A rail network epic exploration: Wales to London via South Coast

Part two of Paul Bigland’s All-Line Rover trip takes him on trains battered by the elements… and teenage passengers

In this article:

• Halifax to Cardiff journey highlights train upgrades, station transformations, and scenic views through the English countryside.
• Upgrades in Cardiff and South Wales reveal positive transit investment but also lingering challenges, like outdated electrification.
• Weather disruptions, infrastructure quirks, and rail delays create unexpected travel hurdles along the route.

Having spent the first two days of my Rover crossing England’s North, it’s time to venture further afield. I won’t be returning home again until the trip was over.

I have a propensity for leaving suitcases behind, so this time everything is packed into or onto my camera bag.

Day 3

My odyssey begins at Halifax, where I catch the 0850 to Huddersfield, a Grade 1 Listed station that’s undergoing a transformation as part of the Transpennine Route upgrade (TRU).

The roof is slowly disappearing behind scaffolding, while the old wooden cafe and waiting room on the island platform has been taken apart piece by piece for re-erection later. When the work’s finished, the bay platforms that currently only hold two- or three-car trains will have been swept away by two new through platforms covered by a new roof.

I have a chance to photograph the work before heading west aboard a TransPennine Express Class 185 bound for Manchester Piccadilly.

These powerful units make easy work of the sinuous and steeply graded route through the Colne Valley. While this line is also part of the TRU, there’s little evidence of activity other than vegetation clearance and miles of new cable troughing.

Plunging under the Pennines through the Standedge Tunnel, we emerge at Diggle to pass the stations at Greenfield and Mossley, with the latter proposed to be re-sited as part of TRU. After a brief stop at newly electrified and energised Stalybridge, where we pass one of Northern’s bi-mode Class 769s, we join the truncated remains of the trans-Pennine Woodhead route at Guide Bridge, which is an important Freightliner maintenance depot.

The station’s fortunes have taken an upturn, thanks to a local friends group which has established a museum, memorial garden and substantial collection of railwayana. They’ve even managed to recover a signal gantry that’s been rusting away guarding the non-existent Dewsnap yard since 1981.

We are late arriving at Piccadilly, a station suffering even greater capacity constraints owing to two platforms at a time being take out of use to allow work to be carried out on the roof. It causes me an anxious moment, as I make my connection with just three minutes to spare and no time to look around.

I join nine-car Pendolino 390040, which is already rammed. By Stockport there isn’t a spare seat to be had, but as I am only using it as far as Stoke, I stand in the vestibule to ‘people watch’.

The size of some folk’s suitcases amazes me. Like cars, they just keep getting bigger, and heavier. At this rate, you’ll need an HGV licence to steer one down a train aisle!

En route, my obstructed view from a vestibule door window still allows me to catch sight of a motley collection of vehicles stored in the old Cockshute sidings at Stoke, including some trailer cars from South Western Railway Class 458s - not what you expect to see this far north.

Next stop is Stoke, a grand station with overall roof built in 1848 as the headquarters of the North Staffordshire Railway in ‘robust Jacobean manor-house’ style. It’s the only station I know where a war memorial forms the gateway to the platform.

While the NSR’s boardroom may be history, the station still has a cafe and also a pub. The former First Class waiting room has been taken over by Titanic brewery, and the platform seating area is an ideal place to enjoy a pint and watch trains, such as the Colas Class 37 that passes through during my visit, doing its best to raise the roof.

At Stoke I swap a Pendolino for a CrossCountry Voyager to take me on to Birmingham. The service is surprisingly empty with just 12 passengers in the front car (F), which is unusual as these trains are normally packed. I assume it’s because colleges are on holiday, as students provide a lot of trade for XC.

The onboard staff are excellent. A wheelchair user has joined the train, so the Train Manager checks to ensure they have assistance to meet them at their destination.

Bonnie, in charge of catering, is equally good. Her demeanour is top form and her announcements informative but concise.

I don’t actually mind Voyagers. Yes, they have underfloor engines, but they also have large windows which offer good views.

But as the only inter-city offering between Manchester and Birmingham, they’re appalling. Something HS2 was going to put right. Oh, well…

Nevertheless, my Voyager gets me to Birmingham New Street on time. Like the design of Class 221s, New Street also generates strong opinions, although the facilities and space available for passengers represents a marked improvement. It’s even become a tourist attraction thanks to the giant metal bull (Ozzy) on the main concourse.

I don’t linger long as my next train is due, and it’s one I am keen to try.

The Alstom Class 730 ‘Aventra’ electric multiple units are slowly taking over from ‘323s’ and ‘350s’ in the West Midlands, and my service to Bromsgrove is diagrammed for one. Sure enough, a pair of the units roll into Platform 12, and I board the rear set.

To my mind, these are the best of the Aventras. The front end has corridor connections which make life easier for passengers and crews alike, while the 2+2 seating layout and wide aisles (and seat quality) is excellent. They have all the facilities you expect from a modern train and feel spacious and airy, whisking me to Bromsgrove in air-conditioned comfort.

My onward conveyance is another new train, this time a West Midlands Railway four-car Class 196 built by CAF.

Unlike the CAF ‘Civity’ design for Northern, these have end gangways. And as with the ‘730s’, they’re well laid out internally (congratulations to WMR for its train specifications), making them comfortable to travel on.

Such a modern train is contrasted by the signalling systems controlling it when we reach Droitwich, where we step back into the era of semaphores - and lower quadrant to boot.

In the past decade, semaphores have been in full retreat. Famous locations such as Barnetby have fallen to colour-lights, but the routes around Worcester contain some of the best examples that remain on the national network. Droitwich even retains a wooden-armed bracket semaphore, a very rare example nowadays.

More examples control Worcester Foregate Street, where I change trains to get to Shrub Hill. But it’s the latter that boasts the best, with the greatest variety.

A towering bracket semaphore with fixed distant arms controls the northern exit, while Platform 1 has the last remaining example of roof-mounted disc signals - once common on Great Western Railway to control multi -occupation platforms with crossovers.

The station is a gem, too, as it boasts a unique tile-clad Victorian waiting room.

My visit coincides with a photographic exhibition laid on by local historical groups, hosted by the station cafe.

It’s a fascinating look at local railway history, and the 30 minutes I’d allowed between trains is hardly enough time to explore before I board a GWR Class 800 to take me eastwards via the Cotswold route.

This is a very busy train, but I manage to find an airline seat to window gaze, admire the scenery, and keep a watchful eye on the weather, which is threatening storms that I’m not dressed to deal with.

Having stopped at the new Worcestershire Parkway station (the interchange with the Gloucester lines), we pass through a succession of attractive country stations such as Evesham, where the growing station garden is the work of one volunteer and his family.

The line has received an upgrade in recent years, with station platforms extended and more double-tracking, but it still retains the feel of a rural railway - albeit a rather affluent one.

Joining the main line at Wolvercote Junction, we approach Oxford, yet another station that continues to expand.

Building work is under way to the west side of the station, where a new platform and station entrance is under construction, relieving pressure on the cramped old BR era building which is inadequate for the 6.5 million people who pass through each year.

I remain aboard until Didcot, traversing a section of line that’s a shining example of the failure of recent government policy, as evidenced by the abandoned steelwork and rusting piles for the overhead wires that should have reached Oxford from Didcot. The project was ‘deferred’ by the Conservatives in November 2016, despite work being well under way.

I reflect on this madness as I arrive at Didcot, where local electric trains from Paddington terminate and passengers switch to a wasteful diesel shuttle to Oxford.

Reinstating electrification could be an easy win for the new government, as so much work has already been done. Will it grasp the opportunity?

So far, my day has been without incident. That changes at Didcot. There are severe problems on the Great Western Main Line, with my onward train to Cardiff cancelled.

I spend an hour baking in the sun, photographing trains while watching an old GWR ‘Hall’ Class steam engine chuffing up and down the yard at the railway centre, before the 1658 to Bristol Parkway appears, worked by a pair of Class 387 EMUs.

These carry me as far as Swindon, where I manage to connect with a train to Cardiff.

I am surprised to find EMUs working this far west, but it seems they are a regular turn nowadays. They’re comfortable enough, but at 110mph they’re no match timings-wise for an Intercity Express Train.

It’s an IET that takes me forward to Cardiff, where I arrive two and a half hours later than planned, ruining my intentions of exploring the Welsh valleys. This is the third day in a row when my plans have gone out of the window.

After dumping some kit at my hotel, I return to the station, opting for an evening trip up to Treherbert to see progress on the Valley Lines electrification.

These lines have changed completely since my 2022 visit, but so has Cardiff. New buildings abound - and so do new trains. While the area is one of the last refuges of the old single-car Class 153s (affectionately know as ‘Dogboxes’) and Class 150s, new Stadler ‘FLIRT’ tri-modes have appeared on the scene.

My old ‘150’ rattles its way up to Queen Street before veering left towards Cathays. This was once the site of a huge wagon works, now it’s a University Campus, providing plenty of traffic for the railway. Overhead line equipment (OLE) has appeared here now, but it’s only an isolated section.

The City lines join us at Radyr before our next stop at Taffs Well, which is unrecognisable as it’s now the base for the tram-train depot (more later).

The challenges of electrifying the line are illustrated at Treforest. The old station footbridge remains in place, but a new structure with lifts has been installed. Until the original one is removed, the gap in the wires will remain.

Talking of footbridges, Pontypridd’s modern monster remains in place. It’s a great example of what happens when an architect decides to ignore the rule that ‘form follows function’, and a brutal contrast to the station buildings, many of which retain their Edwardian elegance (as does the curvaceous canopy).

Swinging onto the Treherbert branch under the new OLE, the train’s onboard Passenger Information Screens announce we have entered a ‘no alcohol’ zone. That doesn’t seem to help, as some of the passengers who joined us earlier seem ‘well oiled’ already.

From ‘Ponty’ the railway becomes more rural as housing doesn’t suffocate it as much, allowing some lovely views of a valley where centuries-old industrial scars have healed. Many of the stations in the Rhondda have been modernised with far better access and facilities.

Finally, we reach Treherbert, which is fully wired, including the sidings. Night is falling and there’s no reason to hang around, so I catch the same (almost empty) train back.

All is well until Treorchy, where the platform is swamped by teenagers who have been attending an event. Around four dozen unescorted 12 to 16-year-olds swarm aboard and begin to run riot through the train. Their behaviour is appalling and the presence of CCTV no deterrent.

They are only on for one stop to Ton Pentre, but in that time they kick and damage panels and doors, and smash lights. We are delayed for ten minutes while the guard tries to fix one set of doors in the rear car.

It’s an awful display and I can’t help wondering how the new tram-trains will fare if this sort of behaviour is the norm.

Back at Cardiff, I decided to call it a day. My other explorations can wait.

Day 4

I begin Day 4 by retracing my steps to Taffs Well station, in order to examine the transformation.

The new tram-train depot occupies the adjacent old industrial site next door, which is reached from a new junction to the south of the rebuilt station. Its sidings are full of vehicles, but the wires aren’t in place for the Class 398s to run anything more than test trains under battery power. For now, the intensive Valleys services remain in the hands of increasingly clapped-out Class 150/2s.

Returning to Cardiff, I stop off at Queen Street to watch the procession of trains, which now includes Stadler Class 231 diesel multiple units - a step-change in quality compared with the old BR-built fleets that have dominated.

There’s no doubt that South Wales services will be transformed over the next few years thanks to the investment in trains, stations and electrification. But there is one fly in the ointment, which is only too evident at Queen Steet and Central… buddleia.

Watching trains at Central, I am aghast at the state of the lineside. Valley Lines services have to scrape through a green tunnel to gain entry. To see such a major station (and one that’s been extensively remodelled in recent years) in this state is awful.

I take my leave of Cardiff aboard Great Western Railway’s 1030 to Portsmouth Harbour, worked by a pair of Class 165s cascaded from Thames Valley services thanks to electrification.

The herd mentality appears strong at Cardiff. When the train pulls in, the majority of folk jam themselves into the car straight in front of them, while I walk to the back unit to share the rear car with just two other people.

The trip to Bristol is very enjoyable as a consequence.

The ‘165s’ are a roomy 2.83 metres wide thanks to the legacy of Brunel’s broad gauge. Even with 3+2 seating they feel spacious, and they’re ideal from which to admire the recent four-tracking from Filton to Bristol.

Sadly, there is less to admire about Bristol Temple Meads. I may ruffle some feathers here, but I think Temple Meads is an awful station, especially if you’re a transit passenger.

Yes, I know it’s still undergoing a four-year, £24 million roof restoration. Yes, I know it’s seen as iconic due to the Brunel connection. But from a passenger perspective it’s rubbish.

I’m sure the roof will be very nice to look at (and keep you dry), but everything else is sub-standard for such a major station.

It’s cramped, with little choice of food. The claustrophobic subway smells of pasties (the only hot food on offer that isn’t microwaved). There’s no cafe/bar worth its name, only an expensive and soulless retail outlet on one of the islands. And while there are plenty of benches, there’s little shelter from the wind (or predatory seagulls the size of dogs) out on the platforms.

On the bright side, a new entrance for the ‘temple quarter’ is happening, and there are plans to refurbish other buildings for retail use. But until then, the place is no match for the likes of York, or Newcastle.

I’m not sad to leave, especially as I am heading for the seaside on a line I’ve never featured before.

I board the 1203 to Weymouth, worked (unusually) by a pair of Class 158s that have come in from Gloucester. It’s a very busy train and jam-packed after we call at Bath Spa.

Swinging right at Bathampton Junction, we begin our trip along the valley of the river Avon, which the railway shadows. It’s a very scenic line that features aqueducts and pretty stations.

The line ends at Westbury, which is still a busy freight centre in the shadow of its famous White Horse. Past sidings full of aggregates traffic, we head for Castle Cary - a rural junction and nearest station to Glastonbury, which generates a lot of custom for the railways at festival time.

Leaving the main line, we join ‘Southern’ territory on the near arrow-straight single track to Yeovil, passing acres of maize or pastureland full of cattle.

We pull into Pen Mill station on time. It’s an oddly arranged but substantial station, with two tracks and three platform faces. To add to the confusion, the old GWR semaphores have been converted to upper quadrant arms.

Continuing on our way, we rumble past the spur to Yeovil Junction for the 13-mile run to Maiden Newton. This section of line has three request stops, all of which generate traffic despite their rural nature.

At Maiden Newton, we stop in the loop to wait for a northbound service. Once the junction for the Bridport branch, this remains a well-kept station with a substantial (listed) single-storey station building and attractive gardens. A 1950s concrete footbridge and boarded-up GWR signal box complete the scene.

Having collected the single-line tablet for the route ahead, we continue to Dorchester West - another station blessed with an active friends group who maintain the gardens from their base in one of the station outbuildings. The lovely main building (whilelisted) is now a pizza parlour.

My train continues on to third rail land at Dorchester Junction, then passes the massive Iron Age hillfort of Maiden Castle before descending to journey’s end at Weymouth - a town whose popularity as a seaside resort and port for the Channel Islands was boosted by the arrival of the railway. Sadly, the harbour tramway closed in 1987, but the tracks still survive in places.

Much as I would enjoy exploring, my time is short. After a snack in the station cafe, I board a South Western Railway Class 444 bound for London Waterloo, taking me inland through Dorchester and Wareham before meeting the sea again.

The contrast between the rolling landscape of Dorset and the coastal inlets around Poole make for a very scenic journey. The only thing missing is an onboard trolley service. I miss the old ‘Wessex Express’ Class 442s, with their buffet and snug.

Arriving at Bournemouth under the station’s impressive overall roof, we couple up to a second Class 444 for the trip eastwards.

Splitting and joining trains is still very much a daily thing right across the old Southern network, and it’s done with little fuss other than keeping the doors closed while coupling takes place.

Our now ten-car unit turns its back on the sea to cut through the New Forest to Brockenhurst, the junction for Lymington and ferries to the Isle of Wight, before crossing the River Test at Redbridge.

Countryside gives way to vast acres of concrete - hard-standing for the millions of cars and shipping containers that pass through the port of Southampton, many of which arrive and depart by rail.

The levels of traffic are reflected by the number of locomotives to be seen at Freightliner’s Maritime depot or the nearby Millbrook Terminal.

And it’s not just freight that arrives here. I notice several massive passenger liners, looking more like floating blocks of flats rather than the elegant ships from the days when ‘POSH’ was coined. The arrival of just one of these behemoths can swamp Southampton station with passengers and luggage, but not today.

My train leaves with seats to spare, passing Siemens’ Northam depot where several spare Desiros are stabled.

During our stop at Southampton Airport Parkway, I had noticed the skies to the east were dark with mountainous clouds. Rain was clearly dropping somewhere, and we are heading into it.

We meet it between Winchester and Michaeldever. The rain is torrential, putting me in mind of monsoon conditions I’ve experienced in south-east Asia. Hardly the weather you want when your power supply runs through a rail just a few inches above the ground.

The rain doesn’t let up until we near Woking. Our driver has reduced speed (I’m assuming the unit’s wipers must have been overwhelmed and visibility become an issue), and we are now running late. It was the worst rainstorm I’ve experienced for years, but most trains kept running. But my timetable is out of the window - again.

Thankful to be at Woking, I revise my plans once more. I had intended to visit several suburban lines in London but instead I board a Class 455 to Surbiton.

These trains should have gone for scrap four years ago, but their replacements (the Class 701s) still aren’t in squadron service, so I enjoy a nostalgic trip on an old friend (last-built 5750).

Swapping trains once more, I board one of a pair of Class 458s working the branch to Hampton Court. These trains have had an unhappy history and are on their second rebuild, having gone from four- to five- and soon back to four-car (‘458/5’) trains.

However, from a passenger perspective they’re decent trains, even if they lack more modern amenities such as power and USB sockets. But at least they have toilets.

At less than two miles long, the Hampton Court branch isn’t very exciting, and the two-platform terminal station on the south bank of the Thames hardly boasts the architectural merit of its namesake. But it gives me chance to stay dry - and to sample another fleet of trains.

As the rain had returned, so do I. But this time I disembark at Raynes Park, where I had remembered that the station footbridge provides the perfect place to photograph trains speeding through the rain.

But I am in for a shock - the views east across London have vanished behind tall trees and new buildings. Even so, I manage some decent images of the conditions that train crews and passengers have been facing that day.

With the images I wanted, I make a soggy return trip to Surbiton where I’d arranged to stay with friends for the evening. Now it’s time to get wet on the inside…

I’ve had a fascinating couple of days, but ones that left me with mixed feelings about the state of the UK’s rail network and the way it’s been treated by government and users alike.

There’s lots to celebrate and look forward to, but there are underlying problems that I’m doubtful renationalisation (in whatever form it takes) will solve without insight and investment.

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