Cardiff Central railway station facts for kids
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Cardiff Central railway station (which is Caerdydd Canolog in Welsh) is a really important train station in Cardiff, United Kingdom. It's one of the main places where trains stop in the city and a key part of Cardiff's local train network.
It's the biggest and busiest train station in all of Wales! It's also one of the busiest stations in the whole of the UK outside of London. You can find it right in the city centre, close to the famous Millennium Stadium. Cardiff has about 20 train stations, and Cardiff Central is one of two main ones in the city centre. The other is Cardiff Queen Street. Both of these stations are hubs for the Valley Lines, which are local train routes that connect Cardiff to the surrounding valleys.
Cardiff Central is a special building because it's a Grade II listed building. This means it's an important historical building that is protected. It's currently managed by Arriva Trains Wales. This station is a major place to change trains if you're traveling between South and West Wales and other big cities in Britain.
Several train companies use Cardiff Central:
- Arriva Trains Wales runs services to West Wales, Holyhead, Crewe and Manchester, as well as the local Valley Lines.
- Great Western Railway has longer-distance trains to Bristol and London, and regional services to places like Bath, Taunton, Southampton and Portsmouth.
- CrossCountry operates trains that go to Gloucester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester.
The station has had a few names over the years. It first opened as Cardiff, then became Cardiff General in July 1924, and finally Cardiff Central in May 1973.
Exciting Plans for the Future
Big improvements are coming to Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street stations! These changes started around 2013 and 2014. This is part of a huge project, costing about £200 million, to make room for more trains in Cardiff and the areas nearby. This project, called the Cardiff Area Signalling Renewal, is expected to be finished by May 2015.
The money for these improvements comes from different groups: the Department for Transport, the Welsh Assembly Government, and Network Rail. The Assembly Government has given £7 million towards the project.
The stations will look similar in their new design. They will feature slate panels, grey brickwork, special pavilion-style roofs, large windows, and modern stainless steel signs. At Cardiff Central, there will be a brand new two-storey entrance and ticket hall on the south side. They are also building an eighth platform at Cardiff Central and a fourth at Cardiff Queen Street. Once all these changes are done, even more trains will be able to run to the Valleys, increasing from 12 trains per hour to 16 trains per hour!
Images for kids
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The outside of the main building
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The inside of the concourse area
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Cardiff Riverside railway station in 1993, just before it was taken down.
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The new southern entrance and booking hall, which opened in 2015
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An artist's drawing of what the upgraded Cardiff Central railway station might look like
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A map showing the layout of Cardiff Central
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Signs from the 1930s pointing to platforms, including platform 5 which no longer exists.
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Platforms 8 to 2, seen from the east side.
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See also
In Spanish: Estación Central de Cardiff para niños
