Cardiff Central station - redevelopments and improvements

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

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New images for a proposed £140m revamp of Cardiff Central railway station have been released.

The photos from Transport for Wales (TfW^▸ (Transport for Wales)) show a glimpse of how Wales' busiest station could look with the investment, including a new brick arch at the rear entrance and additional retail and cycle facilities.  The plans hope to alleviate overcrowding and improve accessibility for those with reduced mobility, TfW said.

Alexia Course, chief commercial officer, said the investment would "modernise the station, make it fit for a capital city and sustain future growth".

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The train operator said plans include a larger concourse to increase capacity and improve passenger access through additional gate-lines.  The proposed improvements aim to modernise the station while still complimenting the history and heritage of the building, they added.

Planning documents will be submitted soon for the scheme, which is subject to planning and full business case approval.  Should the plans be approved, up to £140m funding for the enhancements will be provided by the Department for Transport, Cardiff Capital Region and the Welsh government.

TfW said the proposals for the station are part of wider investment into "transforming transport in central Cardiff" - including ambitious regeneration plans.

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Work is currently ongoing to deliver the South Wales Metro service as part of plans to improve the network.  The first phase promises twice the number of services across the south Wales network by early 2026, a number of new stations proposed including Cardiff Parkway, Cardiff East, Newport West, halts at Somerton and Llanwern in Newport and a station at Magor and Undy in Monmouthshire.

Ms Course said: "We've submitted the full business case for the scheme and we'll soon be submitting the planning documents, and if this is approved, we can progress with the delivery of the enhancements."

A decision on the full business case is expected in autumn 2025.

[anthony215]

Not what I was hoping for could really have done with more especially the proposed bridgedeck like Readings at the western end of te statio  to cope with the crowds.

These proposals still see the bottlenecks caused by the two subways. No.idea too.if platform 0 is going to be extended like tfw and network rail want.

As well is this is do hope Cardiff West junction is sorted

[infoman]

Would the money be better spent on electrification from Cardiff to Swansea/Carmarthen

Not sure of the cost of Cardiff to Swansea electrification though

[grahame]

Would the money be better spent on electrification from Cardiff to Swansea/Carmarthen

Not sure of the cost of Cardiff to Swansea electrification though

The best I could find was at https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2017-10/great-western-main-line-electrification-cardiff-to-swansea-outline-business-case.pdf which is very old costings - my reading is that the cost of electrifying on current costs Cardiff to Swansea would be several/multiple times that of revamping Cardiff Central Station.

[Noggin]

Would the money be better spent on electrification from Cardiff to Swansea/Carmarthen

Not sure of the cost of Cardiff to Swansea electrification though

It seems likely that the effect of the Valley Lines electrification, new stations between Cardiff and Bristol, proposed extra services between Birmingham and Cardiff etc will push up numbers significantly.

Given that user numbers roughly doubled in the 20 years pre-COVID, it doesn't seem unreasonable that the user numbers could double in the next 20. That would bring the number of users to something like the same as that of Leeds (with half the number of platforms)

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Major revamp of Wales' busiest station gets go-ahead

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Plans for a major revamp of Wales' busiest railway station have received final approval.

The £140m upgrades to Cardiff Central - including a new brick arch rear entrance, larger concourse and improved waiting areas - aim to support passenger growth and reduce overcrowding.

Better accessibility for people with reduced mobility and additional retail and cycle facilities are also among the changes.

Work is due to start in the middle of next year with the aim of completing most of it within three years. The station will remain open during the works.

Around 35,000 passengers a day use the station, which increases during concerts and rugby internationals, the Department for Transport said.

The scheme is being led by Transport for Wales, with the funding made up of £78m from the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)), £40m from the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal and £21m from the Welsh government.

The DfT money is part of £445m for rail improvements across Wales announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spending review in June.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the changes would "transform the experience of the millions of passengers who use the station every year", while also improving connectivity with "the rest of Wales and beyond".

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Welsh government Transport Secretary Ken Skates welcomed a "major milestone" to upgrade the station, which he said was a "key hub" on the South Wales Metro, which includes a promise to provide twice the number of services, as well as new stations.

He said the investment would "modernise and enhance the station, benefitting passengers and accommodating our ambitions for long term growth".

Skates added that the newly revamped Wales Rail Board would also meet for the first time on Thursday to "discuss future projects such as this and relevant funding".

Cardiff Central station opened in 1850 as Cardiff station, was renamed Cardiff General in 1924 and was given its current name in 1973.

(BBC article continues)

[infoman]

an update from our public broadcaster

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80jyx2xljno

Its good news for those in the South Wales and surrounding areas,

but I keep hearing the younger generation is moving out of Wales

faster than any where else in the U.K.

 

[grahame]

an update from our public broadcaster

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80jyx2xljno

Its good news for those in the South Wales and surrounding areas,

but I keep hearing the younger generation is moving out of Wales

faster than any where else in the U.K.

 

The plans are included in TFW's latest vision document, external, which sets out dozens of projects to boost the rail network in Wales.

It includes "Cardiff crossrail" extensions to Newport Road, direct services between Cardiff and Liverpool, a station at St Clears, services between west Wales and Bristol, and more trains to Pembroke Dock.

Mirror copy of the vision document for members at https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/mirror/TTT_Final_ENG.pdf ... some of the Swansea area stuff looks sensible and exciting.  I am very much aware on the run from Shrewsbury to Swansea how the very thin train service picks up passenger south of Llandeilo even though it may have been quiet to that point.