Grangetown Railway Station

If you haven’t resided over on this side of Cardiff then Grangetown Railway Station does seem weirdly located and perhaps even obsolete. After all, it’s a pretty straight 10/​15-​minute walk up Penarth Road to get to the Central Station and hardly located on a bustling main line. The elevated platforms are sparse and lonely, even if the view isn’t bad. And it is in one of the rare districts of the city where you feel a need for keeping all wits about you at most times of day (compared to the sketchier areas of other major cities like Bristol, London or Manchester, of course, it’s not all that bad). But if you do live within a 10-​minute walk of Grangetown Railway Station it’s a handy timesaving stop for trains to Barry and, if you’re jetting off somewhere nice, Rhoose/​Cardiff International Airport, negating the need to traipse into town. The latter is particularly useful info if you’re running dangerously late for a flight check-​in.

Grangetown station lies halfway between the Penarth and Cardiff, with trains also go on to Dinas Powys and the various stations in Barry. Not blessed with the best reputation in Cardiff, Grangetown is notoriously known as something of a shady area in parts, with the station attracting some unsavoury youngsters at times. In recent years, the station has undergone a bit of a transformation, and now appears perfectly respectable.
The implementation of a rather odd shelter at least provides some cover during the inevitable rain which falls all too often in the winter months. It’s a silver structure which perhaps has sacrificed an element of practicality in an attempt to look stylish and contemporary. This isn’t a good station for the disabled, with the only access down onto the street coming in the form of a steep staircase. Don’t expect a vending machine here either if you’re in need of a Mars bar.

The good thing about this station is that you can escape from it to the city centre in just four minutes.
The trains tend to be reasonably reliable, and so if you time your arrival right hopefully you don’t have to hang around long on this depressing, windswept platform.
Used mainly by local residents, there are few other people who would be likely to use this station as it’s just that bit too far from shops such as Ikea to make it handy (and let’s face it, a trip to Ikea really requires a car to truck stuff home in).

I was originally looking to get off at Grangetown to visit the nearby retail park but after checking Google I realised there was no real point. I’m a bit bemused by Grangetown station’s function really, as some others have said its right out of the way of anything and still like a good 10 – 15 minute walk to the IKEA and the retail park close by. Further to that point if you are looking to get to IKEA and the retail park there is a regular bus to Penarth kind of makes this station obsolete. Walking inside doesn’t fill me with confidence as you have to go down a fairly narrow alley to get to the steps to take you to the platform (of which there is no covering).
The only thing I can think of making Grangetown a useful railway station is there was some sort of city circle line for people who lived in area otherwise it just seems pointless.

King’s Cross St Pancras it ain’t, but nevertheless, Grangetown Railway Station serves its purpose as a mediocre, two-​platform monstrosity lacking any discernible architectural features, unlike Cardiff Central Station, which is only a four minute train ride away.
The main problem with this station is the lack of ramps or lifts for wheelchair, pram and pushchair users. Plus, the long staircase descends into one of the least charming streets in all of Cardiff: Penarth Road.
Various trains come through here quite frequently, with those en route to Cardiff arriving six times an hour; Penarth four times an hour, and twice an hour to Barry Island.
It’s useful for people needing to pick up a package at the Royal Mail sorting office, locatd only a few minutes’ walk down the road (or, like Tanya said, good for anyone looking to buy a car). Other than that, Grangetown Station is just another grim stop on the Arriva Trains Wales network.

I never really understood Grangetown Railway Station. Its location can probably only be explained away by the fact that it was there long before Ikea, because it’s such a long way away from where you’d like it to be. It’s so frustrating sitting on the train as it just goes straight past all those useful shops and plunges down into the deep dark heart of retail that is Penarth Road. Unless you want a car that is, then it’s kind of useful.
Grangetown Railway Station is elevated to join up with the track that cut across roads on railway bridges which scream ‘It’s Brains You Want!’ This means that it’s open to the Welsh elements, as there is no significant shelter for poor little wet train passengers.
In short, Grangetown is a stop only advisable to use if you live in the immediate area. This is not a ‘let’s get off here, dear, and take a little look around’ stop.