GWR to provide 40 trains for fans heading home from Ed Sheeran concerts
Great Western Railway will provide 40 trains and nearly 20,000 seats for music fans leaving Cardiff following this week’s Ed Sheeran concerts.
GWR will operate 15 services from Cardiff Central after 22.45 on both Thursday and Friday night, and a further 10 services on Saturday night.
Trains are however expected to be very busy, with thousands of concert goers walking the short distance from the Principality Stadium to Cardiff Central station following the gigs.
In a repeat of the queueing system in place for this year’s Six Nations fixtures, people 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.
Customers are advised to keep checking social media for the latest information on queuing times.
On Thursday and Friday, GWR will run six services to Swansea from 22.53, two IET services to Newport at 22.56 and 23.25, plus seven services to either Bristol Temple Meads or Bristol Parkway from 23.13.
On Saturday it will operate four services to Swansea from 23.00, two services to Newport at 22.58 and 23.09, and four services to both Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads from 23.22.
My Chemical Romance are playing at Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground on Saturday night, increasing demand for services from Cardiff Central.
GWR Customer Service & Operations Director, Richard Rowland, said:
“We’re doing all we can to help customers home following these concerts and we are pleased to be able to provide these additional services.
“But Cardiff Central is going to be especially busy after the gigs and we would encourage customers to check journey times and allow sufficient time to queue to board trains safely.”
Transport for Wales Planning and Performance Director, Colin Lea, said:
“With more than 50,000 people expected at the Principality Stadium each night, services in and around Cardiff will be very busy, so we kindly ask people plan ahead, check the latest timetables and leave plenty of time for journeys.
“We’ve paused evening improvement works on the Valleys lines to help more customers to get home by train after the event and we are strengthening services where we have trains and crew available.
“Colleagues will be working hard to assist everyone to get home safely and we would advise customers to familiarise themselves with the post-event queuing system and make sure they are prepared for the possibility of extended waiting times.”
For more information, or to check your journey, please visit GWR.com.
Contact Information
John Carter
Media and Communications Manager
Great Western Railway
0845 410 4444
Notes to editors
First Greater Western Limited, trading as “Great Western Railway” (GWR), operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services, and before the covid-19 pandemic helped over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year. GWR was recently awarded an extension to its direct award franchise (called DA3), which shall run up to 31 March 2023 with an option to extend for a further year.
Find out more here: https://www.gwr.com/about-us