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  • Events on our Network

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    If you are travelling to any event or festival with Arriva Trains Wales, the following information will help make your journey safe and straightforward.


  • Upcoming Events

    Coldplay - 11/12 July

    Coldplay

    Principality Stadium
    Tuesday 11 July / Wednesday 12 July 2017

    • Train services in the Cardiff area will be busy all day.
    • A post-event queuing system will be in place at Cardiff Central.
    • Cardiff Queen St station will close at 21:45

    Button - Event Queue Map

    Speedway - 22 July

    Speedway

    Principality Stadium
    22nd July

    More details will be available nearer the event

    Win a Pair of Speedway Tickets with our Competition


    View Details of our Speedway Competition


  • Travel Advice

    To make sure your travel goes as smoothly as possible on the day we've put together some handy tips

    Venues

  • Event FAQ's

    So why do I have to wait outside the station?

    The best way that we can safely manage the high number of customers is to implement crowd management procedures before and after the events, such as queuing systems and restricted movement within stations.

    We employ crowd management professionals to manage the flow of customers on the ground, and they are supported by a team of competent and experienced railway staff who provide customer assistance on the platforms, and coordinate the operation in the crowd management control centre.

    As you can imagine, if all the customers were permitted to enter the station without any form of crowd control there would be safety risks in terms of over-crowding on platforms, and customers being prevented from boarding their desired train services.

    Why do we have Post event Queuing Systems?

    Why do we have a post match queuing system? Take a look at this quick video...



    How do you decide which queues move and who has to wait outside?

    Our industry leading queuing system is designed to allow customers' access to trains on a first come first served basis and we release each queue according to the space on the next available service, holding the queue until the next train is due.

    At Cardiff Central, customers waiting in the Manchester/Crewe queue may notice that there are 4 separate queues for this route due to the high numbers using these services and each is filled in order and then released by the same order to ensure fair access to the services.

    If we have to ask customers to wait outside stations for longer than we would like, we always give out waterproof ponchos and blankets. This helps make the experience as comfortable as possible for everyone whilst still getting them home safely.

    How do I know what’s happening on the day?

    Communication with customers is a key part of the event day operation. On the day we have high numbers of staff available to provide direct information, we have extra station announcers to ensure the information is regular and consistent, and we even operate a specific twitter feed to provide live updates from the station - www.twitter.com/ArrivaTW .

    The twitter feed is managed by a member of our event team, based in our Crowd Management Centre, and is by far the best source of live information on an event day if you have access to twitter. Before travelling, it is also important to check our website, which has a specific page for each event.

    Check here  www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/PrincipalityStadium/  to find information on the plan of the queuing system, details of any additional train services, and other useful advice such as how long customers can expect to queue, disabled access and the location of public toilets.

    Why don’t you put on more carriages on an event day?

    We spend up to three months in advance of a fixture planning the train service and crowd management. This includes the provision of extra carriages and services on the most popular routes taking people to and from these locations. All this is done with consideration of the limitations of the fleet we have at our disposal. As an example, the impact a 72,500 capacity stadium has on Cardiff Central Railway station, given its location and the benefits of using rail travel as opposed to road, means that this can result in a significantly higher number of customers using the station on an event day. As a general indication of the popularity of services, prior to events at Cardiff, around 30,000 customers can arrive at the station before the event, and up to 40,000 customers return to the station to get home afterwards. It's so busy at Cardiff; we even have to close Queen Street after events, due to the size of station! During these event days, the depots are empty, as every train at our disposal is out in service, unless undertaking absolutely essential maintenance work.