A full city centre road closure will be in place and a key railway line will be closed when Wales play South Africa this weekend. Cardiff Council has published its official travel advice for the day of the Rugby World Cup warm-up game at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, August 19.
Buses will replace train services all day between Pontypridd and Treherbert on the day and other train services are expected to be very busy. There are a number of car parks available with a park & ride service in place at County Hall.
The M4 and surrounding roads are expected to be very busy ahead of kick-off at 3.15pm (with gates opening at 1pm) and after the game. As usual, city centre bus services will be diverted and the St Mary Street taxi rank closed for part of the day.
Here is all the travel advice from Cardiff Council:
Road closures
From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans. The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure which will take place at 11.15am until 7.15pm:
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Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street.
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Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street.
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Tudor Street from its junction with Clare Road to its junction with Wood Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted via Fitzhamon Embankment).
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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).
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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 game finishes and up to an 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.
Trains
Transport for Wales is carrying out infrastructure upgrades across the Core Valley Lines network for the South Wales Metro, resulting in buses replacing rail services all day between Pontypridd and Treherbert on Saturday. TfW will be providing additional capacity where possible but services are expected to be very busy passengers are being warned to allow plenty of time for their journeys.
GWR services will be operating as usual, with some additional services to help customers get home to Swansea, Newport, Bristol and London. Trains are expected to be very busy immediately after the match and those travelling from further afield should check connecting services on the GWR website.
Post-event queueing will be in place at Central Square. Cardiff Queen Street station will be closed from 4.45pm except for direct journeys to Cardiff Bay. More information can be found on the TfW website.
Parking
Park & ride facilities will be available at County Hall in Cardiff Bay dropping off at Callaghan Square (Eversheds car park). It will cost £12, payable on the day.
The park & ride site will open at 8.45am with the first bus leaving at 9am, and the last bus from the city centre will be at 7pm with the site closing at 7.30pm.
Event day parking will also be available at two locations. Both cost £20 per car and £30 per bus (card payments available), and are open from 8am to 12 midnight:
- Civic centre: Exit Junction 32 off the M4, head south on the A470 towards the city centre and follow signage to the civic centre.
- Sophia Gardens: Exit Junction 32 off the M4. Please note: Sophia Gardens car park will be staffed until 7.00pm all vehicles are left on site at the owner’s risk. Cardiff Council will not be held responsible for any theft or damage to motor vehicles or personal possessions. Any vehicles left in the car park after closing time will be fined.
City centre car parks are also 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 by the council to use Sophia Gardens with disabled parking also available at private car parks (please check individual websites for availability).
Bus
Bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place. Please visit the relevant bus operator’s website for more information about your specific bus routes.
All Cardiff Bus services will divert to the satellite pick up and drop off bus stops from 11.15am until 9.30pm. All the diversion bus stops for Cardiff Bus services after 12 noon can be seen here.
For Stagecoach services, see here, and for Adventure Travel buses, visit the website here. National Express coaches will use Sophia Gardens as usual, but between 3pm and 8pm will leave and arrive from Cathedral Road.
Taxis, cycling and walking
St Mary Street taxi rank (outside former House of Fraser building) will close at 11.15am and will re-open at 7.15pm. Cardiff Council is also encouraging people to cycle or walk where possible, saying: “Research shows us that 52% of car trips made in the Welsh capital are less than 5km. This is a distance that can be comfortably cycled in 20 minutes.
“We also know that 28% of Cardiff residents who currently do not cycle would like to do so. When the roads are congested this makes cycling an even more attractive option as travel by bicycle would be quicker than a car during rush hours or during big events.”
