To aid rugby fans in their travels to and from Cardiff for the Big Day Out on Saturday, 10th of May, GWR is running extra trains.

Around 10,000 extra seats are being provided through additional trains across Great Western Railway routes.

An additional 8 trains will be departing from Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff Central for the Bears fans. Whereas Bath Supporters will have 5 extra trains from Bath and Chippenham towards Cardiff.

Due to the amended services, reservations are mandatory on trains running after 8 am towards Cardiff, regardless of the reason for travel, and trains will not stop at Bristol Parkway.

For Direct services to and from Cardiff, customers will need to travel to Bristol Temple Meads and not Bristol Parkway.

For the return journey, over 20 trains are running back to their respective locations, however, a queuing system will be in place, running on a first-come, first-served basis. It is advised, where possible, to delay returning from Cardiff for ease of travel.

Booking as soon as possible is advised, as trains are filling up fast. Passengers should also allow extra time due to crowds pre- and post-game.

Bookings can be made on the GWR website.

“To support both Bristol Bears and Bath Rugby, as well as our other customers, there will be some significant changes to our usual train service on Saturday 10 May to be aware of.

“Extra trains are being provided from Bristol Temple Meads for Bristol fans and from Chippenham and Bath for Bath supporters for their Big Day Out. These trains will be reservation only.

“GWR services that would usually call at Bristol Parkway will not do so, and those seeking to travel from north Bristol to south Wales should travel to Temple Meads for direct services towards Cardiff.

“Services are however still expected to be really busy, and we advise people to travel early and to check before you travel. A queueing system will also be in place at Cardiff station after the game, ensuring people can board their train safely.”

GWR Director of Operations Richard Rowland