Anyone looking to travel by train over the Bank Holiday weekend is warned to plan ahead, as South Wales is set for one of the busiest weekends in recent memory.

Fresh from the disruption caused by the Ed Sheeran and My Chemical Romance concerts in Cardiff leading to an influx of train passengers, the next few days could be even busier again.

From Thursday, June 2, through to Sunday, June 5, all roads seem to lead to South Wales, with a number of events taking place.

These include events celebrating the Queen’s seven decades on the throne, the “In It Together” music festival in Port Talbot, music concerts in Swansea and Cardiff, boxer 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.

While the bulk of the traffic will likely be heading to the capital and West Wales, it is entirely possible that it will have a knock-on impact on services through Newport and the wider Gwent area.

In addition, warm weather is also forecast, meaning tourist destinations such as Barry Island, Tenby and the North Wales coast are also likely to see significant numbers of day-trippers visiting.

According to Transport for Wales (TfW), who operate the majority of services and stations in Wales, passenger numbers for weekends have increased significantly in recent months, so further increases in passenger numbers will mean some trains across the network are likely to be full and standing.

Continuing, TfW said that they are “maximising capacity and reinforcing this where required with supplementary road transport”. There will also be an enhanced staff presence across the network to support customers over the course of the weekend.

What has been said about the upcoming weekend of travel?

Colin Lea, Transport for Wales’ planning and performance director, said: “We continue to see very high demand for our services, particularly at peak times, weekends and during periods of good weather. All available carriages are in service and where possible, we’re providing supplementary road transport.

“However, our services remain impacted by the recent train collision with a mini digger near Craven Arms, which has taken a number of carriages out of service. The impact of this serious criminal act will however continue to be felt for some time.

“It’s now more important than ever to plan ahead using information our new website, our recently updated app or our social media channels. Passengers should consider whether they want to travel on trains that are likely to be full and standing, and use our Capacity Checker – an online tool that allows customers to see which trains are likely to have the most space available.”