Cardiff is building a reputation for world-class events. In recent years, the Champions League final was held in Wales capital, Ed Sheeran has claimed the title of holding the biggest ever gig in Wales during his recent spell, world-class boxing fights which draw crowds from all over the world. Our national football and rugby teams regularly host sell-out matches and yet one of the city's biggest draws - that is compact - is also its biggest drawback.
Visitors will regularly face transport issues when attending big events. Wales' football fans routinely struggle to get back to anywhere outside of south Wales after a game at the Cardiff City stadium. Visitors for the rugby internationals will find themselves in queues outside the stadium. And Ed Sheeran's recent visit to Cardiff saw estimates of 15 miles of tailbacks with the thousands of people coming to Wales stuck in traffic jams on the M4. Some people missed the concert due to the delays and issues were reported for those who used public transport.
On top of that, it has long been identified that Cardiff has a particularly small number of hotel rooms. When the Champions League final came to Cardiff in 2017, Cardiff had 4,000 rooms, a fraction of 76,000 previous host city Paris had, and even less than Berlin's 135,000. Cardiff's hotel numbers has gone to somewhere around 5,500, we understand, but even with double occupancy that is a fraction of the number needed for a sell-out event at the Principality Stadium. Airbnb prices reach hundreds of pounds for the nights of big events.
READ MORE: Ed Sheeran pauses concert mid-song to stop fight at Principality Stadium
Neither of those are quick, easy, or inexpensive things to fix especially as Cardiff's event space is due to get bigger with the now-approved plans for a new arena in Cardiff Bay. The six-storey arena will have a capacity of 17,000. While it would replace the existing arena, which has an 8,000 capacity. The main application is for the arena, and a 182 bed Travelodge is included in those plans, however that is a replacement for the existing Travelodge which would be demolished.
In the planning application document, it details the transport links, quoting the plans for Metro and Crossrail which will "provide increased capacity and frequency of the rail network". It says there will be 300 bike spaces, a 20 bike Nextbike hire station and five coach bays. The applicant consulted Cardiff Bus, NAT, National Express, Stagecoach, Newport Bus, First Cymru, Flixbus, Edwards and Easyway, which the application says are "supportive" of the project.
"There appear to be some minor concerns about the potential impact of events on the use of Lloyd George Avenue; however, it was generally felt these could be worked around". There is also a wider plan for the new arena more works, including 1,090 hotel spaces.
The Welsh Government has today confirmed it will look at the issues which led to huge delays ahead of the Ed Sheeran concert in Cardiff on Friday. That is not limited to existing concerns but also the impact of half term,
We asked a number of organisations, including Cardiff council, Welsh Government, FOR Cardiff and Transport for Wales what their plan was to improve traffic and travel into Cardiff, whether they have concerns over the impression it gives to visitors to Cardiff and what future plans are, given the scale of development into the city.
Trains
A spokesperson for Transport for Wales said: "An enormous amount of preparation goes into planning for major events and we are constantly improving our event-day operations to ensure the tens of thousands of people who use our services can do so safely and efficiently. On major event days all available trains will be in service and, where possible, we will strengthen services with supplementary road transport.
"The post-event queuing system is used to manage the safe flow of passengers onto the station platforms and during periods of exceptionally high demand people may need to queue for extended periods. Last weekend more than 50,000 passengers used Cardiff Central Station with no major incidents or safety events reported.
"From December this year we will have longer Mk IV trains available on the South Wales to Manchester route and our brand-new fleet of trains, due to enter service from this year, will provide additional capacity across the network for future events. When launched, the South Wales Metro will provide a boost to frequency and capacity of services into Cardiff city centre along key routes.
"Our industry colleagues at Great Western Railways have also recently boosted event-day capacity with Class 387 Electrostars and Intercity Express Trains."
What the Welsh Government said
The same three questions were asked to the Welsh Government. A spokesman said: "We have regular meetings with stakeholders when large scale events are planned for the city centre. There are some lessons to be learned from last weekend’s events and we will be discussing these with those involved."
We asked for specific answers to our three questions but they refused to answer.
And Cardiff council?
Cabinet member for transport and strategic planning Cllr Dan De’Ath said: "The concerts, combined with half-term, clearly created problems on the regional network, plus issues on the rail network meant that replacement coaches had to be used on some services. We will continue to work with Welsh Government and UK Government, so that we see increased and better transport links for the region, including rail and Metro. Having said that, we mustn’t forget that Cardiff regularly plays host to countless events, without issue.
"When major events take place in any city, journey times will inevitably be longer because of the large number of people travelling, so the advice is always to allow much more time than normal, and to regularly check the travel advice being given at the time."
The council is working with a number of hotel investors, developers and operators to support an expansion of the number of beds in the city. A lot is being put onto the impact the new Metro transport service will have. A Metro link to the Bay will allow people to access the new arena and they believe that looking forward as people return to their pre-pandemic behaviour they will use public transport and walk or cycle. There will be a new park and ride for the new arena.
A Parkway station is due to open in 2024, which would see a new railway station built in east Cardiff. This would remove some of the city's pinchpoints.
The Welsh Tourism Alliance
Suzy Davies, chair of Welsh Tourism Alliance, said: "These events are very welcome and we still want them. But it is hardly news to Welsh Government that infrastructure is an issue, be it airport, roads or rail access or, indeed, accommodation. As the Welsh Tourism Alliance we're constantly assured that different Welsh Government departments talk to each other although recent policies don't seem to respond to how different types of visitor demand work.
"The result here is a bad experience for visitors, including those from within Wales and performers. It also means, in the case of major events like these, it is very difficult job for police and other officials trying to maintain security and good order.
"We completely accept that with train access some of that requires co-operation from likes of GWR - but not entirely. The key road routes, such as the M4, remain a controversial problem for regular users not just visitors. The industry is working hard to attract responsible visitors in sustainable numbers to all parts of Wales. In fairness, Visit Wales, with its limited resources, are working on that too. A poor visitor experience undermines what both are trying to achieve. While recognising that Welsh Govenrment has many priorities, such as climate change, it's hard to see how they are being considered in the round. "
This reputational damage doesn't just risk visitor numbers, it risks the confidence in how we feel about our own country. We urge Welsh Government to invest in partnerships and infrastructure which make Wales an attractive place to visit - and to live."
Opposition politicians
The Welsh Conservatives have called for a review after the weekend's delays "so lessons can be learnt". Shadow Transport Minister, Natasha Asghar MS said: "These concerts had been in the calendar for months, but still Labour ministers and Transport for Wales failed to act in time to make sure enough trains were running and our transport network was up to scratch. Events such as these have the opportunity to allow Wales to grow and attract more business, but these delays just show how Labour is stifling Wales."
Asked what they would want to see change, a spokesman said the M4 relief road had been cancelled three years ago but subsequent measures have not been effective. In terms of trains, they say more trains need to be made available at peak times when events are known in advance.
The Welsh Lib Dems have called on deputy minister Lee Waters to issue an urgent update, ahead of further events this weekend. In addition to local street parties and celebrations including concerts in Cardiff, Joe Cordina’s world title fight at the Motorpoint Arena and the Wales men’s football team’s crucial World Cup play-off match at the Cardiff City Stadium.
FOR Cardiff, a group tasked with "enhancing the experience of Wales' capital" declined to be interviewed.
