I had a sexy girlfriend in the Cardiff area, I called her by Cardiff Bae…read more This is the station that is closest to Wales Millennium Center, and it only has a single platform, so it's very much a tiny little low-key station only one mile away from Cardiff Queen Street, which is a much bigger station. It's pretty old and good for the area, but they're planning to completely remodel and redo it and in 2023 there will be a much fancier station here supposedly. Right now it's literally an old house on a platform and it's super cute, but super strange. I am sad that I may never see it again thanks to Corona and remodel plans.

Cardiff Bay Railway Station is like taking a step back in time. It's so small and quaint that you…read morecan almost imagine yourself being bungled into a train with a suitcase and a brown label with your name around you neck as you're sent away into the country before the bombs start falling. Only one train goes back and forth from this station, between here and Cardiff Queen Street. Back and forth and back and forth all day long, every 12 minutes - 6 minutes there and 6 minutes back. The train itself is even old fashioned, with its doors that you have to lean out of the window to open form the outside. None of these fancy flashing button for this leg of the journey! Although fun and something a little bit different (I'm assuming here that they're going for a traditional system, not that the train is just old and dilapidated), this service is not really suitable for people with prams, luggage or for those in a wheelchair. Fortunately there's a bus service that is just around the corner. The station is also a little out of the main hub of the Bay; although it's easy to find, yo do end up walking past a little bit of a ghost town to get there. Trees growing out of boarded up buildings and the like (although it would make a lovely photograph).

The end of the bridge is here, hence the name…read more South Wales is big on trains, and has a large population most of whom use trains, and that is why this is the fifth busiest station in Wales. The others are all in the Cardiff area - including Newport - except for Swansea which is not that far to the West. Anyway it's definitely a busy station and it's pretty modern because of that, and looks like it was just built recently, although there are still some older elements to it. It's a nice station and it's fit for purpose.

This is the station serving the South Wales town of Bridgend, the first major stop westwards after…read moreCardiff, the junction for the branch line to Maesteg and the terminus of trains from the Vale of Glamorgan line which run via Cardiff Airport's station. The station dates to 1850, when it was opened along with the rest of the South Wales Railway from Chepstow to Swansea. The line was built by Brunel, and was operated from the start as part of the Great Western Railway. The original station building - an attractive stone building in a domestic Italianate Style - still survives, on the Down Line (to Swansea), although in the 1980s a new entrance and ticket hall in glass were erected at one end. The buildings on platform 2 (towards Cardiff and London) also date from the early 1980s. The original buildings of 1850 are Listed at Grade II. As well as the hourly 125 mph (200 kph) London-Swansea service, the station is served by the hourly Maesteg-Cardiff trains, and is the terminus for the hourly trains from Cardiff via the Vale of Glamorgan Line, which terminate in the newly built platform 1A. It is also served by the regular services to and from West Wales and the North West of England. The ticket and information offices are on platform 1 at the entrance, but the toilets and large (privately-run) buffet are on platform 2. The station has step-free access throughout, although passengers requiring assistance are advised to telephone in advance for wheelchair ramps, etc. The station has limited cycle-storage facilities, a taxi rank and a large 100-space car park (charges apply). The station serves a wide area and is the fifth busiest in Wales, with over 1.1 million passengers a year.

Arthur Conan Doyle's autobiography will be known as "Arth", and I've been asked to write it, so…read moreI've agreed, in principle, to Pen Arth. So people say it's a separate town that's independent and self-sustaining, but honestly it's really just a suburb of Cardiff named Penarth which is only three miles from Cardiff Central station which kind of proves my suburb point. Anyway, it's a cute little station in the middle of the Suburban town and has regular stations going up to Cardiff. One of the problems is that the car park here is for drop off and pick up purposes only. Also the hours for the ticket office are extremely limited, closing at 2 or 3 in the afternoon, worse even at other times, but still. It makes the station pretty tricky to work with, and difficult. I give it the extra star just because it's got some cheap houses here, but it is pretty run down like the other stations.

Penarth Railway Station is, I've always thought, exceptionally small considering the area it's…read morebringing people to. Penarth is hardly a busy and bustling city station, like Cardiff. This railway station has but one platform, and is the end of the line (at least there's never any confusion). Services run to Tredegar and Bargoed only, but all trains pass through Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street. Trains leave every 15 mins during the day, 30 mins at night until 11pm. Can you tell I use this station a lot? Although it is sometimes staffed (weekdays until 2.30pm), most of the time the main building is closed and passengers have to leave and enter the station platforms via a side gate. This station is small, but functional. At least you'll never be stuck waiting there for too long.

This is where they filmed the movie "What Lies Be-Neath" obviously…read more This is a cute little station in Neath, which works perfectly for this little town in the Hills of South Wales. Big trains come through here often and it's pretty busy. Surprisingly so considering how small Neath is. It was built in 1974, even though the original station at this location is from the previous century.

A small station with very basic facilities and manned during daylight hours. There are Self Service…read moreTicket Machines, a wall pay phone, screens showing train arrivals/departures and a small cafe There are two platforms: Platform 1, for westbound trains towards Swansea and Platform 2 for eastbound trains towards Cardiff, London (Paddington) and Manchester.The car park is small (86 spaces) and £4 for part or all of a day.

I wanted to come here, but it was a ruse. I wasn't even invited. Oh wait, no, it was a Rhoose. So…read morethat's okay then. For a second I thought my Rhoose was cooked. This looks like a little old rural station but with a bunch of houses on one side of the track, but from here you get a bus into Cardiff Airport, so it works pretty well as an airport station, even though it's not right at the airport or anything. It's sort of in a residential neighborhood of Cardiff, so it works really well for those that live around here as well. It's a pretty standard bland station though, but not many actual buildings are here at all. It's about 12 miles to the west of the city center of Cardiff.

Rhoose Cardiff International Airport station serves the large village of Rhoose, west of Cardiff…read more It is linked by a connecting bus to Cardiff International Airport. The first station on this site opened in 1897 on the Barry Railway's extension from Barry to Bridgend, and continued when the line passed first to the Great Western Railway and then to British Railways. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1964 between Barry and Bridgend and all the intermediate stations, including Rhoose, were closed. The line however remained open for freight and as a diversionary route. Services from Cardiff to Bridgend via Barry started again in 2005, and Rhoose and Llantwit Major stations were reopened albeit as simple unstaffed halts. Rhoose was given the name "Rhoose Cardiff International Airport", the longest official station name in the U.K. It's Welsh version "Maes Awyr Rhyngwladol Caerdydd Y Rhws" is the longest official name in Welsh as well (as the longer version of the famous Llanfairpwllgwyngyll is not officially used). The station has very basic facilities. There are two platforms, staggered either side of the level crossing, each with simple shelters and ticket machines (card only). There is a small car park and a bus stop for the connecting airport bus service. Both platforms have level access. The station is unstaffed. The normal service is hourly on weekdays to or from Bridgend: to the east, services Call at all stations between Barry and Cardiff Central. Some continue to Aberdare, via Pontypridd. On Sundays there is a service every two hours, between Cardiff Central and Bridgend.

If you're in the Klan then you're a racist backwards inbred little ***** and you're also a twit as…read morea Brit would say... so you're a Klan-Twit. Which is exactly how you pronounce this town, honestly. I hope you don't have a "Major" problem with that joke. I'm not sure where the minor station is, but this is a little station with a cute white bridge going over the platforms. It's 18 miles from Cardiff in the direction of Swansea. It was one of the five oldest stations along this line, and dates back to a distant time. It's cute and kind of in the middle of nowhere, but good for the people in this town.

I love that quaint villages even boast their own railway station, making it easy to access for…read morethose without a car. Managed by Arriva Trains Wales, the Llantwit Major railway station is located on the Vale of Glamorgan line and is definitely more modest compared to hubs like Cardiff Central, with only two platforms and no ticket office (which means no penalty if this where your journey originated). The station in its present form was opened in 2005 following restoration on the section of line between Barry and Bridgend, and offers connections to stations in Bridgend, Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil. My only criticism is the lack of disabled access - the bridge connecting the platforms would no doubt be difficult for those in a wheelchair or juggling a pram and a small child. It's worth checking the website, as east and westbound services only run once an hour, Monday to Saturday, with services only running once every two hours on Sunday.

I've been using TFW Rail much more lately, and I'm pleased to report an improvement in both service…read moreand fair prices, they offer the cheapest tickets between Manchester Piccadilly and a few small towns (generally a couple stops away) including Wilmslow, I also like how their main platform at Manchester Piccadilly is so easily accessed from the car park/Metrolink compared to the other stations, so you don't always have to pass through the main station to get there. A lack of consistency between trains does make planning travel difficult, especially as you don't know what type of train you're going to get ahead of times, I find the new trains quite comfortable and the older trains quite the opposite, so it is pot luck. I have noticed less staff going up and down the trains such as with a trolley, presumably down to reduced services due to the ongoing pandemic. TFW Rail is going to have a lot of changes lately including being renationalised and taken control of again by the Welsh Government as well as funding to help improve, which I hope will improve the quality and comfort of the trains and the speed however possible, but the latter does seem to be the problem across many operators who are restricted due to having to apply for routes and meet them in some form of another. 3*

I thought that Aber Station (the next one up the line from Cardiff Central) was slow, but…read moreCaerphilly is almost as bad. Monday to Saturday, the train to/from Cardiff runs every 15 minutes or so. On Sundays, the train runs every two hours. Be prepared. There is a staffed ticket booth during some hours but the rest of the time there is just the automated ticket vending machine. There are no ticket barricades and there is step free access. There is a confectionery/soda vending machine. The bus station/depot is attached and there is a taxi stand just opposite.

Perfectly located station, just on the edge of the central part of town. Small station with exits…read moreon both sides (so you don't have to labour over an annoying footbridge).