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Cardiff is getting a vast new £100 million tram network

It’s hoped that the first part of Cardiff Crossrail will be ready by 2029

Amy Houghton
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Amy Houghton
Contributing writer
Artish impression on plannedd Cardiff Crossrail
Image: The Urbanists
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Plans for a brand new tram network in the Welsh capital have officially been unveiled. Cardiff Crossrail, as it’s been named, could eventually span the length of the city and connect ‘some of the most deprived communities’. Here’s what we know so far. 

Phase one will focus on building a network between Cardiff Central railway station and Cardiff Bay. From the city centre, it will run through Callaghan Square before joining up with the existing railway line to Cardiff Bay station. New dedicated platforms will be built at either end of the line. 

The first stage of the scheme has been granted £100m and is the only part to have been secured funding. If the rest of the plans are given the green light, the route will stretch 17 miles from the village of Creigau in the north-west to Newport Road in the east, with 18 stops. 

Cardiff Council is running a public consultation from now until the end of October to get opinions from residents of the ’Diff. If all goes to plan, construction of phase one is hoped to begin in autumn 2025, with trams up and running by early 2029. 

Here’s a glimpse of what it could look like: 

Artist impression of planned Cardiff Crossrail phase one
Image: The Urbanists
Artist impression of planned Cardiff Crossrail phase one
Image: The Urbanists
Artist impression of planned Cardiff Crossrail phase one
Image: The Urbanists
Artist impression of planned Cardiff Crossrail phase one
Image: The Urbanists

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