Cardiff travel guide as 50,000 visit for The Hundred, Speedway and Cardiff City v Birmingham City

Cardiff council has warned of major disruption in the city ahead of a number of sporting events and further rail strikes.

The warning is specifically for Saturday, August 13, as Speedway comes to the Principality Stadium, Cardiff City take on Birmingham City at the Cardiff City Stadium and the Welsh Fire's men's and women's teams play Birmingham Phoenix at Sophia Gardens.

The three events could attract upwards of an additional 50,000 people to the city.

The swell of footfall coincides with widespread disruption to the rail network due to industrial action by the train drivers’ union ASLEF.

Here's what to expect on Cardiff's roads and rail on Saturday.

Rail

Transport for Wales (TfW) is not involved in the dispute with ASLEF, but their services are expected to be extremely busy as Great Western Railways (GWR), West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and Cross-country are not operating any services at all on Saturday August 13.

TfW is advising people to only travel by rail on the South Wales Main Line between Carmarthen and Newport, and Cardiff and Lydney, if their journey is essential.

They have also warned travellers to check their journeys before leaving, as there may be some late changes to services.

Road closures

Road closures will be put in place at the end of the Cardiff City game between 1.45pm and 3pm on Sloper Road. They'll extend from Bessemer Road to Leckwith Road and on Leckwith Road, between Sloper Road and Wellington Street.

The first cricket match at Sophia Gardens will start at 2.30pm, with the second match starting at 6pm. Sophia Close will be closed between 4pm and 10pm, with heavy congestion expected on Cathedral Road.

The Principality Stadium opens its gates at 3.30pm for the Speedway, with the event scheduled to finish at 8.30pm. Westgate Street will be closed in its entirety between 3pm and 9.30pm.

Access to the Civic Centre, the area where National Museum Wales and City Hall is, will be controlled throughout the day. Access will only be allowed for event parking, access to the Speedway Fanzone, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks.

The roads affected include King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road.

Buses

Bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place.

Customers are advised to visit the relevant bus operator's website for more information about specific bus routes.

National Express coaches will use Sophia Gardens as usual despite the closure of Sophia Close.

Parking in the city centre

City centre parking is expected to be very busy throughout Saturday.

Parking will be available at the Civic Centre and will cost £15 on the day with card payments accepted.

The car park will open at 8am and closes at 12pm.

There will be limited parking at Sophia Gardens at a cost of £15 payable on the day with card payments accepted. However, the car park will be closed while Sophia Close road closures are in place.

Shoppers are advised to make use of the dedicated Shopping Park & Ride sites at Pentwyn and County Hall. City centre car parks such as John Lewis and St David's Shopping Centre are open but are expected to be busier than normal.

Event park and ride

The event park and ride facility for both the Speedway and the Hundred will operate out of County Hall car park in Cardiff Bay. The drop off and pick up point will be at Callaghan Square.

The facility is accessible via the M4, leaving at junction 33, and travelling down the A4232 link road.

Buses will be running to and from the city centre every 10 minutes. The service will cost £10 with card payments now available.

The car park opens at 9.00am and the first bus will leave at 9.30am. The last bus from the city centre will be at 10pm and the car park will close at 10.30pm.