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The road closures for Coldplay’s Cardiff gigs at the Principality …

Coldplay are coming to Cardiff with two sold-out gigs at the Principality Stadium. Following four shows at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, the second UK leg of the Music of the Spheres World Tour arrives in Wales for the band’s first visit since 2017.

Cardiff[1], as always, will be very busy on each day. There’s a full city centre road closure in place on the dates of both concerts on June 6 and June 7, and buses will be diverted.

Infrastructure works on Transport for Wales lines will impact services too, with TfW providing additional capacity on some routes. Queues are expected at Cardiff Central after the concerts.

Cardiff Council[3] has advised: “The M4[4] motorway and surrounding Trunk Road Network is expected to be very busy for this event – please plan ahead – and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the Park & Ride facility at Leckwith Stadium of the Park & Walk facility at County Hall, in Cardiff Bay[5].

“For up to date traffic information on the motorway and trunk roads go to the Traffic Wales website[6], or @TrafficWalesS on Twitter[7] and Facebook.[8] To avoid disappointment, those attending the concert are strongly advised to plan their journey in advance and get into Cardiff and the stadium early.

“The gates at Principality Stadium open to the public at 5pm. Please pay attention to the prohibited items listed at principalitystadium.wales[9], in particular the bag policy (no large bags permitted) before travelling into the city.”

Road closures

Cardiff Council has announced a full city centre road closure between 4pm and midnight on each day, adding that Scott Road and Park Street will be closed from 7am to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.

The following roads will be closed as part of the full closure:

  • The entirety of 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.

  • 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).

Additionally, Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport[10] 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 Churchill Way.

Penarth[11] Road will be closed from 30 minutes before the end of the concert until an hour after it ends on safety grounds for train passengers arriving and departing from the station.

Finally, 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.

Driving and parking

If you’re planning on driving, be mindful of the road closures. There are several options for parking:

Event Park & Ride at Cardiff City Stadium in Leckwith can be accessed from junction 32 of the M4, following signs to the site. It will drop off at Fitzalan Embankment after a 1.5 mile and approximately 10-15 minute journey to the city centre.

It costs £12, payable on the day. Staff will arrive at the car park at 9am when the site opens, with the first bus leaving at 9.30am. The last bus will leave Fitzalan Embankment at midnight and the park & ride site will close at 12.30am the following morning, after each concert.

Park & Walk from County Hall car park in Cardiff Bay will also be available, opening at 2pm and closing at midnight. It’ll cost £5 to park there.

Civic centre parking for cars and coaches will cost £20, payable on the day with card payment available. You can access it by exiting junction 32 on the M4 and heading south on the A470 towards the city centre, following signage to the civic centre. The car park will open at 8am and close at midnight, and it’s around a 15 minute walk to the stadium.

Parking for cars at Sophia Gardens will be available for £20, also taking card payments. It’s approximately a 0.5 mile walk to Gate 2 from there, and you can access it via junction 32 of the M4. The car park opens at 8am and closes at midnight.

A note from the council: “Sophia Gardens car park will be staffed until midnight, 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 will be available including: North Road car parks, St David’s Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre and the NCP car parks at Adam Street, Dumfries Place and Greyfriars Road).

Disabled parking is available at various private car parks, with drivers advised to check individual websites for availability. Sophia Gardens is the recommended car park by the council for disabled drivers.

Trains

Trains operated by TfW and Great Western Railway will run from the station but with some disruption. TfW 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[12] and Treherbert on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 June.

The council says TfW will be providing additional capacity where possible on routes in/out of Cardiff but added: “services are expected to be very busy so please allow plenty of time for your journey.”

Post-event queues will be in place in Central Square for mainline rail services and around the back of the station for Valleys services. Cardiff Queen Street will close at 10pm except for direct journeys to Cardiff Bay.

Due to the event finishing time there are no post-event services to Birmingham or Holyhead. More information can be found on the TfW app or tfw.wales.

TfW added: “Trains after the event will typically operate according to published timetables with selected services providing increased capacity wherever possible. Passengers should be prepared for the possibility of extended waiting times, occasionally up to 90 minutes.

“Customers must have a valid ticket prior to entering the post event queueing and we encourage you to buy a return ticket on the outward journey. Anyone under the influence of alcohol who is considered a threat to their own or public safety will be refused travel.”

GWR will run additional services to Swansea[13], Newport, Bristol and Swindon but trains are expected to be very busy after the concert and those travelling from further afield should check connecting services and the time of the last train home on the GWR website[14].

Buses and coaches

Cardiff Bus services will be diverted to the satellite pick up and drop off bus stops from 4pm until the last bus. You can

For Stagecoach services, check your journey here[16] – and for NAT buses, check here[17].

National Express coaches will run to Sophia Gardens as usual. At 3pm, National Express services will leave and arrive from Cathedral Road

Big Green Coach will offer carbon neutral return travel from Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Gloucester, Newport and Worcester. You can book via this link[18].

Taxis, cycling and walking

St Mary Street taxi rank (outside the Howells building) will close at 4pm and re-open at midnight.

Cardiff Council encourages cycling and walking, saying: “Those who live locally in Cardiff may want to travel by bicycle or walk. 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.”

References

  1. ^ Cardiff (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  2. ^ Chris Martin says Rob Brydon singing the anthem with Coldplay in Cardiff was one of his life highlights (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  3. ^ Cardiff Council (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  4. ^ The M4 (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  5. ^ Cardiff Bay (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  6. ^ Traffic Wales website (traffic.wales)
  7. ^ Twitter (twitter.com)
  8. ^ Facebook. (www.facebook.com)
  9. ^ principalitystadium.wales (principalitystadium.wales)
  10. ^ Newport (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  11. ^ Penarth (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  12. ^ Pontypridd (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  13. ^ Swansea (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  14. ^ GWR website (www.gwr.com)
  15. ^ here (www.cardiffbus.com)
  16. ^ here (www.stagecoachbus.com)
  17. ^ here (www.natgroup.co.uk)
  18. ^ this link (www.biggreencoach.co.uk)

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