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New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

if it's about Cardiff.. Sport, Entertainment, Transportation, Business, Development Projects, Leisure, Eating, Drinking, Nightlife, Shopping, Train Spotting! etc.. then we want it here!
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Century Falcon

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostMon Sep 14, 2015 2:32 pm

The new southern entrance is nearly finished - it looks good! However, there seems to have been an unbelievable cock up with the design... there are no indoor ticket machines and no plans to have any!

There are two outdoor ticket machines which lack even the canopy the temporary facilities had. There is a ticket office... but it is only available once you are inside the ticket barriers(!) Even prior to redevelopment there was one indoor machine and one under cover. This just seems such a backward step?
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Simon_SW17

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostMon Sep 14, 2015 9:14 pm

This doesn't surprise me, especially after the cheap job at Queen Street. It's embarrassing :x
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paul cardiffwalesmap

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostTue Sep 15, 2015 11:43 am

What a farce!! :( I guess that's what happens when you do a rush job!!? :lol: let's hope that something is done to rectify this - or will they wait to find out... shock/horror that this will actually be a problem! :roll:
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Cen

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostTue Sep 15, 2015 12:49 pm

I don't understand why this was even built. If the ultimate goal was to fully upgrade the station (which it always was) then why have they taken the southern entrance out of action for a number of years to build something that will inevitably be altered or even removed completely by 2020?

The design actually looked good... back when it was actually designed. It already looks a bit dated, and it's no surprise considering it's taken this long to build it.
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Zach

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostTue Sep 15, 2015 5:57 pm

With homage to Matt Lucas as the coffee lady in "come fly with me"...

We got the Ticket machines, we got the new entrance, we got the new platform, we got the display screens, we got all the signs.
But lordy lord, National Rail have forgotten to connect the rails to the network! :mrgreen:
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murfilicious

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostThu Nov 05, 2015 4:45 pm

Rail managers are suggesting a new railway station in the centre of Cardiff, exclusively for use when matches are held at the Millennium Stadium. They say the station would transform the experience of visitors, compared with the difficulties many rugby fans encountered when travelling by train to or from Rugby World Cup (RWC) matches.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/millennium-stadium-railway-station-idea-10386062

Is this a bit of a hair-brained scheme, or a viable solution to a very real problem? (albeit one that probably happens about 10 times a year). My immediate questions are - on what land? and with what money?
Some days you are the pigeon and some days you are the statue...
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RandomComment

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostThu Nov 05, 2015 5:30 pm

I think it was a bit of a throwaway comment that MediaWales then run with. They mention it in the same discussion as "reconfiguring" Cardiff Central station, which seems more feasible, especially as part of the medium term plans for the station: the new concourse and station access points could be designed so as to cope better with large flows of people.

And as all the commentators there say - a new station seems like a very low priority. The circumstances during the World Cup were especially unusual - basically everyone wanting to head on Eastbound trains, when typically, traffic also goes West and up the Valleys too. The solution to that is better organisation, including more, longer and later trains (and earlier kick-off times). Not a White Elephant station.
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Rhodri

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostThu Nov 05, 2015 5:34 pm

Didn't Central used to have additional platforms to the south, where the car park is now?

If they are thinking outside the box maybe some thought should be given to developing a big interchange at St Mellons - linked to the GWML & by direct tram/bus every 5 mins. Maybe a St Mellons Parkway?

This may help in traffic approaching from the East, whereas visitors from the West can continue to use Central. Or even get a Metro line from Central to cut up from Mainline to the East Park & Ride as there is a huge parcel of land that is currently laying fallow.
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Simon_SW17

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostThu Nov 05, 2015 6:33 pm

There is no land for a new Millennium Stadium station that's anywhere near the stadium. Park and ride should be looked at which could be used all year round.

How about extending and double tracking the Coryton line and putting a park and ride just off J32? Run frequent shuttles to Queen St & Central. (Not sure if there's land there but you get the gist).
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Simon__200

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Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed

PostThu Nov 05, 2015 9:00 pm

This entire scandal is so unnecessary. Cardiff Central has been an absolute shambles since they introduced the new policy about four years ago. While trains travelling west can mix and match passengers they've decided (deliberately or just pure incompetence) that everything going east must have a rigid destination queue.

If you were heading to Newport, for example, they used to fill the trains up for London, Bristol, etc. with their respective queues, then top them up with peolple from the Newport queue and/or with passengers going to Bristol Parkway. But since their new policy, they've just let them leave leave half empty and leave the passengers fester or freeze in their queues. When asked about this change in policy, the 16 year olds marshalling the queues always say "how do you know it's stopping at Newport, Bristol, etc." They honestly have no idea how the rail network works.

One of the criticisms of the latest report was that trains were leaving at under-capacity, while passengers were left queuing. This is not new, and is precisely what's been happening for the past four years since the policy was introduced. I know, because I've been complaining about its lunacy since then. The only difference now is that in this particular instance practically everyone was heading east so it highlighted the issue more.

It's not rocket science. I'm yet to hear a reason why they no longer top up trains with passengers from other queues, and I suggest that it's pure and simple incompetence. One day they decided to introduce an army of 16 year old casual labour employees as marshals, and didn't explain to them the proper MO. And that's how it's been ever since.
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