Estimated 50,000 fans expected at Levi's Stadium for U2 concert

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- Preparations are underway for the big U2 concert on Wednesday. An estimated 50,000 fans will be descending on Levi's Stadium and it could be a traffic mess.

The hope is that concertgoers will use public transit.

It's not as though Levi's Stadium hasn't hosted a Super Bowl, but the U2 concert is on a Wednesday evening with fans making their way there at the same time as the afternoon commute.

Just like any event, Santa Clara police will have extra traffic control officers. But the pressure will be on public transit.

VTA's light rail system and Caltrain are expected to carry 5,000 to 6,000 concertgoers or about 10 percent of the estimated 50,000 attending the big event.

"We're asking for more personnel to work more hours because we usually don't have about 5,000 people waiting for our service at 10 o'clock in the evening," VTA spokesperson Linh Hoang said.

Previous U2 concerts in Oakland in 2011 and 2015 created traffic jams that caused some fans to arrive late or to miss the show entirely.

VTA and Caltrain will add trains to make sure fans get home after the concert, although that wasn't the original plan, according to Santa Clara city council member Teresa O'Neill.

"At that time of night, there's only like one train an hour and one car. It's not like a weekend concert or a 49er game, where VTA is able to schedule, have many trains waiting," O'Neill said.

VTA does plan to add eight trains, with staff and security. The estimated cost is about $65,000. It will seek reimbursement.

Caltrain is adding one train to make sure no one is left stranded, at a cost of $5,000, a cost it will absorb.

The stage and equipment are being set up for the sell-out show but one variable remains. What time will U2's show be over?

Santa Clara has a 10 p.m. curfew. However, the council has been told to expect the concert to run over, which some residents may not like.