- Cardiff’s new £5.5 million bus interchange, designed by BDP, integrates bus and rail services with local walking routes.
- The facility includes clear wayfinding, tactile flooring, a braille map, and a changing place.
- Transport for Wales highlights the interchange as a modern, safe, and inclusive facility that has received positive feedback and is vital to Cardiff’s ‘Metro Central’ plan.
Cardiff’s transportation network has significantly upgraded, opening a new £5.5 million bus interchange. Designed by BDP and operated by Transport for Wales, this facility is next to Cardiff Central Railway Station. It aims to integrate bus and rail services with walking routes, cycle paths, and taxis.
The 2,235 sqm interchange features 14 bus bays, retail outlets, food and beverage options, and public toilets. The mezzanine level houses Transport for Wales’s strategic operations centre for South Wales.
BDP provided architecture, interior design, branding, and wayfinding consultancy for the project. The initiative is part of the Welsh Government’s plan to create an integrated travel network and make public transport more appealing.
The design prioritises accessibility and inclusivity, with features like clear wayfinding, tactile flooring, a braille map, a changing place, and a family room. Stakeholder engagement, including consultations with local authorities, transport operators, and accessibility groups, ensured the design met the needs of all users.
BDP collaborated with Mott MacDonald, the project manager and lead consultant, to address security and fire safety requirements. A complementary study by BDP also explored ways to improve connectivity in central Cardiff, incorporating active travel, wayfinding, technology, branding, and green infrastructure.
Matthew Mayes, architect director at BDP, expressed pride in the project: “The contemporary facility showcases our commitment to integrated and sustainable transport. Our design simplifies public and active travel routes.”
Marie Daly, Chief Customer and Culture Officer at Transport for Wales, highlighted the positive reception: “We worked with BDP to ensure that customers and their needs were at the heart of the design. The interchange is modern, safe, accessible, and inclusive, meeting the transport needs of people and businesses across the city and the region.”
Daly added that the interchange is a crucial step in the ‘Metro Central’ plan to create an integrated transport hub in Cardiff. “It’s great to see how it’s already become part of many customers’ daily journeys. We look forward to welcoming more services and customers to the interchange later this year,” she said.
The new bus interchange in Cardiff is set to revolutionise how people travel in the city, offering a seamless and sustainable transport experience.