Music fans travelling to Cardiff for Metallica’s concert at the Principality Stadium on Sunday, June 28, are being urged to plan ahead as extensive road closures and transport changes come into force across the city centre.
A full road closure will be in place around the stadium from 3pm until midnight to facilitate the event, while Scott Road and Park Street will close from 7am to allow preparations around Gate 5 and to manage fan queues.
With tens of thousands of fans expected to descend on the Welsh capital, authorities have warned that the M4 motorway is likely to be extremely busy throughout the day.
Concertgoers are being encouraged to arrive early and consider using the dedicated park and ride service operating from the car park next to the Vindico Arena in Cardiff Bay.
The park and ride facility, located on International Drive in the Sports Village, will open at 10am, with the first bus departing at 10.30am. The final return bus from the city centre will leave at midnight. The service costs £15 per vehicle, payable on the day, with passengers dropped off and collected from Tresillian Way in the city centre.
Anyone attending the concert is also advised to check the Principality Stadium’s prohibited items list before travelling, particularly the venue’s bag policy, which does not allow large bags.
Major city centre road closures
From 3pm until midnight, a full city centre road closure will affect a large number of roads around the stadium.
Roads affected include Kingsway, Cowbridge Road East, Tudor Street, Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street, while 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 be closed in their entirety.
Additional restrictions will also be in place around the Civic Centre throughout the day, affecting King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road. Access will be limited to event parking, loading, private car parks and restricted commuter parking.
Penarth Road, near Cardiff Central station, will close approximately 30 minutes before the concert ends and remain closed for up to an hour afterwards to help manage crowds travelling to and from trains.
Station Terrace will also close for a short period between approximately 10.15pm and 11.45pm to allow Cardiff Queen Street station to operate safely.
Extra trains and queueing systems
Rail operators are putting on additional services to help concertgoers travel home after the show.
Great Western Railway will operate extra services from Cardiff Central to Swansea, Newport, Bristol and Swindon, although passengers are warned that trains are expected to be extremely busy immediately after the concert.
A queueing system will be in place outside Cardiff Central station to manage passenger numbers safely.
Transport for Wales will also provide additional capacity where possible on routes to and from Cardiff.
Passengers travelling to the Valleys or the Vale of Glamorgan after the event will be directed to Cardiff Queen Street station, while passengers travelling on other routes, including Ebbw Vale and Maesteg services, will queue at Cardiff Central station.
Queueing systems at both stations will begin from 9.45pm, with an accessibility queue available at Cardiff Central.
Passengers are advised to purchase tickets before joining queues, while those using pay as you go services on the South Wales Metro should ensure they tap in and out using the same payment method.
Parking options available
Event day parking will be available at both the Civic Centre and Sophia Gardens.
The Civic Centre car park will open from 8am until midnight and costs £20 for cars and £30 for coaches.
Sophia Gardens, located around half a mile from the stadium, will also charge £20 for cars and £30 for coaches and will operate from 8am until midnight.
Disabled drivers are advised to use Sophia Gardens, while additional parking will be available at city centre locations including St David’s Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre and several NCP car parks.
Bus, taxi and cycling information
Local bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place, while Cardiff Bus Interchange will close in line with the road restrictions.
National Express coaches will continue to operate from Sophia Gardens as normal.
Cyclists will still be able to use cycleways and pop-up cycle routes within the closure area, although riders are being urged to take extra care due to the large crowds expected in the city centre.
Meanwhile, the St Mary Street taxi rank outside the former House of Fraser building will close at 3pm and reopen at midnight.
Motorists are encouraged to check live traffic conditions before travelling, while all concertgoers are advised to allow plenty of extra time for their journeys both to and from Cardiff.
