The main north side entrance to Cardiff Central

From Manchester to Cardiff by train

How to travel by train from Manchester to Cardiff

Take the straightforward journey from north-west England to South Wales

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Routes

From Manchester to the Welsh capital by train

Travel Information

Final Destination: Various destinations to the west of Cardiff including Milford Haven, Tenby and Carmarthen

All trains also call at:
Before Cardiff:
Shrewsbury and Hereford and Ludlow and Newport

Most trains also call at:
After Cardiff:
Swansea and Llanelli

These trains make multiple other station calls, they are not express services

1 x train per hour

Tickets

Book Early and Save: Yes

Online Bookings Usually Open: From 12 weeks ahead of travel of the travel date

Booking Advance Tickets

If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance tickets', though the three key things worth knowing about booking and using 'Advance' tickets in usual circumstances are:
(1) Your ticket(s) will only be valid on the departure you selected when making a booking
(2) A fee will be payable if you want to transfer your ticket(s) to a different departure ahead of your travel date.
(3) This type of ticket can't be refunded if you subsequently change your travel plans, or miss the train in circumstances not to do with the train company.
In response to the pandemic these usual ticket terms for Advance tickets have been amended until September 30th.

Reservations

When you book an Advance ticket for this train journey, you will be automatically assigned a seat(s), but if you book the other types of ticket ahead, you can request a complimentary reservation
However, if you buy Off Peak or Anytime tickets just prior to boarding at the station, a seat reservation won't be automatically included with your booking.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
TFW Rail *

TFW Rail Guide

TFW Rail, the train train service provided by Transport For Wales, only offers discounted Advance tickets, which automatically include a seat reservation, on its longer distance routes such as journeys between North and South Wales and journeys connecting both Birmingham and Manchester with Wales

National Rail *

National Rail Guide

In Great Britain each Train Operating Company provides its own booking service for journeys by its trains, but many of their websites also sell tickets for nationwide journeys, regardless of which company operates the trains on the routes you wish to travel by.

The National Rail website is plugged into all of the train operator's booking services, so when more than one of these companies offers tickets for a route, it in effect offers a price comparison service.
It isn't a ticket agent, so you will be connected to the website of your choice in order to make a booking.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - Yes
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