Wales v France fans heading home by train on Friday night are being warned that railway services around Cardiff will only have half the capacity than a normal Saturday afternoon Six Nations match.
The late 8pm kick-off at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff means there are a limited number of rail services available from TfW and other operators after the match.
There is also a sold-out James Arthur concert taking place at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena at the same time, which is likely to increase the demand for services after 10pm.
Passengers are being encouraged to plan their journeys carefully as railway bosses brace themselves for a “significant challenge”, while Queen Street railway station will be exit-only from 9pm on Friday night unless customers have access requirements or are travelling to Cardiff Bay.
Combined with Friday evening rush hour traffic and road closures, the whole transport network around the Welsh capital is set to be exceptionally busy.
GWR has said it will run 11 services to Newport, Bristol, and London from 10pm providing more than 4,000 seats and including the use of its capacity-boosting all-electric Class 387 Electrostars.
It will also run five Intercity Express Train services from Cardiff to Swansea from 10.31pm providing 3,250 seats.
Colin Lea, planning and performance director at Transport for Wales, said: “Cardiff has hosted a significant number of Friday night Six Nations fixtures since they were introduced in 2009, so we have robust plans in place ahead of this week’s game.
“But the Friday night fixture does present a significant challenge for the rail network around Cardiff, with tens of thousands of people wanting to travel during a smaller window post-match.
“We have more capacity than the last Friday night fixture in 2016 but due to the late finish only around half the capacity of a Saturday afternoon.
“We are working closely with Great Western Railways (GWR), Network Rail and the British Transport Police to ensure we can get people where they need to go but it is vital everyone plans their journeys carefully and checks the latest travel information on the TfW website, app or social media.”
Fans travelling to Newport after the game will be asked to queue on the square in front of Cardiff Central station rather than from Riverside car park.
TfW will be working with the British Transport Police to remind customers that face coverings must still be worn on public transport in Wales, unless exempt.
Fans travelling to the game are advised to allow time to enter the ground, and to travel early, with trains immediately before kick-off expected to be very busy.
BTP Inspector Richard Powell said: “As well as having extra officers out across the network, we want to remind passengers of our discreet text service. Save the number 61016 in your phone in case you ever need our assistance on the railway or to report any suspicious activity.”
Wales v France marks the 11th Friday night match to be played in the Six Nations since they were first introduced in 2009, and Wales have been involved 10 of them, with the round-four Six Nations clash being the seventh in Cardiff.
Only Wales and France have ever been willing to stage such fixtures, with England and Ireland having refused to do so, citing travel issues in terms of fans getting to and from matches, with Scotland and Italy raising concerns that it would affect crowd numbers. You can read more on the reasons for Wales’ Friday night schedule here.
Based on current ticket sales, the match between the reigning Six Nations champions and Grand Slam-chasing Les Bleus is set to be played in front of some 10,000 empty seats with thousands of tickets remaining unsold.
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