Capital City Green

Capital City Green was the branding of the bus service 27 Cardiff, operated by Cardiff Bus. The route ran from the city centre to the north of the city, serving the Maindy, Heath, Birchgrove and Thornhill districts.

Capital City Green
(Route 27)
Overview
VehicleScania CN270UB 4x2 EB OmniCity
Route
StartThe Hayes
ViaQueen Street station, National Museum, Cathays station, Maindy, Birchgrove, Heath, Llanishen, Thornhill, Birchgrove, Heath, Blackweir, Cardiff Castle, Westgate Street
EndThe Hayes
Length12.1 miles (19.4 km)
Service
Frequency10–30 min.
Journey time57 min.

The service formed part of the wider Cardiff Bus network and was one of three services to have a unique branding, along with Baycar and Capital City Red.

The upgraded service was introduced in 2007 when Cardiff Bus deployed on the route six out of 15 new Scania OmniCity vehicles which it had purchased at a cost of £2.5 million.[1]

History

Prior to the 1940s, Cardiff trams ran as far north as Gabalfa from the city centre.[2] The trams were replaced with Cardiff trolleybuses in the 1940s until the 1960s when the transition to motor buses began and was completed by 1970.[3] At the time, routes to areas in the west of Cardiff such as Caerau and Culverhouse Cross carried the number 27. Birchgrove and Llanishen were served by the 28(B) and Thornhill by the 29, which still exist today, running on a different routse the 27,[4] making the 27 a newer route.

Vehicles

The Scania OmniCity vehicles have their own red and green livery, are equipped with seats with leather headrests, air-conditioning, reserved spaces for buggies and wheelchairs, CCTV, on-bus screens with local travel information and BBC News 24 bulletins, hearing induction loop and next stop information. When introduced, the backs of six of the vehicles featured images and stories of regular commuters.[5]

Route
Capital City Green 27
 Thornhill
Llanishen
Birchgrove station
Birchgrove
 Heath
 Gabalfa Interchange
 Maindy
Cathays station
Cathays Park
 City Centre
Kingsway
Dumfries Place
Westgate Street
The Hayes
(Central Library)

The 12.1 mile long route circles the city centre anti-clockwise before heading north past the Civic Centre and Cathays railway station, through Maindy, Heath, Birchgrove. It passes through Thornhill and Llanishen in a clockwise route and returns south to the city centre via Blackweir instead of Cathays.

Amongst the place served (from south to north) are:

During city centre closures on Friday and Saturday nights, the route does not circle the city centre, but instead operates directly between The Hayes and Queen Street Station, not stopping at Kingsway, Dumfries Place or Westgate Street.

See also

References
  1. Transport Xtra Cardiff Bus unveils new £2.5m bus fleet
  2. Gould, David (1996). Cardiff's Electric Tramways. Oxford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-487-3.
  3. Lockwood, Stephen (2005). Cardiff Trolleybuses. Midhurst, West Sussex: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-904474-64-0.
  4. Davies, Roger (2006). Streets of Cardiff. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-3098-7.
  5. Let's face it, this is the future of city's transport – South Wales Echo on Free Online Library
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