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Travel Advice for the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour on June 18 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff
Friday, 14 June 2024
Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour will be playing at Principality Stadium on June 18th. With the gates to the stadium opening at 4pm, there will be a full city centre road closure around the stadium from 12 noon until midnight – but Cowbridge Road East, Castle Street and Duke Street will remain open until 3pm.
The M4 motorway is expected to be very busy due to this concert – so please plan ahead – and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the park & ride at Cardiff City Football Club in Leckwith – CF11 8AZ. For up to date traffic information on the motorway and trunk roads go to the Traffic Wales website, or @TrafficWalesS on X and Facebook.
Those attending the concert are strongly advised to plan their journey and get in early. Please pay attention to the prohibited items listed at principalitystadium.wales, in particular the bag policy (no large bags permitted) before travelling into the city.
Road Closures
From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.
The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure which will take place at 12 noon until midnight.
- Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke 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.)
- The following roads will be closed in their entirety: High Street, Saint Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road.
- Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport 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 the satellite points in Churchill Way.
Additionally, Penarth Road will be closed 30 minutes before the concert finishes and up to hour after the concert ends on safety grounds for train passengers arriving and departing from the train station.
At 3pm, Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street, Castle Street and Duke Street will close to all traffic.
Civic Centre: 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.
Trains – Transport for Wales (TfW)
Transport for Wales will be providing additional capacity where possible on routes in/out of Cardiff on Tuesday June 18th, but trains are expected to be very busy, so please allow plenty of time for your journey.
Post-event queues for mainline rail services will be on Central Square and queues for Valleys services will be to the rear of the station. Cardiff Queen Street will close at 9.30pm except for accessible access and passengers that wish to travel to Cardiff Bay. Revenue checks will be taking place at Cardiff throughout the day. Visit tfw.wales or the TfW app for the latest travel information.
If you have any issues on the railway, please speak to a conductor or, for more serious matters, you can text the British Transport Police on 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always call 999.
Trains – Great Western Railway (GWR)
GWR will run additional services to help customers get home after the concert. Extra trains will operate from Cardiff Central to Swansea, Newport, Bristol and Swindon; with plenty of parking available at station car parks.
Trains are, however, expected to be very busy immediately after the concert and a queuing system will be in place outside the station to help people board trains safely.
Those travelling from further afield should check connecting services, and the time of their last train home, at gwr.com/check.
Park & Ride facilities
Event Park & Ride is available at Cardiff City Stadium at Leckwith and can be accessed from junction 33 off the M4, following the signs to the site.
The drop off point will be at Fitzhammon Embankment.
The Park & Ride is 1.5 miles from the city centre which takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
The cost is £15 payable on the day – cash only.
The car park opens at 8.45am with the first bus leaving at 9am. The last bus will leave Fitzhammon Embankment at midnight and the park & ride site will close at 00.30am the following morning.
Civic Centre Event Day Parking (Cars and Coaches)
Getting there: Exit Junction 32 of the M4, head south on the A470 towards the city centre and follow signage to the civic centre.
Cost: £20 payable on the day for cars and £30 for coaches – card payments are also now available.
Parking time: The car park will open at 8am and closes at 12 Midnight.
Event Day Parking at Sophia Gardens (Cars)
(Approximately, 0.5 mile walk to the Principality Stadium, Gate 2).
Sophia Gardens Event Day Parking
Getting there: Exit junction 32 off the M4
Cost: £20 for cars and £30 for coaches – card payments are now available.
Parking time: Car park opens at 8am and closes at 12 midnight.
Please note: Sophia Gardens car park will be staffed until 7pm 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.
Bus
Local buses:
Bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place
Please visit the relevant bus operator’s website for more information about your specific bus routes.
Coaches:
National Express coaches will use Sophia Gardens as usual.
Can you cycle or walk?
The cycleways and the pop-up cycleways within the road closure area will remain open for cyclists to use during the event, but due to the number of people expected to attend the concert, we ask all cyclists to take due care and attention.
The road closures apply to all motor vehicles of any kind, but not to bicycles with pedals.
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.
Shopping Parking
City centre car parks are also available: North Road, St David’s Cardiff, John Lewis & Partners, The Capitol, NCP Adam Street, NCP Dumfries Place and NCP Greyfriars Road.
Disabled Parking
Disabled drivers are advised to use Sophia Gardens. Disabled parking is also available at various private car parks.
Please check individual websites for availability.
Taxis
Hackney carriage (black & white) taxis and private hire vehicles operate very differently under different legalisation. You can read more about that here.
Hackney carriage (black & white) taxis are legally required to accept bookings from taxi ranks that start and end in the city’s boundary unless they have a reasonable excuse (such as carrying open food, being excessively drunk or abusive) and they must also use the fitted taximeter to calculate the fare. Refusing these fares or not using the meter is an offence.
If someone is getting a taxi which is travelling outside the Cardiff boundary – the meter doesn’t have to be used, and the agreed price is negotiated between the driver and the customer as a verbal contract. Please negotiate with the taxi driver.
Whist some taxis will take card payments, the majority predominantly take cash only, please be mindful of this prior to obtaining a taxi from a rank and check with the driver before your journey home starts.
If you are refused a fare, or over charged by a hackney carriage taxi, please take note of the driver number or the licence plate details, as well as where and when it happened and email licensing@cardiff.gov.uk . Please note that we will need a statement from the customer to investigate the alleged offence and the customer may be asked to attend a committee as part of the disciplinary process.
Saint Mary Street taxi rank (outside the former House of Fraser building) will close at 12 noon and will re-open at midnight.
