Cardiff Central Enhancements FAQ

The programme of work will enhance the railway station by increasing capacity, reducing congestion, and transforming the customer and colleague environment.

The full business case for the proposed improvements at Cardiff Central station was submitted at the end of last year and planning documents will be submitted soon. The delivery of the scheme is subject to planning and full business case approval.

As part of the programme of enhancements, we’re planning to: 

• Enhance the look and feel of the station and improve the passenger environment while complementing the history and heritage of the building  
• Create a larger concourse to increase capacity, improve passenger flow and access, and improve interchange with other ways to travel. There’ll also be additional gate-lines, retail opportunities, customer and colleague facilities plus dedicated Passenger Assist points 
• Deliver accessibility and layout enhancements including improved retail, ticketing, wayfinding and customer facilities
• Expand gate lines to ease movement throughout the station
• Improve the experience for customers on platforms with improved waiting facilities 
• Deliver improved cycle parking facilities 
• Installation of a Changing Places facility 
• Carry out upgrades which will help improve the overall day-to-day running of the station

We’re designing a transport system that works for everyone. As part of this transformational programme, we’re leading development work to improve Cardiff Central, Wales’ busiest rail station.

The Cardiff Central Enhancements scheme will increase capacity, reduce congestion and transform the passenger environment, giving a better experience for our customers. The scheme also aims to alleviate overcrowding and congestion, improve capacity on event days and allow for long-term passenger growth. The enhancements will create Cardiff Capital Region’s principal transport hub and a key Metro station. The enhanced interchange will encourage people to choose more sustainable ways to travel, including public transport use, which will help to improve air quality and contribute to reducing carbon emissions.

The planned enhancements will also:

• Improve pedestrian flow and decrease congestion throughout the station
• Enhance cycle parking facilities
• Deliver more retail provision for customers (including shops and cafes) and commercial opportunities for businesses to help meet local demand.

The enabling works at the station are expected to begin later in 2025 and we’re aiming to deliver the majority of the enhancements  by 2028. The delivery of the scheme is subject to planning and full business case approval. We’re working closely with Cardiff Council on the planning process. We’ll keep you updated on the progress of the scheme. 

We’re working collaboratively with partners to transform travel in the heart of Cardiff through the Canolog alliance. The alliance will work collaboratively to deliver transformational change to transport in Cardiff and the wider region to improve connections between bus, rail, walking, wheeling and cycling and encourage sustainable travel. The overall planned investment in the area aims to create an integrated transport hub that significantly enhances access to central Cardiff, as well as enabling further growth across the region.

In central Cardiff, schemes are being delivered by partner organisations to improve public realm and interchange areas with new pedestrian and cycle linkages, interchange facilities for other transport modes (bus, coach, taxi, local metro services), a cycle hub, a consolidation of car park provision (including electric vehicle and digital infrastructure) and enable new commercial development.

The Cardiff Central enhancements scheme will be delivered alongside other key projects in the area, including the brand-new tramway between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay as part of Cardiff Crossrail phase 1a, and Network Rail’s master planning process around the station, which is planning for a comprehensive design and redevelopment of over 10 acres of railway land and the delivery of new homes.

The budget for the improvements is an investment of up to £140 million.

The funding will be provided through a series of partners - the Department for Transport, Cardiff Capital Region and the Welsh Government.

The need for modernisation and an upgrade at Cardiff Central station has been recognised. With growing passenger numbers, it regularly experiences overcrowding, particularly at the morning and evening peak times, and there are concerns about it being able to safely accommodate passengers in the future, particularly hampering the city’s opportunity to host major and global events.

An engagement was carried out in 2021 to seek general views on what people saw as priorities for the station and surrounding area, particularly regarding accessibility. The feedback we received from the public has helped shape proposals to enhance Cardiff Central station and will inform the business case for the scheme.

The following enhancements will be delivered based on public and stakeholder feedback:

• Improved passenger seating and waiting areas on the platforms
• An improved layout through the station
• Improved weather protection on platforms through better waiting rooms

Separate projects, to improve capacity on the routes into and out of Cardiff Central station, are being developed by Network Rail and Transport for Wales. These works are aimed at improving line capacity into the station, this then improves reliability and creates opportunities for new services.

As part of the planning to identify the best feasible option to improve accessibility at the station, an exercise was completed to capture data on current usage at the station (May 2022), measuring both general commuting peaks and ‘event days’ in Cardiff, when traditionally footfall soars. This will make sure the station improvements account for changing travel patterns and will be combined with the latest growth forecasts to give a rounded business case for the scheme.

The project team delivering the station enhancements is working closely with colleagues at Cardiff Bus Interchange to explore modern, easy to understand customer information systems and clear wayfinding at the train station and bus interchange. Options to directly improve connectivity are being explored.

We’ll be collaborating with partners on their interfacing projects in the area to provide better interchange facilities for other transport modes including walking and cycling, bus, coach, taxi and future services. 

The enhancements scheme will include cycle parking and we’re also exploring further opportunities with our partners as part of the wider Metro Central programme.

The scheme is being delivered collaboratively with our accessibility panel which influences our accessibility policies and advises us on how to support disabled, deaf and older customers. The panel also advises us on our accessibility plans for new and refurbished trains and stations.

We’ll also collaborate with Network Rail’s Built Environment Accessibility Panel (BEAP) on the scheme.

The scheme will deliver a new Changing Places toilet and new mobility assistance points. As part of our plans to deliver 150 secure cycle parking spaces, we’re committed to ensuring 5% of the spaces included will be for adapted cycles.

The plans for the station aim to contribute towards improved air quality and lower carbon emissions by encouraging more people to swap their car for more sustainable ways to travel (including public transport). The scheme also aligns with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act. The planned enhancements will explore opportunities to reduce the carbon emissions of station assets and improve climate resilience of Cardiff Central. The scheme will deliver improvements in station access for people walking, wheeling and cycling.

The scheme will enhance the look and feel of the station to improve the passenger environment while complementing the history and heritage of the building itself. We’ll conserve and protect the heritage of the station ensuring we honour past rebuilding and renovations works (including rebuild works carried out in 1934, and renovations carried out by Network Rail). All works will be aligned to the historic environment regulations and CADW’s conservation principles. The scheme will also ensure the station’s ongoing legacy for future generations.

Yes, we intend to keep the station open and running while enhancements works are being carried out. We’re phasing the works to minimise disruption as much as we possibly can for our customers and for services running from the station. Wherever possible, we’ll carry out works when the station is closed, including overnight. There may be times where we’ll need to put alternative walking routes in place to accommodate our works, but we’ll make sure directions are provided through signage, and station staff will be on hand to help our customers navigate these diversions.

We’ll be sharing full details of how the enhancements work will affect our customers here. There’ll also be drop-ins at the station so you can come and talk to us and find out more before any works begin. We’ll share updates and further information ahead of any potentially noisy nighttime works.

We'll be enhancing the retail opportunities at the station through the scheme to ensure we meet local demand. Retail offerings at the enhanced station will be finalised as the scheme progresses. We're engaging with all retailers at the station throughout the delivery of the scheme.

As part of Network Rail's master planning process around the station, a new multimodal transport hub will be delivered at the south side of the station, which is now under construction. The current south-side car park will remain open until the new multimodal transport hub is fully up and running. The new car park is expected to open later in 2025.