Almost half the expected capacity at Everton Stadium used the train network on Sunday
Almost half the expected capacity at Everton Stadium used the train network on Sunday
More than 12,000 people – almost half the expected capacity – used the Merseyrail network to get to the second test event at Everton’s new stadium this afternoon. Around 25,000 Blues fans were expected to attend the new stadium as it hosted the next in a series of three fixtures to prepare for its grand opening this summer.
The Toffees’ under 21 side played out a shortened 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers as an evacuation at Everton Stadium took place to enable the club to gain the required safety licences ahead of the new season. While the stadium proved to be a roaring success with match goers during the first event, questions were raised about the viability of transport infrastructure around the new 52,888 seater stadium, particularly focused on Sandhills station and the rail network.
Despite this, hopping on a train still proved to be the most popular way of getting to the match, with tens of thousands of fans using the Merseyrail network. Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, who has unveiled plans for expansion of Sandhills station, paid tribute to fans for their “patience and understanding.”
Following a meeting with fans groups and representatives from Everton FC, transport chiefs announced additional services were laid on across the region’s rail, bus and ferry networks. Rail bosses asked for patience when using Sandhills in particular and asked for passengers to be kind to staff.
To deal with the increased number of users passing through, Merseyrail amended its Sunday timetable accordingly. Services ran every 15 minutes on the Southport, Ormskirk and Headbolt Lane lines, with eight car trains where possible.
At Sandhills and Liverpool city centre stations, a crowd flow management system was in place to direct fans to their relevant train. Concerns rose at around 2.45pm when the Southport line was briefly shut down over a trespasser on the line.
Services were reinstated at around 3.15pm. Mr Rotheram said: “I want to say a massive thank you to all the fans travelling to and from the new Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock today.
“It’s because of your patience and understanding that we’ve been able to get people where they need to be safely and smoothly. We’ve worked really closely with Everton, transport operators, the council – and, most importantly, fan groups – on travel planning, I’d personally like to thank all staff involved for their hard work.
“Rail and bus services have been stepped up – there’s even been more ferry crossings put on to help take Evertonians from one bank of the royal blue Mersey to the other. The region’s transport network carried over half the people attending today’s event – 500 on Mersey Ferries, over 2,000 on dedicated shuttle bus services and more than 12,000 by train.
“There were some challenges, particularly around traffic congestion – as well as a trespasser on the Merseyrail network which temporarily disrupted rail services – but the purpose of these test events is to help us see what works, what doesn’t, and what needs improving. Over the coming weeks we’ll keep looking at what we can do better, and listening to fan feedback, so that we can build on today’s success and get ready for the first league game of next season in August.”