Roads across Cardiff city centre will close for Wales’ three autumn international matches at Principality Stadium in November, Cardiff Council has announced.
Wales play Japan on Saturday 7 November (kick-off 4.40pm), New Zealand on Saturday 14 November (kick-off 2.10pm) and Australia on Saturday 21 November (kick-off 8.10pm).
The full city-centre road closure will run from 12.30pm to 9pm for the Japan match, from 10am to 6.15pm for the New Zealand match and from 4pm to midnight for the Australia match. Restrictions on Station Terrace will apply from 6.15pm to 7.45pm, 3.30pm to 5pm and 9pm to 10.30pm respectively.
Scott Road and Park Street will close from 7am on each match day to allow preparations at Gate 5 and to protect queuing fans.
Roads within the closure include Kingsway, from North Road to Duke Street; Cowbridge Road East, from Cathedral Road to Westgate Street; and Tudor Street, from Clare Road to Wood Street, where resident and trader access via Fitzhammon Embankment will be maintained. Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street will close between Despenser Place and Tudor Street, with resident and trader access maintained.
Duke Street, Castle Street, 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 will also close. Station Terrace and Guildford Street, from Newport Road to Churchill Way, will be restricted to buses only during the closure periods.
Penarth Road will close approximately 30 minutes before the end of each match and remain closed for up to one hour after the final whistle to help manage rail passenger movements.
Access to part of the Civic Centre, including King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road, will be controlled throughout the day, with entry permitted only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks.
The M4 is expected to be very busy on all three match days, and the council is advising visitors to plan ahead and use the park and ride at the car park by the Vindico Arena on International Drive in the Sports Village, CF11 0JS. The city-centre drop-off point is Tresillian Way.
Park and ride buses will run from 10am to 8pm for the Japan match, from 10am to 6pm for the New Zealand match and from 12 noon to 10pm for the Australia match. The service can be pre-booked through JustPark or paid for by card on the day; cash will not be accepted.
Event-day parking at the Civic Centre and at Sophia Gardens will cost £20 for cars and £30 for coaches, by card or pre-booking only. Both car parks open at 8am and close at midnight. Disabled drivers are advised to use Sophia Gardens.
Great Western Railway will run additional services to and from Cardiff Central, with extra trains between Cardiff and Swansea, Newport, Bristol and London. All GWR trains before the matches will be reservation only, and a queueing system will be in place outside Cardiff Central after the games.
Transport for Wales will provide additional capacity where possible. After each fixture, passengers travelling to the Valleys or the Vale of Glamorgan will be directed to Cardiff Queen Street station, while all other queues, including for Ebbw Vale and Maesteg, will be at Cardiff Central. An accessibility queue will be available at either station.
Cardiff Bus Interchange station will be closed in line with the road closures, and local bus services will be diverted. St Mary Street taxi rank will also close in line with the road closure times.
Cycleways within the closure area will remain open, as the closures do not apply to bicycles with pedals.
