Cardiff Queen Street railway station

Coordinates: 51°28′55″N 3°10′13″W / 51.4819°N 3.1703°W / 51.4819; -3.1703

Cardiff Queen Street
Welsh: Caerdydd Heol y Frenhines

Location
Place	Cardiff
Local authority	Cardiff
Grid reference	ST188765
Operations
Station code	CDQ
Managed by	Arriva Trains Wales
Number of platforms	5
DfT category	C1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	2.073 million
2005/06	2.126 million
2006/07	2.232 million
2007/08	2.486 million
2008/09	2.573 million
2009/10	2.438 million
2010/11	2.411 million
2011/12	2.489 million
- Interchange	0.657 million
2012/13	2.495 million
- Interchange	0.733 million
2013/14	2.463 million
2014/15	2.523 million
- Interchange	0.983 million
History
9 October 1840	Opened as Crockherbtown
1887	Rebuilt and renamed Cardiff Queen Street
1907	Rebuilt
1973	Rebuilt
2014	Rebuilt
National Rail – UK railway stations

* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Cardiff Queen Street from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Railways in Central Cardiff

Legend

To Rhymney

To Coryton

Heath Low Level/High Level(Interchange)

To Pontypridd

To Bridgend

Cardiff Queen Street(Interchange)

To Newport and England

Ninian Park

Cardiff Central(Interchange)

Cardiff Riverside

Canal Parade goods depot

Bute West docks

Bute East docks (Atlantic Wharf)

East Moors depot

Cardiff Bay

Grangetown

Roath docks

Cardiff Bay quayside

Queen Alexandra docks

Penarth Flats docks

Penarth Moors docks

To Barry and Rhoose Cardiff Airport

To Penarth

Cardiff Queen Street Station in 2009, before the addition of a fifth platform

Cardiff Queen Street railway station (Welsh: Caerdydd Heol y Frenhines) is a railway station serving the north and east of Central Cardiff, Wales. It is the second busiest railway station in Wales, being located near Queen Street. It is one of 20 stations in the city and two in the city centre, the other being Cardiff Central. The station is staffed at most times, with a ticket office and machines, and a café on platforms 3 and 4. A newsagent is situated opposite the station.

In 2014, a reconstruction of the station was completed in order to reduce bottlenecks, with two extra platforms being put in (a previously existing platform, opposite platform 4, and a new bay platform next to platform 2 for the line to Cardiff Bay), taking the total number of platforms to 5.

History

A station known as "Crockherbtown" on this site was built in 1840 by the Taff Vale Railway, whose headquarters were also located here. It was rebuilt and given its present name in 1887. Other major rebuildings took place in 1907 and by British Rail in 1973.^[1] The latter project saw the station's overall roof removed, the original Taff Vale station frontage demolished & replaced and the western side platform closed, with all through traffic concentrated on the central island.^[2] In 2005, the station was fitted with new ticket gates, operational when the station is manned, which allow easier access in both directions. In 2006 LED screens replaced the old information display monitors.

The old station car park is now dedicated for private use by residents of a nearby modern development of apartments known as "The Aspect".

Services

Queen Street is the main hub of the Valley Lines network – a railway system serving Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend and the South Wales Valleys – and has the solitary connection to Cardiff Bay. The station is located at the eastern end of the city centre, near the Capitol Centre as well as St David's Centre, and sees heavy volumes of commuter rail traffic during the rush hour.

The station has five utilised platforms at a level raised above the surrounding roads. Platform 5 is used for services to Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil and Treherbert. Platform 4 is used for services to Rhymney and Bargoed as well as Coryton in north-west Cardiff. Platform 3 is used for services towards Cardiff Central and onwards to Barry Island and Bridgend via Rhoose Cardiff International Airport. Platform 2 is used for services towards Cardiff Central and onwards to Penarth and Radyr via City Line. Platform 1 is now only used for services to Cardiff Bay, which operate every 12 minutes.^[3]

The typical Monday – Saturday service per hour (as of March 2016) is as follows:^[4]

Northbound (towards Coryton and the Valleys):

6 trains per hour (tph) to Pontypridd via Cathays and Radyr, of which
- 2 tph continue to Aberdare
- 2 tph continue to Merthyr Tydfil
- 2 tph continue to Treherbert
4 tph to Ystrad Mynach, of which
- 4 tph continue to Bargoed
- 1 tph continues to Rhymney
2 tph to Coryton

Southbound (towards Cardiff Central, Cardiff Bay, The Vale and to Radyr via the City Line):

2 tph terminate at Cardiff Central
4 tph to Penarth
4 tph to Barry, of which
- 3 tph continue to Barry Island
- 1 tph continues to Bridgend via Rhoose Cardiff International Airport
2 tph to Radyr via the Cardiff City Line
5 tph to Cardiff Bay

Preceding station		Following station
Cardiff Central	Arriva Trains Wales Coryton – Cardiff Queen Street – Radyr	Heath Low Level
Cardiff Central	Arriva Trains Wales Merthyr Line	Cathays
Cardiff Central	Arriva Trains Wales Rhondda Line	Cathays
Cardiff Central	Arriva Trains Wales Rhymney Line	Heath High Level
Cardiff Bay	Arriva Trains Wales Butetown Branch	Terminus

Regeneration

Queen Street station in 2015, looking north. The new Cardiff Bay shuttle platform 1 is on the extreme right. and the new platform 5 is on the far left.

As part of a £200m regeneration scheme to boost train capacity in Cardiff and the surrounding areas, Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street stations are to be redeveloped from June 2014 and April 2013 respectively. The whole Cardiff Area Signalling Renewal project is due to be completed by May 2015, funded by the Department for Transport, Assembly Government and Network Rail. The Assembly Government has committed £7m for the enhancements programme.

The stations will be similar in design, featuring slate panels, grey brickwork, pavilion-style roofs, large windows and stainless steel signage. Cardiff Central will have a new two-storey southern entrance and ticket hall under plans submitted by Network Rail. An eighth platform at Cardiff Central and a fourth and fifth at Cardiff Queen Street will be installed. Once finished, the number of trains running to the Valleys will increase from 12 per hour to 16 per hour.^[5]

The new platforms have now been brought into use as of Sunday 14 December 2014. Platform 1 is the new bay platform for the Cardiff Bay shuttle, platform 2 is for City Line services to Radyr and trains to Penarth, Platform 3 is for trains to Barry Island and the Vale of Glamorgan line, Platform 4 is for trains to Coryton and Rhymney and the new Platform 5 is for trains to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil.^[6]