Football fans travelling in Scotland and England have been given advice as to whether trains are a good option over Easter, and what action they should take.
In particular, information has been provided for the Scottish Cup semi finals and the FA Cup semi final.
Scottish Cup semi finals
Football fans travelling by train to the Scottish Cup semi-finals this weekend have been urged by ScotRail to plan their journeys in advance.
For the first time in the Scottish Cup’s 148-year history, derby matches will decide the cup finalists.
The weekend begins with an all-Edinburgh affair, as Hearts meet Hibernian at Hampden Park on Saturday, 16 April (KO 1215), and on Easter Sunday, 17 April, Celtic will play Rangers in an all-Glasgow encounter (KO1400).
ScotRail is adding extra seats to as many trains as possible to help fans travel to the matches, however the train operator is advising supporters to leave extra time for travel as trains will be busy.
Queuing systems will be in place at stations before and after the final whistle on both days, which include Glasgow Central, Mount Florida, Kings Park, and key stations across the network.
On Saturday, Hearts fans should join the queues on the Carriage Drive off Hope Street at Glasgow Central and travel on trains to Mount Florida, while Hibs fans will queue on the main concourse for services to Kings Park.
The same queuing system will apply on Sunday, with Rangers fans asked to queue on the Carriage Drive for Mount Florida services, and Celtic fans queuing on the main concourse for Kings Park trains.
After the match, fans are asked to return to the station promptly and join the respective queues at Mount Florida for Hearts and Rangers fans, and at Kings Park for Hibernian and Celtic supporters.
To reduce the need to queue on the day, customers are encouraged to buy their return tickets to either Mount Florida or Kings Park in advance via the mTicket system on the ScotRail app.
Buying tickets through the mTickets system means people can buy their tickets from the comfort of their home or on the way to the station and it will instantly become available on their mobile device.
Customers are reminded that major improvement works between Rutherglen and Exhibition Centre will impact those travelling to and from the city centre on services which would normally operate via Glasgow Central Low Level.
Many services will be diverted into Glasgow Central High Level or Glasgow Queen Street Low Level resulting in slightly longer journey times.
A replacement bus service is in operation from Carmyle, Newton, Cambuslang, Rutherglen, Dalmarnock, Bridgeton, Glasgow Central, Exhibition Centre, and Partick, however space is limited.
First Glasgow is also providing extra capacity on their bus services between the city centre, Bridgeton, Dalmarnock, and Rutherglen throughout the improvement works.
ScotRail is also urging anyone travelling on Scotland’s Railway to stay safe by continuing to follow Scottish Government guidelines.
This includes maintaining good hand hygiene and the mandatory wearing of a face covering for the entirety of their journey, which includes on trains and in stations – both enclosed and open-air platforms. Customers are also asked to take a lateral flow test before travelling.
The carrying and consumption of alcohol is prohibited on ScotRail services.
Phil Campbell, ScotRail Head of Customer Operations, said: “If you’re heading to Hampden to cheer on your team this weekend, please plan ahead and allow more time for travel as trains will be busy.
“We’re doing all we can to help supporters travel to the games as hassle-free as possible, which includes more seats on train services to and from Mount Florida and Kings Park.
“Queuing systems will be in place before and after the matches, so please make sure you know where to go. We have a dedicated webpage at scotrail.co.uk/sport with more information, and our staff will also be on hand to direct you.
“Buying your return tickets in advance through our mTicket system on the ScotRail will reduce your need to queue.”
Manchester City vs Liverpool
Manchester City and Liverpool football fans are being warned against travelling by rail to and from the FA Cup semi-final this Saturday while major railway improvements are taking place.
Essential upgrades at multiple locations along the West Coast main line mean that when both teams meet at Wembley on April 16, there are no direct trains between Liverpool Lime Street or Manchester Piccadilly for London Euston.
Since a 3:30pm kick-off was confirmed by the Football Association (FA), Network Rail has been advising football fans travelling from the North West to avoid getting to or from the game by train.
Passengers are warned that on Saturday 16 April, rail journeys will take longer, any trains running will be busier and travelling fans will need to use rail replacement buses to get from Merseyside and Manchester to Wembley.
Between Good Friday (15 April) and Easter Monday (18 April), Euston station will be closed to main line train services, and multiple sections of railway will be shut for £22m of essential improvements to take place.
Football fans should 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.
Passengers are also being advised about RMT strike action which will affect TransPennine Express services across the north of England on both Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April.
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.”
