With the semi-final of the FA Cup between Coventry City and Manchester United being held at Wembley Stadium next Sunday, 21 April, Chiltern Railways is asking Coventry City fans to check their travel arrangements beforehand.
Chiltern Railways is expecting a large number of passengers will use its services to travel to and from Wembley, especially from Warwick Parkway and Leamington Spa.
In anticipation of the large numbers of fans expected to travel by train, Chiltern Railways liaised with other train operating companies to provide extra capacity before and after the match.
Before the match, there will be over 25 services from local and regional stations towards London and a similar number after the match finishes. Among the additional services are the following:
Avanti West Coast
- An extra service to London Euston will depart from Coventry at 09:02, with seats available for booking online at www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk
West Midland Trains
- Two extra services will run from Coventry before the match, and there will be extra capacity after the game. Further information can be found at https://wmr.uk/facupsemifinal
Chiltern Railways
- Five extra services will run to Wembley Stadium from Warwick Parkway and Leamington Spa before and after the match. Normal Chiltern Railways services will also include an extra stop at Wembley Stadium. Further details can be found at www.chilternrailways.co.uk/facupsemifinal
- Fans should note that although there will be additional and longer trains in operation, they will be much busier than normal.
- At both Warwick Parkway and Leamington Spa queueing systems will be in place during the morning for fans travelling to the match.
- After the match, a queuing system will also be in place at Wembley Stadium station.
- All additional services to Leamington Spa and Warwick Parkway will start from Wembley Stadium station, and fans should make sure that they join the correct queue for their train home.
To avoid queuing on the day to buy tickets, fans should either buy them online or from their local station before Sunday.
It is expected that many fans will travel early on Sunday morning so that they arrive in London mid-morning. However, after the match, all trains will be extremely busy, as Liverpool fans will be returning home after their match with Fulham which kicks off at 16.30, and the semi-final coincides with the London Marathon which is also being held next Sunday.
Train operators have a good record of providing extra capacity for sports fixtures, including Great Western Railway for this year's Wales v England Six Nations rugby match, and ScotRail for the Scotland v England Six Nations match.
