I used this station twice...once for my arrival and once for departure. It's clean and easy to navigate. The staff are helpful and friendly, and there are plenty of facilities including shops, cafés, and waiting areas. Trains run regularly to lots of destinations, and information boards are clear and up to date. It's a busy station, but everything runs smoothly. Great little station. read more

The rail is an easy way to travel between Cardiff and London. With a train run by Great Wester Railway almost every half hour, it is convenient for travellers. The platforms can get really crowded, and there are benches available. There are plenty of staff available to assist to help with the confusion of whether your train will be at the "a" or "b" part of the platform, or will take up the entirety. read more

Great service. Be prepared with your ticket to scan or slip in to get into your terminal. I booked the quiet carriage but it was not so quiet for half my ride to Cardiff. Additionally, on my ride over to Cardiff the reserved buttons were broken so people sat in other people's seats without knowing. Otherwise, the process was easy to follow. Additionally, if your ride is more than 15 minutes delayed you can request a partial refund on the gWr website easily. read more

Cardiff Central Railway Station - Quiet carriage sign - Train Stations Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

Easy to navigate but crowded and dirty. Needs a good deep cleaning!! Not big but lots of connections. The train to Paddington was very nice. Get the quiet car read more

I don't understand what makes one Cardiff... one Cardiff... one Cardifferent from another car. Sorry I have a stutter. Cardiff Central is a massive grand old station that could seriously use a renovation, and it's one of the busiest stations in the country, and has trains heading out to London and Manchester and Birmingham and other cities regularly. It opened in 1850, but its last major rebuild was in the 30s, so that's not so great. I have to make sure Harley isn't on my stuff right now hold on. Okay I had a cat issue, it's fine now. It's located right next to the Millennium Stadium, which is good and has eight platforms. They do have trains going off to Liverpool and other parts of Wales as well. Who doesn't want to go to Liverpool anyway, on a train especially. Cardiff has the only first-class waiting room in Wales, but because it's in major need of a rebuild, I can only do it four. read more

Or in Welsh, Caerdydd Canolog. Cardiff Central is a major station in downtown Cardiff close to the Millenium Statium. The station has 7 platforms with service connecting throughout Wales as well as the Great Western Line to London, Cross Country to Manchester and Birmingham. There is a first class lounge on the First Great Western line, but it's not open on Sunday. Not a whole lot of services inside the barricades, in fact I only spotted an Upper Crust kiosk on the platform. In the main concourse, WH Smith, Upper Crust and a Marks & Spencer Simply Food. Off to the south, get a picture of Brains, Cardiff's own beer brewery. read more

Cardiff Central Railway Station - Train to Caerphilly - Train Stations Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

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Cardiff Central (Caerdydd Canolog in Welsh) is the Welsh Capital's principal station, and the busiest station in Wales. Over 8 million passengers use it every year, and nearly a million people change trains here, making it the tenth busiest in the UK outside London. As well as an extensive range of long-distance services, it's the hub of the busy 'Valley Lines' suburban railway network. The station was originally opened in 1850 by the South Wales Railway running from Swansea to Gloucester (and from there to London), although the bridge over the Wye at Chepstow did not open until a year later. The opening of the Severn Tunnel in 1886 considerably shortened the route to Bristol and to London, and was made shorter again by the opening of the direct Swindon-Severn Tunnel line through Wootton Bassett in 1903. The original buildings at Cardiff were rebuilt several times, but the present station dates from 1934, when the Great Western Railway rebuilt the whole station. This included an impressive main entrance in white Portland stone, with platform buildings faced in cream glazed tiles, under long canopies. The entrance, concourse and platform buildings are all listed. The station was known as 'Cardiff General' until 1973, and many locals still refer to it as 'the General'. Further refurbishments in 1983 and in 2000 saw a second entrance and car park opened on the south side of the station, an additional platform (numbered '0') on the north side, the former parcels subway opened to passengers and the square in front of the station opened up and paved attractively in stone. This has improved access around the station considerably. The station has fully bilingual notices, timetables and announcements (in Welsh first). Inter-city services operate to London via Swindon and Reading every 30 minutes during week-days, and hourly to Swansea. There are also medium and long-distance services to Bristol every 30 minutes and hourly to Bath, Salisbury, Southampton, Portsmouth, Taunton, Hereford, Gloucester, Shrewsbury, Carmarthen, Manchester, Birmingham, Derby and Nottingham. There are also less frequent direct trains to other destinations, including via the North Wales coast to Anglesey and to Milford Haven in West Wales. Frequent suburban services operate to Pontypridd, Caerphilly, Rhymney, Maesteg, Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare, Barry, Penarth and the Rhondda Valley. New local services include hourly trains to Bridgend via Cardiff Airport (Rhoose) and to Ebbw Vale, both on formerly closed lines that have been reopened. Services include a taxi rank, car parking, a first-aid post, cash-points, a First-Class Lounge, toilets with baby-changing facilities, covered cycle storage. The station is fully accessible with step-free access. There are several shops and refreshment facilities, including a W H Smiths and M&S Simply Food. Cardiff's main bus station is in Central Square, immediately in front of the station a rare example of integrated public transport provision in the UK! read more

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Cardiff Railway Station is the main station built to serve the city center of Cardiff, only 20 minutes away from Newport and 3 hours away from Manchester, which could sadly reach 3 1/2 hours on a Sunday, when there is only one train an hour. This station is quite an old station, being a little old fashioned, with some of its' original features from 1850, making it in a way feel like it is a station in a small town, certainly not like it is located in such a large town such as Cardiff, the capital of Wales, even smaller towns such as Crewe seem to have more trains and even facilities than this one, which is a good 2 1/2 hours or so away from here towards Manchester. This station is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, which is uncommon for a large city station, which often seems to be run by Network Rail, in terms of Leeds, Liverpool and London as far as I'm aware, even my local station of Piccadilly in Manchester. This station was rebuilt in 1932 after being open for 82 years, but still I can't help but feel a refurb is required as it just seems old-fashioned, and unsuitable for such a large city, which is the capital of Wales infact. Another thing I dislike is how it seems so disorganized, there are multiple platforms, situated away from each other, unlike in most major cities such as Manchester Piccadilly, having them all together, once I arrived on Platform 0 with 10-15 minutes to spare, I was told they would be a change, which meant me having to go to the other side of the station, in 2 lifts with all my luggage and once again going through the ticket gates, queuing for the lift, which made me annoyed having already struggled to get to Platform 0, and then being forced to change to Platform 2, feeling like I'd miss my train. Luckily, I shouted over to the Conductor and it waited for me. Announcements at the station also seem poor, the train was stuck at the other end of a platform, it was a small train only 3 carriages, and then as people started walking towards it, everyone was told to go back as the train was coming to us, which certainly didn't look that way. In 2011, there were talks of a regeneration of the station including a Platform 8, which seems much needed, as even the main hall seemed in need of a refurb and a few bigger names with only Spar, WHsmith, Upper Crust and a Pumpkin Cafe being here, and a Marks and Spencer which seemed slightly hidden in some building work going on, and away from the main lobby. The ticket-gates seemed unmanned, so after an issue with my tickets being put in a washing machine, I struggled to get through so I had to frantically run around to find a member of staff, after the platform was moved, despite being told I was okay to travel. Another confusing thing about this station is that they have 7 platforms, however this skips 5 as there is a Platform 0 instead. Although this station is managed and mainly served by Arriva Trains Wales, trains from here also go to a wide range of cities including Manchester, Birmingham, London with CrossCountry and East Midlands providing the latter two services, CrossCountry also provide a service to Manchester which seems less regular than the Arriva Trains Service, which seemed cheaper and quicker so I used them to get to and from Cardiff, although it was nice to have a selection on who to travel with, rather than one company just operating that route. Platform 6 seems to mainly serve the Welsh Valley's, with all services from there calling at Cardiff Queen Street station, which is actually one of 20 train stations in Cardiff, and the second largest in Wales, all the trains from this station are managed by Arriva Trains Wales, unlike this station who also have CrossCountry and East Midlands as mentioned above, which is better for the customers as there is more competition, and you are not forced to stick to one operator. Overall, this is a decent station for transportation around Cardiff and the UK, with trains to most UK cities, but it just seems unwelcoming and old, for people arriving in Cardiff which is disappointing for the largest and busiest train station in the whole of Wales, while also considering a lack of things to do, and a lack of management around the station, I sadly feel this station only deserves 2 stars, and that is mainly for location and that there is competition, which seems uncommon in Cardiff's other 19 stations, including Queen Street station which is also in the city center of Cardiff. read more

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Okay, I will happily acknowledge that this is not the most beautiful station when compared to Paddington, Antwerp of Wellington (I like that station particularly). But neither is Cardiff Central too grotty either. It is a nice space, and one of the nicest stations in Wales, if only because it's one of the largest. There is a large entrance hall complete with several shops, a cafe and a bar, so if you had to wait around at any station, this is a good one to choose. With 8 platforms, services go regularly to a wide variety of destinations, including Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol and London, along with more local services. But be warned, this station can get very busy when there are large events going on in Cardiff. Perhaps check your times carefully on these days so you can whisk yourself through the system quickly, rather than hang around on platforms with football supporters. read more

Cardiff Central Railway Station - http://www.livedepartureboards.co.uk/atw/sumdep.aspx?T=CDF - Train Stations Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

I used to commute back and forth between Bristol and Cardiff, so I've spent way too much time in this station. First, here are some good things about it: - The building itself is attractive enough, and the main entrance / ticket office area has plenty of space and light. - The queues for tickets generally go down quickly, so you don't have to wait too long (unless it's peak rush hour, or there's a rugby game or concert on at the Millennium Stadium). - It's well-located, smack bang in the heart of the city centre (unlike Bristol Temple Meads, which is about 15 minutes' walk from the main shops). It's also right next to the bus station, which is convenient if you're travelling on to other parts of the city (again, unlike Bristol's Bus Station, which is some way away from the train station). Now for the bad things about Cardiff Central: - The toilets are grim. They're dirty, scruffy, stinky and tiny. Even if you're a really slight build it's virtually impossible to manoeuvre into the cubicle, especially if you're carrying any shopping bags. The all-in-one sinks and hand dryers are virtually useless. Avoid at all costs. - When the rugby is on, it's a nightmare. It's heaving, and you need to leave an extra few minutes to get through the turnstiles or you could miss your train. - While the choice of cafés and shops isn't bad for a station of this size, including a very welcome M & S Food (plus an Uppercrust, WH Smiths, and a shabby-looking Spar), it's hopeless if you want decent cup of coffee. You're better off picking one up before you get to the station, from a Starbucks or the Coffee #1 just outside the station. read more

Cardiff Central Railway Station - Photo of the station taken on 28 May 2010 - Train Stations Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

Cardiff Railway Station is situated a stones throw from the Millennium Stadium, and the main shopping area of Cardiff. It's also located immediately behind the bus station and so it must be one of the most conveniently sited stations in the UK. Housed in a beautiful period building, with modern interior, it's always kept spotlessly clean, and never seems to get too overcrowded. The staff are a pleasant lot, always willing to help, and the layout is pretty straightforward, making you whole travel experience a joy. There's a few places to buy food and drink, but they can be a little pricey. With Coffee #1 just around the corner, I recommend that you pay them a visit if you have time, or there's a couple of cheaper newsagent type shops nearby as well. read more

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I despise Cardiff Station. It depresses me for some reason. I just find there's something so grubby and drab about it. It isn't old and grubby in an "it's got character" kind of way. It's just old and grubby. It's not really in keeping with the new "modern" Cardiff and it's quite small for a capital city. On match days or events days it's an absolute nightmare and it seems that even though this is a fairly common occurance they still mess stuff up. The amount of times I've been made late or they've changed the schedules is unreal. I'm also biased against it as I've spent many a miserable night after a night out in Cardiff sleeping in its cold, depressing waiting room, afraid to actually fall asleep in case the psycho sitting in the chair opposite is just one snoring stranger away from snapping. The front of the station is decent enough but inside it's a nightmare. Not looking forward to my train journey in a few hours...... read more

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I've spent a lot of my time on the train and been to a lot of train stations. Mainly Crewe for some reason. Platform 6. An exciting life eh? But I like Cardiff Central. I'm not an anorak, not that sort of like, but there is something, well, real about it. For a main station it is still pretty small, with four main platforms (kind of one either side of two lines, if you know what I mean). The paved area out front is a bit of a hobo magnet, but is a pleasant enough place to wait for a pick up or have a coffee while you wait for your train. Everything you would expect in a train station is in the front foyer. Its once you've gone through the ticket gates that Cardiff Central station becomes distinctive. The main access to the platforms is through a tunnel running perpendicular to the lines, so you go up stairs to get to the platform. As you come up the stairs it is like taking a step back in time. The station has retained it's white picket like awnings, cream tiles and green railings and you almost expect a steam train to pull up. It is always a heart warming sight as you pull in after a long journey. One word to the wise, however, the main car park is at the back. However, there is a ticket gate to get in, so you'd have to get through two ticket gates to get to the ticket office? So, if you park at the back you have to walk all the way round. And there is only a drop off point at the front which is generally populated by taxis. Perplexing to the uninitiated! read more

As a train station, Cardiff Central definitely does its job. However, I'm rating 2 stars because I feel like Cardiff deserves a lot better. I love visiting cities all over the world and the running theme is that in all the great cities, you have 1 major train station that is well kept / taken care of - the beating heart of the community, if you will. And Cardiff Central...? Well, it's anything but. ~ Interior: The inside of this station looks like it hasn't had a good wash in years. It is VERY dirty and grimy, especially the restrooms. The tunnel that leads you to all the different platforms hasn't seen a washing since the dawn of time, which leads to a very cramped and hectic atmosphere and a dirty feeling. I'll be honest, I wouldn't complain about this if Cardiff was just a random city in fuck middle of nowhere. In fact, if that was the case, comparatively speaking Cardiff Central would be a fantastic station. However, like I said earlier I feel as though Cardiff deserves a bit better than below average. ~ Customer Service: The one shining light of this place. From my experience, the staff have always been pleasantly kind and helpful if you have any questions about your journey. Sometimes during peak hours though, there can be a queue to the Travel Information desk. ~ Things To Do: There's a small food shop inside to get any snacks, but if you have enough time I suggest finding somewhere else nearby the station for a bite to eat since it's just in the middle of the city anyway. Everything is within walking distance, so I find Cardiff Central to be situated in a great location. It's also right next to the bus station for easy transfers if need be. --- Cardiff Central isn't *horrible* by any means, but I feel as though the capital of Wales can hold itself to a higher standard than a sub-par train station. read more

An ugly station in an ugly area. I should know I took the scenic route everywhere as I kept getting lost nearby! Busy too. River Taff was diverted as the area where the station is was prone to flooding. read more

Dear Cardiff Central Railway Station, I am writing to tell you how much I don't like you. Do you realize we're in the year 2010, maybe you should have thought of having a bit of a spruce up since 1950. I travel to you a lot from Cathays, because I have no choice and I quite like to go places, sometimes I have to go places, sadly leading to me having to visit you. Sometimes I'm a but hungry and I look around to see my only option is upper crust and a 50 year old vending machine, this makes me sad. I sometimes would quite like something to read, but I can't buy anything as I would have to leave the station in order to do so. I'm sure a lot of people who use you as a connection station feel the same sadness about this and have no option but to read a metro that someone has left lying around, that they have to go hungry rather than have another upper crust and rather piss themselves than use your grubby little toilet. Please Cardiff Central, burn to the ground, just for me, I would really appreciate it. Many thanks JT read more

Not the most modern station. Really needs bringing in to the 21st Century. The food here is poor, very little choice and over priced. This stations saving grace is every member of staff. They are welsh and proud of it and all seem to take great pride in their job. All very helpful and always smiling. For people who visit Cardiff it's a great welcome and is great for me as when i head back to london i know that when i come back they'll be many a smile waiting to welcome me back. Wales, you just have to love it. read more

Cardiff Central Railway Station - Train Stations Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

Clean and efficient. It's small but that makes it easy to find your train! Staff was nice. Overall a nice station.

Cardiff Central is my lifeline, without it there would be no visits to home, my lady, my friends, nothing! Not one to look up and take a train stations decor in I really don't mind as I spend as little time as possible in there thanks to it's excessive heaving crowds at rush hour. The WHsmiths is pretty handy there but so over priced thanks to it's convenience, however there is a M&S round the corner which does great lunches for decent prices, but that also is a nightmare if there's a body of people in there. Staff here have always been very friendly and helpful with info and I've never really suffered with delays ever as well, that's quite a surprise for British transport. read more

With several friends in Cardiff, the central train station is a popular stop for me. In the heart of the city, there are a few things you should know if you're planning a trip involving this station. Firstly, the barriers at the front entrance are, well, I'm not sure how to describe it but the word 'slow' comes to mind. On several occasions a machine has refused to accept my (valid) ticket and on the most recent occasion this resulted in me missing my train back to Bristol by mere seconds - very frustrating! Another thing to plan for is any rugby game remotely involving Wales. There are several sports pubs close to the station and the Millennium Stadium is only a short walk away so on match days the station is choc-a-bloc. Often the front entrance of the station is shut so you will be directed to the back entrance but it's not hard to navigate around. The station itself is heaving with rowdy sports fans so allow yourself plenty of time to get to the platform when planning your journey. read more

A central spot, in Cardiff's city centre. It is where you can commute to the world... I have travelled recently, from here to Bath Spa train station using my Rail Card, giving me a slight discount. For a the Any Day Return tickets they cost around £12.50p per ticket and you can get the Plus Bus day tickets for around an extra couple of pounds in both places that you travel to. There are queues for intermediate tickets; and for future travel tickets, and you can buy tickets so many days or weeks in advance, and you can buy the same type of tickets online or on the train it's self. You have to be mightily quick or you may miss your train, they don't wait around for long at all. Most of the trains are very clean and tidy and they have many comfy seats. The trains are extremely fast and it takes just an hour from Cardiff to get to Bath. There are toilets on the trains; sometimes food trolleys, friendly and helpful staff. I recommend for all and you can take dogs, suitcases, bikes, push chairs, and wheel chair access. read more

I commute to and from Cardiff on a regular basis. The easiest route back to London is a train from Cardiff Central direct to London Paddington. On one occasion I was travelling with my heavily pregnant cousin.Whilst at the station we requested special assistance to be waiting for us at Paddington to help with our luggage. We boarded the train and everything was going smoothly until we got to Reading. At Reading the train stopped... we waited... and waited but the train did not continue. Then came the dreaded announcement that the train had to terminate here due to technical difficulties. My first thought was "Great, how are we going to manage getting off this train with all our luggage without the assistance we had waiting for us." Then.... like an angel sent to us from heaven.... came the ticket conductor. He had received a message form Cardiff central that two passengers needed assistance. He lifted all of our heavy luggage off of the broken train and boarded us onto a brand new shiney one that he assured us worked. Not only that he seated us in first class which was an added luxury and really made our day. Here Here for everybody working at Cardiff central train station! read more

Many a time have I either arrived at or departed from Cardiff Central and it's a place I've never given much thought to except in my view being the gateway to Cardiff. The other day when I was waiting for a train to Swansea I realised something about the station which puts me slightly off and that is there is no toilets on ticket side of the barriers. Ok, call me stupid but you're probably thinking why this is such a big deal and the reason is its happened to me quite a few times where I've needed to catch a train and I've been so desperate that I've had to practically run through the ticket barrier and get up to the platform where the toilets are few and far between and furthermore are simply filthy. On the same occasion the queue for the ticket office was huge so I decided to use one of the automated machines It so confusing and I've these thing many times in London to buy tube tickets. The station staff weren't really any help so the only thing I could do was wait in the box office line, and when I asked for my ticket with a rail card a felt like I was being looked down and asked to produce my card in such a rude manner it was like I was trying to get something for free even though I paid £25 for having the privilege of this card All things considered I go to Cardiff Central out of necessity and not for a day out. read more

There is something about railway stations that make me want to impulsively jump on a train and just see where I'll end up (obviously I'd have ot buy a ticket). They have that romantic "I could be anywhere this time tomorrow" feel (as long as that anywhere is close to a train line of course). Having said that I guess you'll know exactly where you're headed when its nnounced over the speakers on the train. If you're living in Cardiff or haven't ventured out of it then there is a world of other destinationsin the valleys and for no more thann a tenner the valleys are your oyster. read more

It's surprising that when Cardiff was having money poured over it in an attempt to bring the city into the twenty-first century, the station was completely forgotten. So much of the city has been revamped, rethought and redesigned, and yet Cardiff Central Station has been left in a mess. I remember when I first visited the city, I thought it seemed grim and uninviting. The front of the station is unattractive and reminds of an Eastern European stop rather than Capital city in the United Kingdom. Considering that the Millennium Stadium is a short walk away and Cardiff's increasingly taking a place on the music stage it is unbelievable that the powers that be are happy with the image of Cardiff on arrival (and exit). Of course, there's more to a city than its train station but Cardiff Central urgently needs some attention. A lick of paint, a new floor and a new front entrance please. Oh and the first thing you see of a city shouldn't be a Burger King. read more

After arriving in England and Wales this was the first place where WiFi was working. Transparent signs, lots of benches, great stalls with fresh baguettes - for a moment I was considering staying there :D Unfortunately, they don´t have beer anywhere! Bylo to první místo po příjezdu do Anglie a Walesu, kde fungovala wifi. Přehledné cedule, spousta laviček, skvělé stánky s čerstvými bagetami - chvíli jsem zvažovala, že tu budu bydlet :D Bohužel, nikde nemají pivo! read more

For the past 7 months I need traveling here a lot. And I am So not good with public transportation. But here. In Cardiff. It's so easy. If I need help people always willing to. But is just easy. You got everything at this station to give you all the instruction you need read more

Cardiff Central Railway Station - Train Stations Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

I'm inclined to give Cardiff station a bad review because me train was cancelled today and I had to wait an extra 30 minutes. It did give me time to have a look around though, there's not much to look at once you're through the barriers and on to the platforms. The subway reminds me of Clapham Junction station. There's an Upper Crust selling baguettes and drinks on platforms 1 & 2. Other platforms have vending machines. Each platform has a few phoneboxes, which was good as my phone had run out of battery and I passed some of the time on a good old fashioned pay phone chatting to my boyfriend. The main concourse is lovely, bright and airy and the bus station is just outside it. The Millenium Stadium is also only a very short stroll away. read more

I'm a fan of Cardiff Central Train Station. It's big and bustling and you get a great glimpse of the city landscape from the platforms. Downstairs, where you can buy your ticket from the teller or from one of the machines, you'll find a pasty kiosk, a confectionery kiosk, a WHSmith (which doesn't open until 7am and sometimes a bit later than that) a baguette and coffee shop (which sells alcohol) and a Marks & Spencer. Stocking up on stuff for the journey isn't a problem here. Oh, and there's a big clock hanging above the entrance to M&S. Big clocks are coooooooooooool. There are cash machines out the front of the station along with a kiosk selling newspapers (handy if you're an early morning traveller as Smiths probably on't be open). Out front is also a taxi rank and an NCP car park. The station has its own open-air carpark out the back, but spaces are limited. Upstairs on the platforms you've got your standard stuff - toilets, waiting area, kiosks, benches etc. For newbies to the Cardiff, when exiting the station via the front, you'll be facing Cardiff Central Bus Station (currently undergoing massive renovation). Take a right and walk until you reach the Great Western Pub and you will find yourself on St Mary's Street (lots of bars and shops). Take a left and walk the whole length of the street andta daaaah - the castle is there at the end. read more

I've spent a lot of time at this station. I have to say that over the last few years, it's become a bit better than it was- it has its good points and low points. The staff now make a bit more effort to actually tell people where their trains are, which is a big improvement because previously it was guesswork. The front area is very grand and spacious and the M&S Food very useful. The walk to the trains is a bit drab but depending on where you stand in the station you can get quite a good view across a small bit of Cardiff. However you can't escape the fact that it's still unavoidably a drab and miserable place to get stuck, and paying a fiver for a dry Upper Crust baguette with hardly any filling in it is not going to be the highlight of anyone's day. read more

I needed to get home to Bridgend from Cardiff with my grandaughters at midnight on a Friday night. I had hoped to be in Cardiff earlier but that's another story. The next train was due to leave in just under an hour but was delayed ie we were not leaving until 2 am Saturday morning. There is nowhere to sit in the central foyer and the toilets and waiting room on the platform were locked and I had to ask the station master to open them, which he arranged. He was locked up in his office but explained it wasn't his policy to close them and he didn't know that the cleaners had locked them. Until the toilets were opened passengers could only relieve themselves on the platform, which evidently some had done. In my view if trains are running (even if delayed) the waiting rooms and toilets should be open and kept clean and it should not be necessary for passengers to have to request such facilities to be opened. It should be part of the station master's brief to know whether facilities are open/ shut and to be concerned about his passengers' welfare. Cleaners should be subordinate to him. The station master should expect to have to get out of his office and check such issues. British Transport Police (BTP) were so concerned about my grandaughters that when the train arrived they insisted we travel first class: thats an indication of how intimidating the atmosphere is at that time of night. Thanks BTP! I've spent some time trying to find the best place where to leave my feedback but it seems from their website http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/cdf.html that they do not welcome feedback which is the key to improvement. Cardiff Central Station should be more welcoming to visitors: Cardiff our capital city deserves better. read more

Extraordinarily expensive. But there again, I am a valleys boy. What would I know. It's just, 2 quid for a lucozade can't be right can it? Lol. Clean, warm, great WS Smith, and the coffee is rather good from the cafe too. It's been a very pleasant departure point each and every single time. Nice place to be quite honestly. read more

Get familiar with the train times and platform numbers before you travel. Staff will misinform you just for bants.

If anyone's familiar with some of the quite frankly rather beautiful stations in London, you will be rather disappointed with Cardiff central train station. The building itself isn't to bad, but the architecture could hardly be considered impressive. The station caters to both local and national trains, going to a good variety of locations such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham. There is also an ok selection of shops and cafes e.g. M&S food, WH Smith (good range of books), Uppercrust, and a Spar (a bit unnecessary). My big problem with Cardiff central is that it gets rather rough at night. They do have police on duty quite often, but it is rather unpleasant when you arrive. Roughness aside, if you need to catch a train out of Cardiff, this is the only place to go. read more

For a city such as Cardiff this station is very standard. It is certainly no Paddington however. The management of this station appear to favour the event visitors over the everyday users of the services as whenever there is something big going on in Cardiff the stewards come out in force to hinder your journey home. They make it harder for you to get to your platform on time as barriers are put up and train services are often changed. The central underpass could easily be separated into two sides, left and right but the management always put the barriers across so you have to speak to a steward or wait for the mass crowd to leave before you can make your way to the platform. On numerous occasions I have been held up just a minute or two too long and missed the train I need to catch. Once, I even told the steward where I was going and instead of informing the crowd of commuters I was with that the platform had been changed, he allowed us to continue to the usual platform. By the time we had worked out the train was elsewhere, jogged down the stairs and back up the other flight to the correct platform, at least 10 of us had missed the train just in time to see it leaving. What a tease that was. Most days however, things appear to run fairly smoothly. It only ever goes wrong when I really need it to work as it should. It must be the luck of the Irish. The toilets on the platforms are as standard, smelly and dim. They could use better lighting and a good clean down, in fact, they could use a good refurbishment. As soon as you get outside the station to your left you will find cash machines which, if you are not from Cardiff, or a regular visitor, you may head straight to and not think twice about using. I urge you to be aware that these machines are often targeted by scammers who attach devices that will collect your card details and pin number when you enter it. They will then use this to take money from your account or sell the details on to someone else who will do this. Also when you leave the station, you should be aware that there will likely be a large number of alcoholics and/or homeless people in this area. They seem to hang around on the corner by Burge King and I have no idea why the area isn't a no-drinking zone. Expect to see some things you would rather not and possibly be asked for money or cigarettes. read more

Cardiffs main bus and rail centre - currently being refurbished to hopefully make all those badly needed improvements to what is one of the poorest designed city centre stations around. A confusing taxi rank set up and poor car access via a traffic light system design by a sadist masquerading as a traffic planner means that those making it on foot to the station or arriving on a bus will be OK but cars? If you're new to Cardiff the challenge of working out how the city bus routes work awaits you - good luck. At least the trains have got it right, but after all they were here first and were able to set it up to suit themselves and their layout is pretty straightforward. All the usual facilities - papers, cofees, snacks etc can be found in the rail foyer as can be found a mini M&S food store with a good all round selection of goodies with late opening hours too - worth knowing for late night needs. read more

I am a senior citizen and last week I purchased travel tickets to visit London during my grandchild's half term holiday. My tickets were for travel from 21st to 23rd October. Unfortunately I was given the wrong dates for half term and it starts on the week commencing 28th October.. I went into Cardiff Station to change the date on my tickets and was appalled to find that the charge for changing the date on my tickets was £20. The original cot was only £36 so to be charged £20 to simply change a date I think is absolutely outrageous.. How on earth anyone could justify levying such an astronomical charge to rectify a very simple mistake is beyond my comprehension. I wold welcome any comments on this situation. read more

Great station spoilt by the blonde hair specticle wearing ticket office employee. Absolutely no customer service skills you would think a company of this size would have at least a minimal level of training. Rude, arrogant, with no customer skills whatsoever. The lady on duty was amazing very helpful polite and we'll trained 6-30 to 7pm Friday 7th July 2017 read more

Quite a large station with a number of platforms, no plaform 5- but they do have a platform 0 as well. There is a couple of places to get food- though they are rather expensive. Best place is probably the M&S food before you get onto the platforms themselves. There are 3 automatic ticket machines where you can pick up/buy tickets. There is a drop off point right outside, but it can get very busy, as this is part of the taxi rank as well. Bus station is right in front of the station as well read more

A busy train station situated in the heart of Cardiff.The platforms are a bit dated and staff can be difficult to find. there is an M & S outlet on the gloor floor and an upper crust between platforms 1 & 2. Car parking is about £7.50 for 24 hrs read more