Andy’s Thought Dump

 Alright, hear me out for a second. You know that bit at the end of Barry Island train station? The scruffy patch with weeds, broken fences, and the tunnel that looks like it leads straight into a horror movie? Yeah, that bit. Now imagine stepping off the train and instead of thinking, “Blimey, bit grim down there,” you hear music playing, smell fresh doughnuts, see stalls all lined up selling everything from handmade crafts to vintage tees, old vinyl, street food that makes your belly growl, and some local legend selling Welsh cakes out of a converted camper van. Imagine that. Open-air market. Right there. At the end of the line. It wouldn’t take much. The railway’s gone. That tunnel’s not bringing a train through again unless Doctor Who’s filming. So let’s make it useful. Let’s make it exciting. Something different. Something ours . You could have local makers, food vans, kids with lemonade stands, old timers selling antique bits, someone with a dog in sunglasses - all of ...

Picture this: families piling off excursion trains, coffee in hand from a charming local café inside the old station building. Platforms bustling, Barry Island buzzing. Sounds like a dream, right? Well — we’re only three platforms and a bit of ambition away. Let’s talk about Barry Island station It should be a key gateway — but right now? It’s operating at about 33% of its potential. That’s not a statistic — that’s a cry for help. Platform 1 is the one we all use now  Platform 2 sits unused because it needs track relaying. Platform 3 is too short for longer excursion trains, fenced off from Platform 2 like they’re not even mates, despite being two sides of the same island platform. All three are physically connected. If you’re on one, you’re seconds away from the others. And they all have access to the station entrance - so this isn’t a complicated rebuild. It’s mostly a matter of willpower and investment. So what should we do? Here’s the dream - and it’s not that ...