UK: Public consultation has begun on proposals to build a tramway which would link Cardiff Central station to Cardiff Bay.
This would form Phase 1A of the Cardiff Crossrail project which is being developed by Cardiff Council and Transport for Wales. Phase 1A would start at a new two-platform stop in the southern car park of Cardiff Central station, and run through Callaghan Square and on raised track to join the existing railway from Queen Street to Cardiff Bay station.
A third platform would be provided at Cardiff Bay, in addition to the second which is being built as part of the South Wales Metro railway upgrading programme.
The tram project is subject to business case approval in 2025, a Transport & Works Act Order which could be confirmed in summer 2026, Traffic Regulation Orders and funding availability; Cardiff Council has secured £50m of UK government funding for Phase 1A, and a further £50m of Welsh government match funding. Opening is envisaged for late 2028 or early 2029.
Cardiff Council is working with TfW to explore the possibility of a Phase 1B connection from Cardiff Bay station to a new station on Pierhead Street, subject to additional funding being secured.
’The Cardiff Crossrail project has been a long-held ambition for a long time and when fully complete will connect some of the most deprived communities in Cardiff to the railway network for the first time’, said Cllr Dan De’Ath, council Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport, when consultation began on September 16. ’Subject to funding, the Cardiff Crossrail will eventually run from the northwest of the city, all the way to the east of the city connecting with the proposed Parkway railway station.
‘To start this process, the first phase of the scheme must be built between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay. This will finally ensure that Butetown is properly connected to the city centre, through the new tramway, providing further capacity for residents and visitors to access the wide range of attractions that Cardiff has to offer.’
