
Cardiff Central is the main station for the capital city of Wales, which is located on the South Wales Main-line from London Paddington to Swansea. This is a very important national artery which has recently been announced for eventual electrification. Other services provided are the extensive Valley Lines network, the Vale of Glamorgan to Aberthaw & Bridgend, as well as longer distances services via Newport to Manchester, Holyhead, the Midlands, Bristol and Portsmouth. Various freight trains pass through Cardiff, although their number has reduced in conjunction with a steady decline in the steel & coal industries, once the region's main-stay. In more recent years Cardiff has developed into a major cosmopolitan and sporting centre as the Welsh Assembly Government was formed, the Millennium Stadium was constructed and the a large amount of employment has moved from heavy industries towards service/ office type enterprises. This has led to 'gentrification' of areas such as Cardiff Bay and Penarth and brought about a dramatic increase in the number of shops, restaurants, city-centre 'super'-pubs and hotels, meaning that there is perhaps something for everyone in Cardiff.

The railway signalling system at Cardiff is Track Circuit Block with multiple aspect signals controlled from a Panel Signalbox situated beside the station. This signalbox fringes with neighbouring boxes at Newport, Barry Town, Port Talbot, Radyr and Heath Jn. Up main-line services normally use/ start from platforms 1 & 2 (known as the Up Side) with the occasional use of the bizarrely numbered platform 0 and sometimes platforms 3 or 4. Down main-line services normally use/ terminate at platforms 3 or 4 (the Down Side). Platforms 6 & 7 accommodate almost all of the Valley Lines services due to the track layout (although certain starting/ terminating Valley Lines trains can be found using other platforms). Freight trains to/ from the Newport direction generally use the through Up or Down Main 'middle-through' lines, but those to/from Valley Lines areas have to use the very busy platforms 6 & 7 (watch for these freights occupying several signal sections at once due to their length and the close spacing of the signals!).

The smaller outlying stations of Grangetown and Ninian Park are included, as are the leads to and from the Arriva Trains Canton DMU Depot and to the former Canton Loco depot (now occupied by the private train engineering company named Pullman Rail), plus other sidings as depicted.

Bi-directional and permissive working apply as signalled in all platforms at Cardiff Central, although 'wrong-direction' working in platforms 1, 2 & 6 is only for shunting/empty coaching stock movements. Bi-directional working also applies in other locations as signalled. Electrification is not yet provided; however after a very long wait its arrival is now anticipated within the next decade.
 
The defined stopping places for non-passenger trains are either in the platforms or on the Up or Down Main 'middle-through' lines adjacent to the platform ends.

Platform lengths 
Location         Plat  Metres Coaches
Cardiff Central    0     150     6
                   1     298    13
                   2     298    13
                   3     303    13
                   4     303    13
                   6     237    10
                   7     232    10
Grangetown       Both    124     6 (Over-length trains permitted to call)
Ninian Park      Both    151     6 (Over-length trains permitted to call)

Siding lengths         Metres
Riverside                141
Riverside Loop           140
Brickyard                300
West Up                   30
East Up                   60

Train reporting numbers applicable to the area.

These will vary according to the period/ era of the timetable being
operated and therefore appear in the notes sections of each timetable.

Opening picture

This depicts Cardiff West Junction on 16th Dec 2009, and was taken from the West end of platform 3 underneath C116 signal. The FGW HST is going away from the camera departing from platform 4 westwards towards Swansea, and has just passed GPL 680; its next main signal will be C18 on the Down Main which can be seen at green in the distance. The empty ATW class 175 unit (with the bright head-lights) is waiting at GPL 639 just outside Canton to cross into platform 2 and work a Holyhead service. The ATW class 150 unit behind it is a Valley Lines service heading into platform 6. In the far distance the head-light of an empty FGW class 158 unit for a Portsmouth service can be seen, which is waiting at C221 signal on the no.2 Up Relief. Whilst this reflects the run-of-the-mill traction for the area in 2009/10, later in the day an FGW Taunton service formed of ex-Anglia Mk2 coaches hauled by a Virgin Thunderbird class 57 loco and tailed by an Arriva class 57 loco visited- how's that for variety!

Acknowledgements 

Many thanks for the helpful advice provided by the PC-Rail team of testers.