Transport for Wales and Cardiff Council have issued travel advice ahead of a summer of major concerts in Cardiff.
Chris Brown, Lana Del Rey and two nights of Oasis’ sold-out tour are the first of many high-profile concerts held at Principality Stadium this summer. Cardiff Castle and Blackweir Fields will also be hosting big name acts over the coming months.
To help manage the expected increase in passenger numbers, Transport for Wales (TfW) and Great Western Railway (GWR) are adding additional services and extra carriages to existing services.
However, some engineering works may impact TfW and GWR services and passengers are urged to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journey. Further details are available at https://www.journeycheck.com/tfwrail/
The works are planned to be completed before the Lana Del Ray gig on Monday 23 June, where GWR will operate two additional services towards Bristol Temple Meads after the gig, as well as an extra train to Newport, and additional services to Swansea.
Georgie Wills, Customer Delivery & Events Planning Manager at Transport for Wales said:
“To help ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone attending the concerts, we’ll be sharing detailed customer information, including our queuing systems. We strongly encourage customers to check this before travelling.
“Our dedicated teams will also be on hand to support passengers with their journeys.”
Rachel Geliamassi, Customer Services Director at GWR said:
“We’re delighted to support these events at the Principality Stadium, helping as many people to travel as sustainably as possible.
“While we run additional services to cater for everyone who wants to travel, these are expected to be really busy immediately before and after the gigs, so plan ahead, and check your journey beforehand, especially if you are coming from further afield.”
Nick Millington, Route Director for Wales & Borders at Network Rail said:
“We work hard to keep passengers and freight moving safely all year round.
“Sometimes our work happens at the same time as major events, but we do all we can to minimise the disruption to services.”
The start of Oasis’ sell-out tour will see GWR operate six extra trains to get people home again, providing almost 4,000 additional seats, for each of the two nights.
For all events, those looking to travel by train should check the time of their last train home, and to allow plenty of time. A queuing system will begin from 22:00 and the queuing for mainline rail services will be on Central Square with the Valley queues at the rear of the station.
On event days:
- Cardiff Bus Interchange will close at 15:00
- Cardiff Queen Street Station will close at 22:00, unless customers have accessible requirements or are travelling to Cardiff Bay.
- Cathays Station will close at 22:00 following the Blackweir concerts only: Access will remain for accessibility requirements only and for customers alighting.
Meanwhile, Cardiff Council said the M4 motorway is expected to be very busy on concert days and urged drivers to plan ahead and avoid the congestion by using the park & ride at the car park by the Vindico Arena on International Drive in the Sports Village.
The following road closures will also be in place:
- From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.
For all the concerts, the following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure which will take place at 3pm until midnight.
- Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street.
- Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street.
- Tudor Street from its junction with Clare Road to its junction with Wood Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted via Fitzhammon Embankment).
- Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street from their junctions with Despenser Place to their junctions with Tudor Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted).
- The following roads will be closed in their entirety: Duke Street, Castle St, High Street, St Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road.
- Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport Road to the junction with Churchill Way will be access for buses only during the times of the road closures. This is to ensure that there is reliable access for buses to the satellite points in Churchill Way.
- Additionally, Penarth Road will be closed 30 minutes before the concert finishes and up to hour after the final whistle on safety grounds for train passengers arriving and departing from the train station.
Access to part of the Civic Centre will be controlled throughout the day, with access allowed only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks. Roads affected include King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road.
Bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place.
For shoppers, the council said that the following city centre car parks would be available: North Road Car Parks, St David's Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre, and NCP (Adam Street, Dumfries Place and Greyfriars Road.)
Disabled drivers are advised to use Sophia Gardens. Disabled parking is also available at various private car parks.
For all the concerts, St Mary Street taxi rank (outside the former House of Fraser building) will close at 3pm and will re-open at midnight.
