Network Rail has issued a further reminder to Liverpool and Manchester City football fans not to attempt to travel by rail to and from the FA Cup semi-final this Saturday, 16th April, because of major railway improvements taking place.
Essential upgrades are taking place at multiple locations along the West Coast Main Line, which means that London Euston Station will be closed to main line train services, and there are no direct trains from Liverpool Lime Street or Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston.
Since the Football Association (FA) confirmed that the match would kick-off at 3.30 pm, Network Rail has been advising football fans travelling from the North West to avoid getting to or from the game by train. Any trains that do run will be busier than usual, and fans will need to use rail-replacement buses to travel from Merseyside and Manchester to Wembley.
Football fans should also avoid alternative rail routes, such as CrossCountry services or the Chiltern Main Line, because they too will already be busy because of the engineering work.
Further disruption to services in the Northwest on both Saturday, 16th, and Sunday, 17th April will be caused by RMT strike action that will affect TransPennine Express services across the north of England.
Dave Penney, Network Rail passenger director for the North West and Central region, said: “We have a strong track record of working closely with partner organisations like the FA to minimise disruption for passengers as far as possible, for example by giving prior notice of engineering projects which could impact on sports or large-scale events.
“Unfortunately, this year there is a clash between our £22m Easter railway upgrades and the FA Cup semi-finals, and regrettably these works can't be deferred as it would waste millions of pounds of taxpayers' money and cause further unnecessary disruption to passengers. We're urging football fans in Liverpool and Manchester to avoid going to or from the match by train, and instead follow the FA's travel advice on how to get to Wembley on Saturday 16 April.”
Alternative travel options for the Liverpool vs Man City FA Cup semi-final:
Free bus travel
- A limited number of free return bus services will be provided for both the Emirates FA Cup and Vitality Women's FA Cup semi-finals for fans from the North West who wish to travel to and from London.
- The FA will charter 100 buses from Anfield and the Etihad Stadium respectively to Wembley Stadium and back. This will ensure that up to 5000 Liverpool and Manchester City supporters will be able to travel to Wembley Stadium free of charge for their semi-final tie.
- A number of free return bus services will also be provided for Manchester City Women supporters travelling from the North West to east London.
- The free buses are subject to availability, must be pre-booked, and the clubs can provide more information.
Car parking at Wembley Stadium
- Limited pre-booked car parking is available at Wembley Stadium.
- Blue badge holders are advised to select the appropriate category when pre-booking to avoid long distances to and from the stadium.
Transport for London
Supporters can use any of the following underground and overground services and stations to access Wembley Stadium:
- Wembley Park station – Metropolitan and Jubilee lines
- Wembley Central station – Bakerloo line, London Overground and Southern rail services
- Wembley Stadium station – Chiltern Rail services
Good grief.Why on earth would we want to move huge numbers of people by rail?