data to the BBC; and Harrods, which had to restrict some internet access at stores. Google said last month that those attacks overlap with a loosely affiliated group the cybersecurity industry has dubbed 'Scattered Spider,' largely English-speaking young men who have mastered the ability to trick people into giving them restricted online access. The same group was accused of breaking into Las Vegas casino companies in 2023. It has begun targeting major American retailers in earnest, Google said. Victoria's Secret was also the victim of a cyberattack in May, though it's not clear if the same group was responsible.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
PNC convinces US appeals court to overturn $218 mln USAA patent verdict
June 12 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday sided with PNC Bank [RIC:RIC: and overturned a $218 million verdict won by financial services provider United Services Automobile Association (USTEX.O), opens new tab in a patent dispute over mobile check-deposit technology. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said, opens new tab that the patents USAA had accused PNC of infringing were invalid. The case is part of a series of patent lawsuits brought by USAA against other financial services providers over its technology. San Antonio-based USAA has settled similar disputes with banks including Wells Fargo and Truist and filed a related ongoing lawsuit against Regions Bank in January. Spokespeople and an attorney for USAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Thursday decision. A PNC spokesperson said the bank appreciates that the court "recognized that USAA's patents should never have been issued." USAA said in its 2020 lawsuit against PNC that its "Deposit@Home" technology was developed to allow military members overseas to deposit checks remotely. It had convinced a Texas jury in 2022 that PNC's mobile deposit feature worked in the same way as its patented technology and owed $218 million for violating its rights. PNC told the Federal Circuit that the 2022 verdict could not stand because the patents were invalid. A three-judge panel agreed with PNC on Thursday, finding that the patents covered "the abstract idea of depositing a check using a mobile device" using "only routine and well-known steps." The case is United Services Automobile Association v. PNC Bank NA, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No. 23-1778. For USAA: Willy Jay of Goodwin Procter For PNC: Mark Fleming of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr Read more: USAA wins $218 mln verdict from PNC in mobile-deposit tech trial
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Breakingviews - Mediobanca great escape has more twists ahead
LONDON, June 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Judging by the Mediobanca ( opens new tab stock price, CEO Alberto Nagel has pulled off an M&A defence coup. His move to snap up a rival wealth group has helped boost the 16-billion-euro Italian bank's shares, taking their price above the level of a hostile offer from Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena ( opens new tab (MPS). Yet Nagel can't sit easy: key votes and his own investors complicate matters. After MPS made an unsolicited offer for Mediobanca in January, the Milan-based group's boss put together an alternative path with a 6-billion-euro plan to buy Banca Generali ( opens new tab, a wealth manager owned by insurer Assicurazioni Generali ( opens new tab. By moving to create a large money-management business, Nagel has boosted his stock. Mediobanca now trades around 9% above the value of the all-share MPS offer. One interpretation is that investors are excited about the prospect of an enlarged wealth player if the Banca Generali deal goes through. One complicating factor, however, is that some of Nagel's biggest shareholders are not yet endorsing the Banca Generali purchase, which requires 50% approval at a June 16 Mediobanca shareholder meeting. Billionaire Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, who owns 10% of Mediobanca and 5% of MPS, has said that Nagel's deal lacks industrial logic. He has also been buying stock ahead of the meeting, which may partly explain why Mediobanca's shares have risen. Then there's Delfin, which owns nearly 20% of Mediobanca and a tenth of MPS. If that vehicle and Caltagirone oppose the Banca Generali acquisition, Nagel would need a minimum 60% vote turnout and the support of most other shareholders to carry the day. He may feel OK about that risk, since other shareholders have backed the deal. But the next question is whether the insurer Assicurazioni Generali, which owns 50% of the similarly named wealth manager, will agree to sell to Mediobanca and at what price. The slim current 9% premium versus Banca Generali's undisturbed price, and the fact that Nagel is offering to pay in kind through Mediobanca's shares in Generali, make the deal vulnerable to a cash counteroffer from a rival suitor. And Generali cannot be seen to give a sweet deal to Mediobanca, its biggest shareholder. The third challenge is MPS itself. True, CEO Luigi Lovaglio seems to be in a tight spot. Just to get its offer up to the current value of Mediobanca, MPS might need to raise its 15-billion-euro bid by over 1 billion euros. Yet by paying much more for his larger rival, Lovaglio risks chasing his tail: his own share price would probably fall, depressing the value of the bid. Yet Lovaglio has other options. He currently wants two-thirds of investors to accept his soon-to-be-launched tender offer, a level that would allow him to merge the two banks and enjoy all the deal benefits. But he could settle for a lower threshold of 50%, or below. And if Delfin and Caltagirone backed him, he would already be at 30%. Such a move would be sub-optimal. With a lower take-up, Lovaglio would be under pressure to buy the rest, and might not get some or even most of the deal's synergies, which include 300 million euros of cost savings as well as tax benefits. Yet he could still exert control over his target. Mediobanca, meanwhile, would get the disruption of a takeover, and a more complex governance. Nagel's great escape is not yet complete. Follow @Unmack1, opens new tab on X
