Rail passengers travelling to Liverpool Lime Street for the Grand National are being given top tips to help them get off to a winning start when the world-famous horse racing festival returns tomorrow.
It’s the first time in three years spectators have been allowed at Aintree for the Grand National due to Covid-19 restrictions.
With bumper crowds expected, Network Rail is encouraging railway racegoers to:
- Plan your journey and check before you travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk
- Allow extra time to catch your train home – later services will be extremely busy
- Remember Network Rail’s motto of ‘Be safe, be patient, be kind’ when travelling
Figures released today (Wednesday 6 April) show that Saturday passenger numbers are exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Last Saturday (2 April) more than 72,000 people used Liverpool Lime Street station and the week before (26 March) the number was 81,000 people.
On the Saturday of 2019’s Grand National showpiece steeplechase, 47,000 passengers passed through Liverpool’s largest station.
Following the recent trend of rising passenger numbers, this year’s Grand National is forecast to be busier than ever.
Kyla Thomas, Liverpool Lime Street station manager, said: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming Grand National-goers back to Liverpool Lime Street for the first time in three years and it’s great to see more passengers travelling into the city at weekends.
“I’ve got three top tips for passengers travelling to Aintree: firstly, plan ahead and know what train you want to catch before the day of the races. Secondly, allow more time than you might do usually to get on the train – there may be queues. And thirdly, please respect each other and our staff while travelling – we want everyone to enjoy their rail journey to and from the races free from any bad behaviour.”
Additional staff will be on hand at Liverpool Lime Street station to help passengers over the weekend from Thursday 7 April until Saturday 9 April.
The station team has been planning for weeks to get ready for the thousands of extra passenger expected.
A queuing system will be in use during especially busy periods, but fans shouldn’t need to wait for long with regular services to the racecourse.
Passengers can check their journeys at www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest travel information.
Photo credit: Network Rail
