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About this station
This station is the 7th busiest in Wales, with 514730 entrances or exits in 2021-22. It serves Cardiff University.
The existing metal footbridge with stairs predates the 1983 station, having being built in 1969.
the footbridge stairs are steep and slippery and non-disabled students also find them dangerous:
“It is literally a rite of passage to fall down those stairs at least once during your time at university,” said ex-student Ellie. (to the Cardiffian)
Platforms
Platform 1 southbound towards Cardiff Queen Street/Central
Platform 2 northbound to the Valleys
Current accessibility
There is step-free access to each platform but not between platforms. If you have travelled from the Valleys (north of Cardiff) and you need to access the eastern area, (including Cardiff University and Civic centre), you can:
- cross through the university building during the day
- Take a detour at street level via the road bridge which I’d estimate is about 5-6 times the length of the platform.
- The road bridge is not immediately adjacent to the station
- The road bridge is accessed by a steep slope which is likely unsuitable for wheelchair or powerchair users
- Stay on the train to Cardiff Queen Street and then double back on a northbound service. TfW told the BBC that you don’t need an extra ticket for this.
national rail accessibility comment:
While both platforms are step-free, there is no facility for wheelchair users, mobility scooter users or persons with reduced mobility to cross between Platform 1 and 2 due to a steep footbridge. Customers who have travelled from the Valleys and wish to access the University or the Civic Centre are advised to travel to Queen Street station, change onto a North-bound service and alight at Cathays on the return service.
Photos
Cardiff Council / TfW via The Cardiffian
Progress
The BBC say that students have being campaigning for an accessible footbridge since the 1990s.
The new bridge plans have been approved.
A new footbridge will be built, with a staircase and lift on the Park Place side of the station. The metal bridge will cross above the railway directly into the first floor of the Centre for Student Life building - instead of descending straight to ground level like the current one.
The designs were granted prior approval by Cardiff Council on Thursday, July 27, 2023. However TfW stresses that the exact designs are not finalised and the tender process for the detailed design and construction hasn't yet started. (My Wales)
The new bridge will allow exit through the Centre For Student Life, or through a railway-specific exit.
We are currently working with key stakeholders including the Welsh Government and Cardiff University to develop the project proposals and will be able to share further information as it progresses.
Comments
Natasha Hirst as quoted by My Wales Online
This has been an ongoing issue for a very long time - it was flagged within the campaigning of the SU and it didn't really go anywhere.
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"It's not accessible and it doesn't feel especially safe crossing it either. It's a small station but has a very high passenger footfall and I find it really quite staggering that it's taken this long for them to be willing to put the investment into making it accessible."
The new plans, she said, were one of many issues "where disabled people have been campaigning for so long," with other examples being "safety, and there being easy access to human support if you need (whether it's buying tickets or dealing with the challenges of planning your journey, getting on and off the trains and around the platforms)."
She added: "We just need that continuous improvement. When disabled people don't have access to be able to independently use trains and buses, they don't have access to their human rights to independent living."
…
Ceri Davies, 48, worked in the rail unit of the Welsh government when it was first devolved.
“The money’s there to replace it, it needs replacing. The community doesn’t know when it’s going to happen and that’s disappointing,” he said. (The Cardiffian)
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