Cardiff Central is ^not worthy of a capital city^ (South Wales Echo 24/01/2011)

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From the South Wales Echo:

Rail bosses promise improvements for Cardiff^s city centre stations

Cardiff's central train station is ^not worthy of a capital city^, rail bosses have admitted.

Network Rail yesterday promised to improve the rear entrance of the station but said it was short of cash and warned residents not to expect ^an architectural wonder^.

Cardiff council^s chief executive also said the area around the station was not befitting of a capital.

Speaking on behalf of the council, Jon House said: ^When I arrive at Cardiff Central, I feel like I am arriving in Hull. The area doesn^t sell it to me in terms of an international business city, which is the closest capital city to Europe^s biggest financial capital in London.^

And Cardiff Central AM Jenny Randerson said the station ^now looks very tired in comparison with Swansea and Newport^.

Giving evidence to the National Assembly^s Enterprise and Learning Committee, Mike Gallop, Network Rail^s route enhancement manager, said a number of works were planned for both Cardiff Central and the capital^s Queen Street station.

He said: ^The Cardiff area signalling scheme and the associated enhancements will create an additional platform at Cardiff Central, which is going to be platform eight, and reopen the currently disused platform one at Cardiff Queen Street. Both those pieces of railway infrastructure will require modifications and works to the station entrance. We freely admit that the southern entrance to Cardiff Central Station is not worthy of a capital city. We were of the understanding that there was some money available from the Assembly to contribute to those entrances. We understand that in the current circumstances that money is no longer available. We are working as a project to ensure that both stations have an enhanced entrance. As I sit here today, we are still working to the basis that the station entrance to Cardiff Central will be enhanced and will be a fit-for-purpose, modern entrance and likewise at Cardiff Queen Street. However, they will be of a minimal size only. It will be fit for purpose, and it will be a significant improvement on the facilities that are there today.^

Speaking on behalf of no-one but myself here - I quite like Hull's station. 

Should a City Council Chief Exec really be denigrating another city? 

[Mookiemoo]

and also, swansea stations is a bit grim and certainly no better than cardiff!

[basset44]

Never been to Hull but the Photos i seen then it is 100% better than the rear of Cardiff and it seems to have a interchange where has Cardiff well only the City contolled buses could get away with not calling at the main Station.

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/gb/station/Hull/pix.html


Basset

[devon_metro]

Sort of begs the question, is Cardiff worthy of being a capital city 

[brompton rail]

It is a shame that Cardiff's CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) has to resort to degrading another city in order to make the point that his own station is not good enough. Hull Paragon has a fraction of the usage of Cardiff General, is a terminal, has wide platforms and is adjacent to a brand new "state of the art" (hull's words, not mine, and what does it mean?) as well as a new shopping centre. Perhaps he should be sent to Hull?

[SDS]

I must admit I also like Hull Paragon. The station concourse is kinda different though.

Swansea urgghh. Very dingy only ever been once, never again. The Centre just looked like a massive bus lane with bendy buses on it.

[dog box]

Always thought Cardiff is much nicer than Swansea which is quite frankly dire,

[Toiletdriver]

Always thought Cardiff is much nicer than Swansea which is quite frankly dire,

EVERYWHERE is better than Swansea! The bent cop in Twin Town had it right. "A pretty s***ty city"

[inspector_blakey]

Can't say Cardiff Central has ever struck me as offensive (although admittedly I've only once used the back entrance from the car park, and that was in the dark) but when approaching from the city side it seems pleasant enough. There's a decent array of SSP-franchised catering outlets downstairs and on the odd platform, as well as M&S and WH Smith, plus a reasonable amount of indoor waiting space, so I don't really understand the problem here.

Swansea High Street on the other hand is a pretty barren place to wait for your connecting train: it's a strangely dingy, cheerless, austere place with very little in the way of catering available (especially "out of hours") and there's hardly anywhere indoors to wait. From personal experience it definitely sucks being stuck there on the odd occasions when the west Wales train misses the Paddington connection or vice versa. And then there was the time when for some reason I had to venture into the city centre to find a cash machine one New Year's Day in the evening which was like wandering round some kind of deeply sinister post-apocalyptic wasteland, where there was almost no-one around but the few people you were seemed to be sizing you up to figure out if it was worth trying to rob you. Nasty.

[anthony215]

I do admit Swansea high Street station is in need of major work thankfully does seem to be going ahead. Hopefully the council will be able to get more shops/businesses open in the High street area. I have been stuck at Swansea  overnight when i decided to get  rather than spend ^20 getting a taxi to Bridgend early in the morning i caught the last bus to Bridgend then got the last train  to Swansea which arrived at 02:15. Thankfully there were still a few members of staff around Swansea station at that time and i didnt have to wait very long for the  1st London trains which left at 03:30.

I do admit that it is annoying that the only cash machines closest to the station charge you and do have a habbit of swallowing peoples cards. I do  think that Swansea did a good job with the bus lanes and the Swansea metro does seem to be very popular especially at peak times when they are jammed full.

 Hopefully the re-built swansea station will  give people a warm welcome like the new bus station. Cardiff central i find to be ok  as  the only problems are minor such as some parts needing a new coat of paint etc.

[Jez]

I must admit im no fan of Swansea, even tho I live nearer to Swansea I much prefer going to Cardiff.  Last time I was at Swansea Station they had already started work on refurbishing it, not before time either as its a rather dark and cold station, and as others have said has very little catering facilities. The WHSMITH shop is tiny.  Cardiff does however have lots of shops and cafes nearby and its also a very short walk to the new St David's shopping Centre and John Lewis. Its quite a trek from Swansea station to the main shopping centre and bus station. Cardiff station could probabaly do with a refresh however its not actually too bad IMO^▸ (in my opinion).