The Rugby World Cup looks set to be the "most popular sporting event ever -- despite it being the most expensive in history," according to James Andrew of the London DAILY MAIL. Halfway through the pool stage and the grounds have been at 95.51% capacity with nearly "one million fans passing through the turnstiles." Ticket prices for games at the tournament are on average £104.17 ($157.57), but "that has clearly not put the punters off." The RWC beats every "football World Cup, every Olympic Games, the cricket World Cup and the most significant events in tennis, golf and athletics." Even when prices at the historic events are adjusted for inflation, "the prices that fans are paying for the RWC this year come out on top." The last RWC, in New Zealand in '11, "takes second place in our table," with tickets priced £88.69 on average, which would be £101.56 ($153.62) today (DAILY MAIL, 9/30).
CHANGES TO TRANSPORT AT CARDIFF: In London, Owen Gibson reported World Cup organizers and travel providers have introduced a "raft of changes to the transport operation in Cardiff" for the remainder of the tournament in the wake of mounting criticism. Fans attending the three matches at the Millennium Stadium have "complained of long queues and overcrowded trains as they have struggled to get to and from Cardiff," while there have been other complaints about transport at matches at Gloucester and in London. The organizers met with Great Western Railway and Arriva Trans Wales on Friday "for a round of crisis talks." They said Wednesday that the new measures -- additional trains, changes to the timetable, more park and ride spaces, new shuttle buses to Bristol and better queuing systems -- "would help improve the passenger experience for the remaining five matches" (GUARDIAN, 9/30).
