TfL issues travel advice for the 2015 Rugby World Cup: Delays expected as one million spectators descend on London
Transport for London has warned London's commuters to expect delays for the next six weeks as one million spectators descend on the capital for the Rugby World Cup, which starts on Friday.
Between Friday 18 September and Saturday 31 October, there will be 17 matches across three London venues, at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, Wembley Stadium and Twickenham.
From this Friday's opening match between England and Fiji at Twickenham, TfL has warned that services to and from the Twickenham area, particularly from Waterloo, will be much busier than usual.
Tube and rail users in the south west of London are advised to plan their journeys ahead and avoid travelling during the busiest times.
If you think you can cheat the crush by taking the roads, think again. TfL is also warning of major traffic disruption, not least caused by a full closure of part of the A316 Great Chertsey Road from three hours before matches, with the road expected to be re-opened as soon as safe to do so.
Steve Griffiths, chief operating officer of London Underground, said: “The capital will be a fantastic place to be over the six week tournament. Clearly, on match days, parts of the transport network will be busier than normal. That’s why we’re advising Londoners to plan ahead so they can get around easily whether or not they are watching the tournament.”
Rugby World Cup 2015 organisers have put together a journey planner at rugbyworldcup.com/journeyplanner, and included a special feature on the Rugby World Cup app to help fans travel to and from games and the special Fanzones around London.
The Fanzones will be located in the following locations:
Richmond – Old Deer Park
Brent – Wembley Park (for Wembley match ticket holders only)
Newham – Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Trafalgar Square will be open from the semi final through to the final.