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Cardiff Central
Welsh: Caerdydd Canolog
Frontage of Cardiff Central station (northern entrance)
Location
Place	Cardiff
Local authority	City and County of Cardiff
Coordinates	51°28′32″N 3°10′41″W / 51.4755°N 3.1780°W / 51.4755; -3.1780Coordinates: 51°28′32″N 3°10′41″W / 51.4755°N 3.1780°W / 51.4755; -3.1780
Grid reference	ST181758
Operations
Station code	CDF
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Owned by	Network Rail
Number of platforms	8
DfT category	A
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2012/13	11.638 million
– Interchange	1.534 million
2013/14	11.740 million
– Interchange	1.698 million
2014/15	11.939 million
– Interchange	1.755 million
2015/16	12.745 million
– Interchange	1.853 million
2016/17	12.535 million
– Interchange	1.901 million
History
19 June 1850	Opened
1932	Rebuilt
National Rail – UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Cardiff Central from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

[ v t e ] Railway lines in Cardiff
Legend
To Rhymney To Coryton Heath Low Level/High Level(Interchange) To Pontypridd Llandaf Cathays Danescourt Fairwater Waun-Gron Park To Bridgend Cardiff Queen Street(Interchange) To Newport and England Ninian Park Cardiff Central(Interchange) Cardiff Riverside Canal Parade goods depot Bute West docks Bute East docks (Atlantic Wharf) East Moors depot Cardiff Bay Grangetown Roath docks Cardiff Bay quayside Queen Alexandra docks Penarth Flats docks Penarth Moors docks To Barry and Rhoose Cardiff Airport To Penarth

Cardiff Central railway station (Welsh: Caerdydd Canolog, formerly ‘Cardiff General’) is a major station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and one of two hubs of the city's urban rail network.

Cardiff Central is in Central Square in the city centre. It is a Grade II listed building managed by Transport for Wales. It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations on the British railway network.

Cardiff Central is one of 20 train stations in the city and one of two in the centre, the other being Cardiff Queen Street, both of which are hubs for the Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes. It is an interchange for services between South and West Wales, and other major British cities. Great Western Railway runs intercity services to London Paddington via Bristol and to Swansea, and regional services to Bath, Taunton and Portsmouth via Southampton; Transport for Wales operates services to many destinations in Wales; and CrossCountry operates trains to Gloucester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester.

History

Cardiff Central after cleaning in February 1975

In the early 1840s the South Wales Railway was trying to find a suitable site for a railway station, but the area that is now Cardiff Central railway station was prone to flooding. It was Isambard Kingdom Brunel's solution to divert the River Taff to the west, creating a larger and safer site for the station.^[1] The initial part of the South Wales Railway between Chepstow and Swansea through Cardiff was opened on 18 June 1850, with all trains operated by the Great Western Railway (GWR) under a lease agreement.^{[2][page needed]}

Between 1932 and 1934, the GWR replaced the original station building (also designed by their architects department under their chief architect Percy Emerson Culverhouse) with an impressive new Art Deco building faced in Portland stone, enclosing including a booking hall with noted Art Deco light fittings, all topped by a clock cupola.^[3] The Great Western Railway has its full name carved onto the façade (larger than the name of the station). As a result of representations by the GWR, a nearby working-class district, Temperance Town, was cleared during the late 1930s in order to improve the outlook of the rebuilt station.^[4]

Cardiff Riverside railway station in 1993

The formerly separate Cardiff Riverside station of 1893 served the Cardiff Riverside branch railway. This was integrated into the main station in 1940 but its platforms ceased to be used for passenger traffic in the 1960s.^{[5][page needed]}

Initially named Cardiff, the station was renamed Cardiff General in July 1924 and Cardiff Central in May 1973.^[6][7]

The station, its entrances and platforms, are Grade II listed.^[8]

Station layout

There are two entrances to the station. The northern main entrance leads to the main concourse and is on Central Square. Three main city centre landmarks are visible from here: the Millennium Stadium, Stadium House and Southgate House.^[9]

The southern entrance is at the rear of the station on Tresillian Way, accessed from Penarth Road, where the station car park is found.

The railway lines are above the station concourses. Two subways, one each at the eastern and western side of the station, run parallel under the tracks linking the two main entrances, from which the platforms are accessed by stairs and lifts, with the exception of Platform 0 which is accessed from the main concourse near Marks and Spencer. A valid ticket is required to pass through a barrier and gain access to the platforms.

Facilities

The majority of facilities are in the main concourse, including ticket desks and machines, cash machines, an information desk, departure and arrival screens, public telephones, a newsagent, and food shops. The station has the only First Class waiting room in Wales.^[10][11] Outside, an pay-and-display car park provides 248 spaces.^[12]

British Transport Police maintains a presence at Cardiff Central.^[13]

Platforms

Aerial view of Cardiff Central

Cardiff Central has eight platforms, numbered 0, 1, 2, 3a/b, 4a/b, 6, 7 and 8. There is no longer, despite signage, a Platform 5; this was a west-facing bay platform situated between Platforms 3 and 4.^[15]

Platforms 3 and 4 are divided into 'A' and 'B' sections and are capable of holding two local trains or a nine car Class 800 train. Other platforms can be used by more than one train, but are not sectioned.

Platforms 6 to 8 at the south side of the station are used by Valley Lines trains between Cardiff Queen Street, the north of Cardiff, the Valleys, and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Platforms 0 to 4 are typically used by longer distance regional and national services operated by Transport for Wales, Great Western Railway, and CrossCountry to destinations including Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads, Carmarthen, Derby, Gloucester, London Paddington, Manchester Piccadilly, Milford Haven, Portsmouth Harbour, Swansea and North Wales.

Regeneration

The modernised southern entrance and booking hall

In 2011 it was announced that Cardiff Central would be enhanced with a new platform ('Platform 8') and a new two-storey southern entrance and booking hall. This was part of a £200m regeneration scheme to boost train capacity in Cardiff and the surrounding areas. Work is expected to start from June 2014. The Assembly Government has committed £7m for the overall enhancements programme^[16]

The old Grade II listed Water Tower (next to Platform 0 and the River Taff) was repainted in 2012 in the original brown and beige colours of the Great Western railway.^[17]

Central Square

Central Square is the large public space directly outside the main entrance to the station. Formerly the location of Cardiff Central bus station, redevelopment of the square started in Autumn 2015. New buildings on Central Square are to house the new headquarters and studios of BBC Wales, together with office and retail space.

Gallery

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  Cardiff General in May 1970
  

  
  

  
  


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  Class 47, Mark 2c coaches and some BRUTEs, September 1975
  

  
  

  
  


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  A mosaic outside the station
  

  
  

  
  


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  The Concourse looking west
  

  
  

  
  


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  The Subway
  

  
  

  
  


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  The view from the eastern end of Platform 3 and 4
  

  
  

  
  


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  British Rail Class 47 The Queen Mother in ScotRail livery on Platform 4 in 1986
  

  
  

  
  

Routes

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Cardiff Queen Street		Transport for Wales City Line		Ninian Park
Cardiff Queen Street		Transport for Wales Rhondda Line		Terminus
Cardiff Queen Street		Transport for Wales Rhymney Line		Grangetown
		Transport for Wales Vale Line
Pye Corner		Transport for Wales Cardiff Central - Ebbw Vale Town		Terminus
Newport		Transport for Wales Maesteg / Cardiff Central - Cheltenham Spa		Pontyclun
Newport		Transport for Wales Cardiff - Holyhead via Wrexham		Terminus
Newport		Transport for Wales Cardiff Central - Manchester Piccadilly		Terminus
		Transport for Wales South Wales Main Line		Pontyclun
Terminus		Transport for Wales Swanline		Bridgend
Newport		Transport for Wales North-South "Premier" service		Terminus
Newport		CrossCountry Cardiff Central-Manchester		Terminus
		CrossCountry Cardiff Central - Nottingham
Newport		Great Western Railway London Paddington - Cardiff Central		Terminus
		Great Western Railway London Paddington - Swansea		Bridgend
Newport		Great Western Railway Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour		Terminus
		Great Western Railway Cardiff Central - Taunton

Rail and sea corridor to Ireland

Some of Transport for Wales' boat trains to and from Fishguard Harbour commence at Cardiff Central. These connect with the Stena Line ferry to Rosslare Harbour in Ireland with a daily morning and evening service in both directions. This route has been in existence since 1906.

Incidents

To the east of the platforms, the Valley Lines tracks rise up and cross over the South Wales Main Line using a bridge. Rail services were severely disrupted in August 2012 when the retaining wall between the tracks partially collapsed, spilling five tonnes of earth. The South Wales Main Line was swiftly reopened, but all services between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street were cancelled, with a replacement bus service operating. It was expected that repairs could take two weeks.^[18][19] There were worries that the bronze medal match in the 2012 Summer Olympics men's football competition, held at the nearby Cardiff Millennium Stadium could be disrupted, but most fans were due to arrive by the main line rather than the Valley Lines.^[20] There had been severe congestion at the station earlier in the month due to another Olympic match.^[21]

In December 2016, a serious accident was narrowly averted by the alertness of a driver. During the Cardiff Area Resignalling Scheme, a set of points had been left in an unsafe condition, and undetectable by the signalling system. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch report into the incident revealed that lessons learnt following the Clapham Junction rail crash in December 1988 appeared to have been forgotten. Excessive working hours and a lack of detailed planning were cited as contributory factors.^[22]

See also

• List of railway stations in Wales


• Transport in Wales


• Commuter rail in the United Kingdom


• Rail transport in Cardiff

Notes

Further reading

• 
  "Cardiff plan". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. October 1982. p. 52. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
  

External links

Media related to Cardiff Central railway station at Wikimedia Commons