Frequently Asked Questions about event travel arrangements 

Why are trains so busy going to an event – don’t you lay on extra trains?
For each major event at the Stadium we use all the trains we have available to us. We also suspend routine train maintenance to ensure the maximum availability of rolling stock. Where possible we will also reallocate trains from parts of the area unaffected by the event to Cardiff to provide additional capacity.

Our Special Events Manager then allocates the additional capacity we have both to and from the event based on the historical passenger flows. This is our best estimate of what capacity will be needed and where. But as we offer a walk up service we occasionally get this wrong when more travel to or from a destination than expected.

Why might I have to stand when coming to an event or coming home afterwards?
Coming to an event, we offer a walk up service on our trains and there may be more passengers using a service than we have seats for. Therefore overcrowding can result and some passengers may have to stand. The only remedy to this would be to make each service on an event day reservation only but this would be both difficult to enforce (many of our stations are unstaffed) and would severely reduce the number of people we could bring to an event. We believe the majority of our customers would prefer the short duration discomfort of standing rather than not being able to use the train to attend the event.

For services after an event we will load carriages to standing levels and will continue to do this until we are certain that we have accommodated all those that wish to travel back with us. Again if we did not do this then regrettably many passengers may be left behind.    
 
Why do passengers have to queue outside Cardiff Central station after an event before boarding a train?
When a major event take place, such as a concert or international match, we regularly cater for up to 35,000 passengers and a queuing system is essential in order to ensure that all passengers are able to enter the station and board their train safely. Crowd control measures, including the use of barriers, are used as standard across the rail industry for major events.

How long will I wait in the queue?
The number of passengers who wish to travel by train is increasing in popularity each year. As we operate a walk up service rather than by reservation only, it’s first come first served in the queue and you may therefore have to wait before boarding.

Our average queuing time when joining the queue is 45 minutes. This regrettably means that for some passengers queuing times exceed this and maybe over an hour.

We therefore recommend that people leave additional time for their journey and dress appropriately for the time of year and weather.  

Will there be toilet facilities for those in the queue?
We would like to be able to provide such facilities but with many thousands of people in the limited space available at the front and rear of the station, we regret we are unable to safely accommodate space for toilets.

However, each platform at Cardiff Central has passenger toilets as well as all of our trains. As it would potentially cause operational problems we do not normally allow those in the queuing system to jump the queue to use the station toilets.

When will I get to the platform?
Passengers are directed from the queues onto the correct platform by station staff only when a train becomes available. This avoids the need to have many thousands of passengers queuing on platforms which may be unsafe and lead to problems as too many passengers try and board each service as it arrives.

How can I find out more about the plans in place at the station prior to a big event?
Please visit the Arriva Trains Wales website where information is posted prior to events taking place. Passengers will be advised whether crowd control measures are in place, how busy train services are likely to be and whether additional time for your journey is recommended. Posters will be displayed in stations with information and local press and radio stations regularly report this information so stay tuned!

How can I find out about train times?
A special events timetable, outside of the normal published timetable, is used to cater for increased numbers of passengers who wish to travel and a member of station staff will make regular announcements to passengers while waiting in the queue.

Why is Queen Street station closed after an event?
We found that those with local knowledge went direct to Queen Street station after an event and therefore the trains coming into Cardiff central were already full. Also for Valley Line services going up the valleys those at Queen Street were unable to board. Also Queen Street station has very limited space for a queuing system and it was not possible to accommodate this safely.

Why do you allow so many events in Cardiff on the same day?
This is a decision made by the local authority and the stadium management but clearly the number of train services we can operate is finite.

Is anything being done to improve the future event management at Central station?
Our event arrangements have been fine-tuned over a number of years and work well given the inevitable constraints of coping with many thousands of extra people.

We are not complacent and we continue to review our arrangements, taking customer feedback into consideration to improve our future service. For example, we are currently in discussions with Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government to look at the feasibility of a canopy for those waiting in a queue.

Our record over the last 12 years in getting people home safely has been excellent. We are pleased that we have been visited recently by the Olympic Delivery Authority who looked at our arrangements as an example of good practice.