Cardiff
The Welsh capital is located at the heart of the South Wales city region, one of the most competitive city regions in the UK, and responsible for half of Wales’ total GVA (£21.5billion). With a 1.4million-strong population, the region has a total workforce of 667,000, including over 210,000 workers in the city core.
Cardiff is a major UK centre for commerce, financial services and the creative industries and is one of the UK’s top ten tourist destinations. The city has recently been voted one of the top ten investment locations in Europe by the Financial Times Foreign Direct Investment Magazine and is ranked as one of Britain’s most competitive cities in the UK Competitiveness Index.
Transport has always been central to Cardiff’s development – its growth as a port city was built upon the construction of the Glamorganshire Canal, the Taff Vale railway and the city’s West Bute dock – and transport remains central to the city’s agenda to this day. Cardiff was recently named the first Sustainable Travel City in Wales, in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government, which will bring substantial investment for its urban transport systems. The need for an integrated transport system for the city region is also being addressed by partners in south east Wales.
Crucially, the Cardiff Economic Strategy highlights the fact that rail connections between Cardiff and other major UK cities are perceived as poor, and that improvements to these links are essential to future economic growth. The creation of a sustainable high-speed transport infrastructure linking Cardiff with other major cities in the UK is clearly a key priority for the city.
“High Speed Rail UK is a key initiative. As the economic and cultural powerhouse of Wales, Cardiff has a vital interest in working to deliver a quantum shift in rail communications with the rest of the UK and Europe. It is essential that the UK’s core cities stand shoulder-to-shoulder to campaign for a transportation system fit for the 21st century.”
Councillor Rodney Berman, Leader of Cardiff Council