Isn't the concourse listed?....in which case there's not a lot they can do with it.
Not just the concourse; everything except platform 0 and the south side building (platform 8) is listed. Sadly that didn't stop someone (Network Rail?) paying architects a good few years ago to produce not one but two (at least) designs for a massive redevelopment of the station which would have involved (very) extensive demolition. At least one option would have destroyed the historically valuable subway tiles and at least one would have swept away all the platform buildings and canopies (replaced by a 'transfer deck' like Reading).
I think they must be planning expansion of platform 0. The render of the north entrance shows a substantial new building on the site of the M&S, including an extra storey for passenger facilities at platform level and presumably extending west across the small carpark on that side. I doubt they would go to all that effort just for a few Ebbw Vale trains. Which suggests the London trains will move to platform 0, somehow.
If you look closely at the render of the main hall, there’s a much larger entrance to platform 0, separated from the rest of the hall by glass screens – so behind the same gateline as the other platforms. That appears to lead to a new subway (but could just join up with the current one I guess).
Plenty of other services that could use platform 0 as well as Ebbw Vales. If you allow crew-only doors (loco/DVT) to be off the end of the platform you might even get TfW's mark 4 rakes to fit in the proposed extended platform 0. The one thing that certainly
isn't going to work is 10-car class 800/802 formations.
This discussion should really be in the Infrastructure and Stations part of the forum, but am I alone in being pleased that Cardiff Central is being preserved?
You're
not alone. I've been worried about those architects' drawings that proposed widespread destruction of the listed building for years and I'm glad the worst of it seems to have been dropped. Still some vandalism in these latest plans though with the end walls of some of the platform buildings proposed to be knocked down and replaced by modern glass. Yuck.
Amazingly it's getting a canopy, we're very honoured! Assume it'll be long enough for a 10 car 800?
No chance; platform 0 can only be made 260m long if you either:
- knock down (or somehow move) the main northern booking hall building or
- extend the platform over the river Taff, placing the west end of the train a rather long walk from the rest of the station
station capacity limited by subway capacity - no change
Actually, they may have made the suituation worse. The renders show passenger information displays in the western subway - surely that will cause people to stand around looking at them adding to congestion! That aside however, the openning up of space behind the gateline on the north side may help ease the congestion slightly, and perhaps help distribute footfall more evenly between the two subways since they would both be behind a single gateline rather than having to tap out then back in again.
there will be a way to access platform 0 from the other platforms without passing through the gateline
Yes, but a bit indirect for those coming into the station from the northern entrance since you would need to pass through the gateline (heading towards platforms 1-8) and then turn right to go through the current ticket office then back north again to get to the M&S doorway which becomes the new entrance to platform 0.
I also cannot see where the ticket office is going to be in the new plans. Can't see any other major issues other than that.
I'm not sure either; there are a couple of little boxes which may be ticket windows (these being what you would have to doggleg behind to reach platform 0).
Also of note, the south entrance is not included in the planning application, presumably because it just covers the listed areas, but you can see some of what is proposed e.g. a changing places area.
Yes, there's a seperate application (for 'prior approval' under permitted development rights I think) covering that, whereas the listed areas require the Listed Building Concent application.
And I just don't understand building a new southern entrance and not integrating the tram stop - isn't the whole point of the stop to take passengers from the station to the Bay?! The colonnade design makes it obvious that there will likely never be a covered route for transfers too.
I agree; while I much prefer the colonnade design (at least in the renders) to the previous largescale redevelopment proposals, there is a horrifying lack of future-proofing on the south side (which isn't listed anyway). That extends to the tram route too; why that S-bend back east making the radius of the curve tighter and probably ruling out a city centre branch on the tram network.
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