Transport for Wales' Station Improvement Vision has moved forward with upgrades for customer facilities at Cardiff Central Station starting this week.
Several upgrades will be undertaken, starting on Monday the 27th of September, in a bid to improve the overall customer experience and those visiting Wales' flagship station.
The joint project will see a multi-million-pound investment undertaken to transform the station with work set to take place over the next few years. The upgrades for customer facilities will commence over the next few months and will make Cardiff Central station into a more sustainable, accessible station and will bring a progressive outlook for its future.
Towards the end of September, work will start to revitalise the station waiting rooms and customer toilets, with a refurbishment of the accessible toilet and also parent and baby changing facilities. Station signage will also be improved and a new water dispenser will be put in place on the south concourse of the station in an attempt to promote alternatives to single-use plastic water bottles. Brand new recycling and waste bins will also be introduced and USB sockets will be installed in the main concourse area and also in Platform 8's waiting area.
The work is expected to complete by the end of December to the early part of January. Transport for Wales is advising customers to allow extra time for any possible disruptions.
Further development and upgrades will be taking place throughout 2022 at the station, one of which will be the replacement of all of the digital customer information screens.
As the busiest station in Wales, Cardiff Central sees over 12.6 million passengers enter and exit during a 12-month period (figures by ORR released during Dec 2020). The upgrades and improvements will no doubt be welcomed by customers.
TfW's Director of Transport Operations, Alexia Course, said: “We are continually investing in station improvements across our network and each programme of work offers tangible benefits to our customers. A great deal of planning has taken place to get us to the point of delivery.
“I'd like to thank our colleagues and project partners who have been involved in the process and will continue to support the delivery of these important improvements. I would also like to thank our customers and visitors to Cardiff Central for their patience and understanding as we deliver these improvements.”
Cardiff Central Station Manager, Wayne Creswell, added: “Cardiff Central is by far the busiest station in Wales and is a crucial part of our transport network. We are delighted to see this investment in customer facilities throughout the station and I am confident that staff will support both our customers and contractors on site, to ensure we minimise disruption and continue to deliver a seamless first-class service. We work collaboratively to ensure our stations are safe, accessible and welcoming places for passengers.
“Even small changes can make a big impact for our customers, and I'm confident that these enhanced facilities will be welcomed by them. Cardiff Central has an important role to play in the continued development of Cardiff as a destination and a centre for international events, we will see a much larger programme of improvements for the station and surrounding area in coming years. We're on an exciting journey and I'd like to thank station staff and visitors in advance for their ongoing support as we progress through each phase.”
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Maybe the line between Cardiff Central and Swansea should be electrified so that Bi-Mode and Tri-Mode trains can operate on AC 25kv electric mode. And for Transport for Wales to improve more stations and with further electrification in South Wales to happen.
The only improvements needed at Cardiff Central Railway Station are the bilingual indicators being replaced by separate ones for each language, the reinstatement of The Cornish Pasty Shop, and the return of a coffee machine in the Mace store.
The rest of the money can be diverted to fitting toilets on their new toilet-less trains.