Cathays railway station is a railway station lying on the Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...

 and Rhondda

Rhondda Line

The Rhondda Line is a commuter railway line in South Wales from Cardiff to Treherbert. The line follows the Merthyr Line as far as Pontypridd, where it then diverges to continue along the Rhondda Valley.The places served by the line are listed below:...

 lines in the Cathays

Cathays

Cathays is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is an old suburb of Cardiff established in 1875. It is very densely populated and contains many older terraced houses giving it a Victorian era atmosphere...

 district of Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. The station is 2 kilometres (1¼ miles) north of Cardiff Central

Cardiff Central railway station

Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...

.

The station is located next to Cardiff University Students' Union

Cardiff University Students' Union

Cardiff University Students' Union is the students' union for Cardiff University and the largest in Wales, and, like most other students' unions, aims to promote the interests of its students...

 and a short walk from the Welsh Government and other Civic buildings in Cathays Park

Cathays Park

In addition to the large lawn in front of the City Hall, Cathays Park includes three formal gardens. All of the spaces are within conservation areas and many of the surrounding buildings are listed. The open spaces are very important to the image of the city. Several important buildings overlook...

. The footbridge over the railway is much used as a shortcut between Park Place and Senghenydd Road. When Cathays opened in 1983 it reversed a trend to close stations by being one of the first stations to be built in Wales for 60 years.

Cathays station is now manned during peak hours, following the introduction of a new automated ticket barrier system in Summer 2007. Cathays has two platforms, both with a small shelter and an information screen displaying the next train's arrival. There is a car park on the Senghennydd Road side, which is University owned and not for general public use.

Services

During the daytime from Monday to Saturday, there are usually six trains an hour from Cardiff Central to destinations including Aberdare

Aberdare railway station

Aberdare railway station is a railway station serving the town of Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the terminus of the Aberdare branch of the Merthyr Line, 36 km north of...

, Pontypridd

Pontypridd railway station

Pontypridd railway station serves the town of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located on the Merthyr and Rhondda lines and is the main line station for the town.Until the 1930s, Pontypridd had another two stations...

, Treherbert

Treherbert railway station

Treherbert railway station is a railway station serving the village of Treherbert in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the northern terminus of the Rhondda Line north west of Cardiff Central....

 and Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil railway station

Merthyr Tydfil railway station is a railway station serving the town of Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. It is the terminus of the Merthyr branch of the Merthyr Line. Passenger services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales...

. Some trains continue beyond Cardiff to Penarth

Penarth railway station

Penarth railway station is the railway station serving the town of Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is the terminus of the Penarth branch of the Vale of Glamorgan Line 4¼ miles south of Cardiff Central.-The busy years:...

, Barry Island

Barry Island railway station

Barry Island railway station is a railway station, fifteen kilometres south-west of Cardiff Central, serving Barry Island in Wales...

 or Bridgend

Bridgend railway station

Bridgend railway station is a mainline railway station serving the town of Bridgend, South Wales. It is located approximately halfway between Cardiff Central and Swansea at the point where the Maesteg Line diverges from the South Wales Main Line, and is the western terminus of the Vale of...

 via The Vale of Glamorgan Line

Vale of Glamorgan Line

The Vale of Glamorgan Line is a commuter railway line in South Wales from Cardiff to Bridgend via Barry, Rhoose and Llantwit Major. There are also branch lines to Penarth and Barry Island. As its names suggests, the line runs through the Vale of Glamorgan....

.

There is a bus interchange with the northbound Capital City Green

Capital City Green

Capital City Green is the branding of the bus service 27 Cardiff, operated by Cardiff Bus. The route runs from the city centre to the north of the city, serving the Maindy, Heath, Birchgrove and Thornhill districts....

 service.

External links