Liverpool will welcome 150,000 people for the Aintree Grand National festival this week and extra trains and buses are being laid on for racegoers. Tony McDonough reports
Merseyrail and bus operators will offer extra services for the three-day Aintree Grand National festival this week.
Around 150,000 racegoers are expected to attend the festival which starts on Thursday, April 3, and concludes on Saturday, April 5, when the ‘world’s greatest steeplechase’ will take place.
It is traditionally the biggest event in the annual city region visitor economy calendar and the Combined Authority has revealed details of extra public transport capacity to cope with the influx of people.
Merseyrail services to and from Aintree station will be every seven-and-a-half minutes before and after each days’ racing – compared to the usual 15 minutes. These will run between Aintree and Liverpool Central/Moorfields stations at the following times:
- From approximately 11am to 2pm (before the races).
- From approximately 4:30pm to 8:30pm (after the races).
To accommodate the more frequent services between Liverpool city centre and Aintree there will be reduced services to some stations on the Ormskirk branch of the Northern Line and a slightly amended 15-minute timetable on the Southport line.
On the Headbolt Lane branch of the Northern Line, services between 11am and 2pm and 5pm and 9pm will terminate at Sandhills with passengers having to change trains to complete their journeys from here.
The Wirral Line will operate a normal timetable during the festival. Customers travelling to the festival from any Wirral line stations are advised to change at Moorfields for an Aintree-bound train.
The 300, 310 and bus 345 services run regularly between Queen Square bus station and the Aintree area. These services will be on diversion throughout the festival.
Stagecoach will be operating a regular Shuttle Bus Service from Liverpool city centre to Aintree Racecourse on all three days of the festival:
- Shuttle buses will depart Elliot Street (Stop GE).
- Return shuttles will depart from Park Lane (opposite Aintree rail station) - return trips will be running on Friday and Saturday 5th only.
- Return and day rider tickets will be available to buy, and all buses will accept contactless and mobile payments.
Cllr Steve Foulkes, chair of the Combined Authority Transport Committee, said: The Grand National is one of the highlights in the city region sporting calendar, bringing thousands of people into the area to enjoy the world’s biggest horse race.
READ MORE: Red Run secures lucrative deal with retail ‘powerhouse’
READ MORE: Sefton announces contractor for £73m events complex
“We will be working together with all of our partners to keep people moving during the three days of the event. We want everyone to enjoy themselves so it’s important that racegoers think ahead and plan their journeys to avoid any disappointment.
People can click here for full details on public transport during the festival.