STAGGERED JOURNEYS
Frustrated fans have been forced to queue aimlessly for hours while attending RWC2015 matches. Fans trying to head home from Twickenham by train following the opening match between England and Fiji were caught in a major snarl-up following a death on the tracks. In Wales, accessing the Millennium Stadium by train has been so fraught the Government has stepped in and told train companies to sort themselves out. First Great Western admitted to being surprised 43,000 people had headed into Cardiff for a match between Ireland and Canada. "Sorry rugby trains busy today, extra services running tonight. Queues likely, if you can, please stagger your return journeys," the company tweeted to its irate, immobile customers. Staggering home is not normally an issue for rugby fans, it's the standing still for three hours with no bar service that gets them.
Yesterday's match between Australia and Fiji was just as bad, with the rail commuters facing three-hour queues and motorways clogged. Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb has stepped in demanding train companies "fix this". The companies have responded that they have the capacity to move 10,000 passengers an hour out of the city. For a crowd of 43,000 - you do the maths.
And we thought North Harbour Stadium was bad.