Cardiff Central railway station

History

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. 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.

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. 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.

The formerly separate Cardiff Riverside suburban station of 1893 was integrated into the main station in 1940 but its platforms ceased to be used for passenger traffic in the 1960s.

Initially named Cardiff, the station was renamed Cardiff General in July 1924 and Cardiff Central in May 1973.

The station, its entrances and platforms, are Grade II listed.

Station layout

There are two entrances to the station. The northern main entrance leads to the main concourse and is on Central Square, the plaza that accommodates Cardiff Central bus station, a multi-storey car park and two main city centre taxi ranks. Three main city centre landmarks are visible from here: the Millennium Stadium, Stadium House and Southgate House.

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

The railway lines are above the station's 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, LED departures and arrivals screens, public telephones, a newsagent, and food shops. The station has the only First Class waiting room in Wales. Outside, an NCP pay-and-display car park provides 248 spaces.

Security

British Transport Police maintains a presence at Cardiff Central. In December 2009, the force announced a three-month pilot scheme to arm officers at the station, as well as in London and Manchester, with stun guns.

Platforms

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.

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

Platform 6 is used by Valley Lines trains to the north and east of Cardiff and to the Valleys. Every train from Platform 6 calls at Cardiff Queen Street. Valley Line trains from Cardiff Queen Street call at Platform 7 and 8 and continue to north-west Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

The normal pattern of usage is:

Cardiff Central bus station

Cardiff Central bus station was located directly opposite the front of the railway station. It was the central point for all local and national bus services in Cardiff. It contained six covered ranks on the north side for most Cardiff Bus services and other services such as EST buses. Long-distance services to the valleys and coach services such as TrawsCambria and National Express departed from rank A at the north end. Stops either side of Wood Street, which runs alongside the main terminal, are still in use mainly for departures to Barry, Penarth, Cardiff Bay, Caerau, Ely and Tremorfa.

The bus station closed in 2015.

Regeneration

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

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.

Central Square

Central Square is the large public space directly outside the main entrance to the station, including Cardiff bus station.

In 2010 hotel developer Urban Solutions promised £300,000 towards improvements towards the long term regeneration of Central Square. They also agreed to fund 12 cycle stands and the OYBike hire point outside Central Station.

In 2012 another proposal was unveiled by Cardiff Council to sell-off the existing bus station land for redevelopment and invest some of the money in Central Square, to be renamed 'Capital Square'. An 80 metre long fountain was envisaged by the architecture firm, Stride Treglown, along with a 'Welsh Garden' reflecting the landscape of Wales.

Rail & sea corridor to Ireland

Some of the Arriva Trains 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. 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. There had been severe congestion at the station earlier in the month due to another Olympic match.