New train station in Cardiff takes major step forward

Alex Seabrook, local democracy reporter

Plans for a new Cardiff Parkway train station in the east of the city have taken a major step forward this week.

The train station would lie on the south Wales main line, halfway between Cardiff Central and Newport stations, and is forecasted to see 800,000 passengers each year.

The plans also include a new business park at Hendre Lakes, with space to bring 6,000 new jobs to the area. Altogether the development would cover 80 hectares on land straddling the railway.

Developers Arup have now applied for planning permission from Cardiff council for the train station and business park, located south-west of St Mellons on farmland.

Members of the public can comment on the plans on the council’s website, and the council’s planning committee will soon vote on whether to grant permission for the development, although it is not yet clear when.

‘Plans’ 

The company behind the privately funded plans is Cardiff Parkway Developments, run by entrepreneur Nigel Roberts and his son Andrew.

The train station would have four platforms, and would see regular services to Bristol and London. It would be the first station between Cardiff and Newport since Marshfield closed in 1959.

The development would be built in phases over eight years. The first phase would include the train station, and could begin this year and be finished in 2023.

In planning documents, Arup said: “Cardiff Hendre Lakes will be formed around sustainable travel with seamless access to rail, bus, walking and cycling routes.

“The new Cardiff Parkway station will place new businesses within walking distance of mainline rail services to major cities including Cardiff Central, Newport, Bristol, Manchester and London.

“Situated just seven minutes by train from Cardiff Central and Newport, the station promises to drastically cut journey times to both cities, as well as improve connectivity to other areas of Wales and the wider UK.

“Neighbouring communities will be connected to the development and the railway station by new cycle paths and walking routes. Bus facilities will make it easier for local services to call at the station and there will be parking and drop-off facilities.”

The new strain station would make it much easier for people living in St Mellons or Llanrumney to get into the centre of Cardiff, as buses can currently take 40 minutes. Whereas a train from Cardiff Parkway to Cardiff Central would take just seven minutes.