With a sell-out crowd, Wales will be taking on France on Saturday February 22nd at the Principality Stadium.

With the kick off taking place at 4.45pm, there will be a full city centre road closure from 1.15pm until 7.45pm on grounds of public safety.

The gates to the stadium will open at 1.45pm and all supporters are advised to get into the stadium early, to avoid missing kick-off.

Those attending the rugby match are strongly advised toleave large bags at home and pay attention to the prohibited items listed at  principalitystadium.wales   before they travel into the city.

Road closures

From early in the day, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed as a result of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.

The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure which will take place at 1.15pm

• Kingsway from its junction with North Road 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.)
• The following roads will be closed in their entirety: Duke Street, Castle St, 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.
• Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport Road to the junction with Churchill Way will be access for buses only during the times of the road closures. This is to ensure that there is reliable access for buses to the satellite points in Churchill Way.

Additions: 
Civic Centre: Access to part of the Civic Centre will be controlled throughout the day, with access allowed only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks.

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

Please note: 
If there are any safety concerns in connection with crowds queuing to go into the venue prior to gates opening, there may be a need to close Wood Street and Westgate Street earlier, along with lane restrictions adjacent to Gate 1 on Cowbridge Road East.

If there are any safety concerns relating to the queuing system at Cardiff Central Train Station, then Wood Street, Westgate Street, Park Street, Havelock Street, St Mary Street, Penarth Road, Saunders Road and Customhouse Street could be closed until safety concerns are remedied. 

Trains

Network Rail is advising all customers that there are no planned engineering work on Saturday February 22, but restrictions will be in place due to the damage caused by Storm Dennis.

Passengers are advised to plan their journey in advance at  www.nationalrail.co.uk  or by calling Travel Line Cymru on 0800 464 0000.

For all Transport for Wales Services, please visit  www.tfwrail.wales on the day of your journey to ensure that your service is running or follow Transport for Wales through twitter via @tfwrail.

Saturday February 22: The Aberdare train line will be completely closed for the event and it is envisaged that this route will re-open up to Mountain Ash by 5am on Monday February 24.

Repair work is continuing to take place on both the Ebbw Vale line, as well as the Abergavenny to Hereford route and these works are expected to be completed by 5am Friday February 21 (Ebbw Vale) and 4am Saturday February 22 (Abergavenny - Hereford).

All remaining Valley Line routes into Cardiff will be operating for the event.

Sunday February 23: Those who are staying overnight in Cardiff are being advised that there are planned engineering works on Sunday February 23.

On Sunday, buses will replace trains on the following routes which will leave from the rear of the station in Penarth Road car park.

• Cardiff Central to West Wales, which includes all stations towards Bridgend, Swansea and Camarthen.
• Cardiff Central to Maesteg
• Bridgend and Llantwit Major to Rhoose (Cardiff International Airport)

Transport for Wales is advising all customers that trains in the Cardiff area are expected to be busy all day on Saturday February 22. Those travelling into the city to watch the match are advised to leave plenty of time for their journey.

There will be a full crowd management system at Cardiff Central. All Valley Lines' services will depart from the rear of the station at the Penarth Road car park. Services will have extra capacity where possible.

Cardiff Queen Street Station will close to outbound customers at 6.15pm and there will be a post-match queue system in place at Cardiff Central.

Civic Centre Event Day Parking

Getting there: Exit Junction 32 of the M4, head south on the A470 towards the city centre and follow signage to the civic centre.

Cost: £12 in you pre-book through the following link:  click here or £15 payable on the day at the car park (cash only).

Parking time: The car park will open at 8am and closes at 12 midnight. 

Civic Centre Event Day Parking (Coaches)

Cost: £25 payable on the day or £25 if you pre-book:  click here 

Parking time: The car park will open at 8am and closes at 12 midnight. 

Event Park & Ride at Leckwith

Event Park & Ride is available at Leckwith and can be accessed from junction 33 off the M4 and then follow signs to the site.

To pre-book Park & Ride visit:click here

If customers pre-book Park & Ride, they are required to print the pre booking confirmation and hand it to staff at site on arrival. The drop off point isFitzhamon Embankment.

The Park & Ride is 1.5 miles from the city centre which take approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

If you pre-book, the cost is £8 or £10 payable on the day (cash only)

Staff will arrive at the car park at 9.30am, with the site opening at 10am and the first bus leaving at 10am. The last bus will leave the pick up at the pick-up point at 8.30pm with the car park closing at 9pm.

Event Day Parking at Sophia Gardens

Sophia Gardens (cars)

(Approximately, 0.5 mile walk to the Principality Stadium, Gate 2).

Sophia Gardens Event Day Parking

Getting there: Exit junction 32 off the M4

Cost: £15 payable on the day at the car park (cash only)

Parking time: Car park opens at 8am and closes at 12 Midnight.

Please note: Sophia Gardens car park will be staffed until x all vehicles are left on site at the owner's risk. Cardiff Council will not be held responsible for any theft or damage to motor vehicles or personal possessions. Any vehicles left in the car park after closing time will be fined.

Bus
Local buses:

Cardiff Bus is advising their customers that city centre services will be displaced at 1pm until 8.30pm, with the exception of Lower St Mary Street which will remain closed from 8.30pm for the night time economy.

Buses displaced from stops within the closure will relocate to either Churchill Way for the east, Greyfriars Road for the north or Tudor Street for the west.

Please visit the relevant bus operator's website for more information about your specific bus routes.

For Cardiff Bus services, please visit:  https://www.cardiffbus.com/principality-stadium 

National Express:
 
National Express coaches will use Sophia Gardens as usual. 

Motorways and trunk roads

As with all major events, ticket holders are encouraged to plan their travel well ahead and make allowances for busy motorways and trunk roads. The M4 corridor and approaches to Cardiff are expected to be very busy.

Can you cycle or walk?

Those who live locally in Cardiff may want to travel by bicycle or walk. Research shows us that 52% of car trips made in the Welsh capital are less than 5km. This is a distance that can be comfortably cycled in 20 minutes.

We also know that 28% of Cardiff residents who currently do not cycle would like to do so.

When the roads are congested this makes cycling an even more attractive option as travel by bicycle would be quicker than a car during rush hours or during big events.

Shopping Parking

Shoppers are advised to make use of the dedicated Shopping Park & Ride sites at Pentwyn or County Hall. Or city centre car parks are also available: North Road Car Parks, St David's Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre, and NCP (Adam Street, Dumfries Place and Greyfriars Road.)

Disabled parking

Disabled drivers are advised to use Sophia Gardens. Disabled parking is also available at various private car parks.

Please check individual websites for availability.

Taxis

St Mary Street taxi rank (outside the House of Fraser) will close at 1.15pm and will re-open from 7.45pm