COMMUTERS travelling through Liverpool Lime Street for the opening of Eurovision 2023 this weekend are being advised to plan their journeys carefully.
This Sunday (May 7), 25,000 people will attend 'The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome' – a ticketed event outside St George’s Hall - to mark the start of the world-renowned song contest.
With the large crowds expected, Network Rail is reiterating its three top travel tips for the opening night.
- Plan your journey in advance by checking Network Rail's website
- Allow extra time to travel - a queueing system will be in place during busy times
- Travel light – keep luggage and bags to a minimum as trains will be very busy With the event finishing at 10pm, people are also being urged to know exactly how they plan to get home, and not to rely on the last mainline train services.
Kyla Thomas, Network Rail Liverpool Lime Street station manager, said: "You can feel the excitement really building in the city with Eurovision almost upon us, and we have good plans in place to make people’s journeys through Lime Street station as smooth as possible.
"On the opening night this Sunday I’d urge people to plan their route home carefully, allow extra time for journeys, and not rely on the last trains as they will be extremely busy."
Meanwhile, Merseyrail has announced late-night services on Sunday May 7 and Saturday, May 13’s Grand Final.
Some of its city centre stations will be entirely closed or exit only during the busiest times.
For more details on the extended services across the Liverpool City Region click here
Jane English, Merseyrail's acting managing director, said: "Merseyrail will be running services until after midnight on Sunday, May 7 to help get everybody home after the Eurovision Big Welcome event.
"We've worked closely with our partners and stakeholders to be able to provide the extra services that will be needed as this huge event gets underway in the city centre.
"We urge passengers to carefully check their journey plan, allow plenty of time, and to be patient as our stations and trains are likely to be very busy.
"It's important that passengers use the correct city centre stations depending on what service they are using. Wirral line passengers must use Liverpool Central, while Northern line passengers must use Moorfields station.”
Passengers are also being asked to follow the advice of their individual train operators if they are planning to travel by rail into Liverpool on Sunday, May 7.
Chris Jackson, Northern regional director, said: "We know the network is going to be extremely busy over the course of the Eurovision event – particularly so this Sunday, where demand is likely to outstrip capacity.
"Anyone planning to travel in or out of Liverpool Lime Street should allow extra time for their journey and have a Plan B in mind.
"We will have extra staff on duty – but customers should be aware that it is likely to be a very challenging situation."
For more details on the extended services across the Liverpool City Region click here
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