With the Eurovision Song Contest being held in Liverpool next month, Network Rail has issued travel advice for the thousands of people from across the world who are expected to travel by train to Liverpool Lime Street station for the event.
Liverpool is hosting the competition on behalf of last year's winner, Ukraine, between Sunday, 7th and Saturday, 13th May. Trains are expected to be very busy, so Network Rail has revealed the following three tips to make sure passengers receive “douze” points by hitting the right notes when they use the railway:
- Plan journeys in advance by checking Network Rail's website at www.nationalrail.co.uk;
- Allow extra time to catch trains as a queueing system will be in place during busy times;
- Travel light by keeping luggage and bags to a minimum as trains will be very busy.
The launch event is being held at St George's Hall on Sunday, 7th May, whilst the semi-finals are at the Liverpool Arena on Tuesday, 9th and Thursday, 11th May and the Grand Final on Saturday 13 May.
Liverpool Lime Street is used to dealing with thousands of passengers and has prepared plans so that people's journeys through the station will be as smooth as possible. To help visitors find their way to the different venues, extra staff will be on hand and available to give advice on the concourse.
During the busiest periods, queueing systems will be in place to make sure people can get to and from station platforms safely, especially for the Opening Ceremony on Sunday 7th May and the Grand Final on Saturday, 13th May. At busy times, this queue will extend outside the station and along Bolton Street.
In the run-up to the competition, Lime Street station will be getting into the spirit of the occasion with a number of special acts and events A huge programme of cultural events will also be taking place across Liverpool throughout Eurovision week, so even those who do not have tickets to Liverpool Arena itself should plan their journeys in advance.
The latest travel information can be found online at www.nationalrail.co.uk, and other public transport options to get around the city can be found on a dedicated Eurovision page on the Merseytravel website at https://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/customer-information/eurovision-travel-advice/.
Visitors should try not to rely on the last train home, as once the last services have left there will be no alternative travel arrangements out of Liverpool Lime Street.
Kyla Thomas, Liverpool Lime Street station manager, said: “Eurovision coming to Liverpool is huge and we can't wait to welcome people from all over the world to our fantastic city – with Lime Street station their gateway to the contest.
“What we ask of people planning to travel by rail is to think in threes – plan ahead, allow extra time, and travel light. We hope these top tips get everyone off to a winning start during what will be an amazing week.”
