Re: New Cardiff Central rail station revealed
Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 11:17 pmUnless they've taken a serious artistic liberty with the first GGI (which they may have), it suggests that the concourse area is in line with the Brains chimney. If you look on google maps where that chimney is in relation to the existing tracks, then that concourse would be located a quite a distance from the existing entrance to get it to even remotely line up.
Depending on how much land trading is going to happen, I would suggest that they could get in an additional 2 platforms, without looking to widen the existing bridges on either side of the station. Cardiff Central definately needs more platforms as congestion is only going to get worse.
Who knows what will acutally happen with the building. I don't know if these are serious plans or just something to get the ideas going. CGIs don't cost that much to make. What I do know though, is that there is going to be serious political arguments in the future over rail funding and this station in particular. Currently, Wales is getting around 1.5% of the funding with 6% of the railway network. Add into the mix both Cardiff and the Welsh Government's desire to see this become the centrol node of the Metro then it's clear some serious amount of work is needed to the station. The Welsh Government are constantly using the argument of "give us the funding or give us the authority to do the things we need to do", i.e. they want aspects of Network Rail devolved and so do the Scots. Somthing has to give.
In fairness to Network Rail, they recognise that the station is simply inadequate for a modern 21st century city. Their line is that they've been hampered by not only funding but also issues to do with the listing of the building. I think that the south entrance and the focus of future developments being south of the railway line is the obvious way of getting over that problem.
Time will tell, but I imagine that discussions are going on behind the scenes between the various interested parties (Network Rail, Westminster, Cardiff CC, WG, Arriva Trains, Brains, Rightacres etc.).
Depending on how much land trading is going to happen, I would suggest that they could get in an additional 2 platforms, without looking to widen the existing bridges on either side of the station. Cardiff Central definately needs more platforms as congestion is only going to get worse.
Who knows what will acutally happen with the building. I don't know if these are serious plans or just something to get the ideas going. CGIs don't cost that much to make. What I do know though, is that there is going to be serious political arguments in the future over rail funding and this station in particular. Currently, Wales is getting around 1.5% of the funding with 6% of the railway network. Add into the mix both Cardiff and the Welsh Government's desire to see this become the centrol node of the Metro then it's clear some serious amount of work is needed to the station. The Welsh Government are constantly using the argument of "give us the funding or give us the authority to do the things we need to do", i.e. they want aspects of Network Rail devolved and so do the Scots. Somthing has to give.
In fairness to Network Rail, they recognise that the station is simply inadequate for a modern 21st century city. Their line is that they've been hampered by not only funding but also issues to do with the listing of the building. I think that the south entrance and the focus of future developments being south of the railway line is the obvious way of getting over that problem.
Time will tell, but I imagine that discussions are going on behind the scenes between the various interested parties (Network Rail, Westminster, Cardiff CC, WG, Arriva Trains, Brains, Rightacres etc.).
