Great Western Coffee Shop

Additional trains for Wales v France at the Millennium Stadium

First Great Western (FGW) is delighted to announce five additional trains will be provided to help Wales fans return home from Cardiff^s Millennium Stadium this Friday [21 February], but are warning customers to allow plenty of time.

With 74,000 fans expected to watch Wales take on France, train services will be busy prior to and after the match. FGW is to provide five additional trains, equating to almost 2,500 extra seats, as well as strengthening other services.

FGW^s General Manager Central, Rob Mullen, said: "We are delighted to announce five additional trains will be provided to help Wales fans return from Cardiff^s Millennium Stadium, but customers are warned to allow plenty of time, as a queuing system will be in place to help customers board trains safely. Those travelling from further afield are also urged to check the time of the last service to ensure onward connections are not missed."

Passengers not attending the match are advised to travel at a different period to avoid the crowds.

Final connections along routes are as follows:

^        Weston/Taunton/Exeter ^ 22.04

^        Bath/Westbury ^ 22.04

^        Bristol Parkway/Swindon/Paddington ^ 21.25

^        Bristol Temple Meads ^ 23.27

Real-time running information for First Great Western can be found at www.journeycheck.com/firstgreatwestern, or for further information or advice please visit www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk.

Do FirstGW declassify first class on the Paddington services for Millennium Stadium games?

Most games are on Sat or Sun, so why would FGW declassify it, when they can charge people a modest premium?

Showing my ignorance here I know, but nowhere in the press release is the sport being played by Wales and France mentioned. I'm guessing it's football, but presumably if it was schoolgirls' lacrosse (for example) there would be very different crowds and crowd behaviours involved?

In terms of not mentioning the sport involved, I would suggest there's a presumption that if the press release is likely to be relevance to passengers then they will know its a Six Nations rugby match.

Of course the real fault lies with the WRU for agreeing to Friday night matches. Fans hate them because of the travel problems it causes, and having made a somewhat disparaging comment above about FGW, I do appreciate that there are lots of operational factors that might limit their ability to put on any extra services. But fans will probably take the view I put, unless it's explained to them why it can't be done.

Going to be worse next year - Wales v England is scheduled for Friday 6th Feb 2015, kick off at 20:05.  Comes down to TV I'm afraid.

21 February 2014 Last updated at 21:57

Wales v France: Rugby fans urged to follow travel advice

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Wales faced France in a late kick-off in the Six Nations championship on Friday

Rugby fans gathering in Cardiff for Wales' clash with France were urged to follow travel advice.

More than 73,000 fans packed the Millennium Stadium for Friday's Six Nations game with many travelling by train.

Arriva Trains Wales said there would only be a limited number of additional services from 22:30 GMT.

Supporters were advised to use public transport where possible to get to and from the game, which Wales won 27-6.

There were reports of seven miles of stop-start traffic on the M4 westbound near Newport between junctions 23 and 25A in the early evening ahead of the 20:00 GMT kick-off.

First Great Western said the queuing system for its five extra trains meant people should allow extra time.

For those travelling by car, a park and ride service was operating from Cardiff City Football Club in Leckwith.

The park and ride was signposted from junction 33 (Cardiff West) of the westbound M4.

The drop-off and pick-up point for the park and ride was Tresillian Way North, at the rear of the Cardiff Central railway station.

A number of roads were being closed around the city centre from 18:00 to 23:00 GMT:

Kingsway from its junction with North Road/Boulevard de Nantes to its junction with Duke Street
Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate 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)
Heavy traffic on the M4 heading into Newport
Heavy traffic on the M4 heading into Newport on Friday before the game
Some roads were being fully closed between those times: 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.

Arriva Trains Wales said it would be providing extra train services and additional seating capacity where possible, but it expected its services to be "extremely busy" before and after the match.

A spokesperson said: "Customers are advised to ensure they make their way to Cardiff Central Station with plenty of time to catch services advertised in the normal timetable as only a limited number of additional services will be provided beyond 22:30. Seats will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. If passengers are not attending the match, we would strongly recommend they travel at a different time to avoid the crowds."

Cardiff Queen Street station will be closed after 21:15.

"Supporters were urged to make use of public transport."

And Arriva Trains Wales closed one of the main stations in Cardiff an 2115.  ::)

Why not spread the load instead of directing everyone to Cardiff Central?

The match finished at 2152, pretty much deeming the extras useless based on the last timings quoted