Rail passengers and motorists are being warned about how busy it is likely to be this weekend as the Stereophonics and Tom Jones prepare to play two huge stadium gigs in Cardiff. The re-scheduled concerts at the Principality Stadium are due to take place on Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18.
But Transport for Wales is already warning that it faces "capacity constraints" because of damage caused to a train in a recent incident at Craven Arms. You can see more about this incident here. And those turning to the roads could well face similar problems if recent events in Cardiff have been anything to go by.
There were complaints last weekend - June 11 and 12 - as football fans who headed from north Wales to Cardiff for Saturday's Nations League branded the train service a "disgrace" amid scenes of overcrowding, and there was also heavy criticism of the train service for Ed Sheeran's recent gigs in Cardiff . Read more here about the overcrowding on Saturday.
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Transport for Wales has said that "all available carriages" will be in service this weekend, but it had encouraged anyone travelling a short distance to the capital to "walk, cycle or use local bus services".
A spokesman said: “Services in South Wales are expected to be very busy throughout both days of the Stereophonics and Tom Jones concerts. All available carriages are in service, but we continue to face some capacity constraints as a result of the damage some of our carriages suffered in the recent incident at Craven Arms – the impact of this serious criminal act will continue to be felt for some time. We’ll provide additional bus services to supplement the trains where possible."
Offering advice for the weekend, he added: "It is vital customers check before they travel and allow plenty of time to get into Cardiff. After the concert has finished, we advise people to make their way straight to Cardiff Central station for their return journey. We also strongly encourage those travelling shorter distances to walk, cycle or use local bus services.
“Our teams are working hard to keep the network moving and look after all our customers during this busy time. We’d like to thank our customers for their patience and co-operation while we do our very best to get everyone to their chosen destination safely so that they can enjoy the music of our legendary Welsh performers.” You can get more Swansea news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Traffic Wales, which monitors the roads in Wales, is advising motorists to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys due to the concerts on Friday and Saturday. When Ed Sheeran played the capital recently there were long queues back as far as Bristol and some fans even missed the show because they were stuck in traffic.
Daily traffic flows increase on average by approximately 15% on the M4 near Cardiff when there are big events in the city. There are also planned road closures in the city centre around the Principality Stadium. On Friday there will be a full road closure between 2.30pm and 12.30am, and on Saturday between noon and 12.30am. You can follow live updates on social media channels over the weekend here.
Cardiff Council said: "Please take note of the concert on Friday, June 17. This is an early closure time for the city centre on a weekday , however on safety grounds the timing of the closure is essential and we can only apologise for the inconvenience this may cause." You can read more stories about Cardiff here.
