
Grand National 2025: Aintree road closures and public transport
The Grand National festival will once again showcase three days of racing at Aintree from 3–5 April 2025 with the world's most well-known steeple chase taking place at 16:00 BST on the Saturday.Last year's race was won by bookies' favourite I Am Maximus, and more than 150,000 people are expected to attend the event.Aintree racecourse has hosted the festival since 1839.
How do I get there?
Aintree Racecourse is located on the A59, one mile from the M57 and M58, which link the M62 and M6. Follow the A59 to Liverpool and the yellow/tourism signs as you approach the racecourse for routes to the car parks - which must be booked in advance.Racegoers are advised to plan ahead, use public transport where possible and leave plenty of time.
How can I get there by rail?
Merseyrail will operate a service between Liverpool city centre and Aintree stations on the Merseyrail Northern Line before and after the races.The seven-and-a-half-minute service will run between Aintree and Liverpool Central/Moorfields stations at the following times:Liverpool city centre to Aintree, from approximately 10:00 – 13:00Aintree to Liverpool city centre, from approximately 16:30 – 20:30To 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 branch of the Northern Line.On the Headbolt Lane branch of the Northern Line, services between 11:00 and 14:00, and then between 17:00 and 21:00 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. Passengers travelling to the festival from any Wirral line stations are advised to change at Moorfields for an Aintree-bound train.
How can I get there by bus?
The 300, 310 & 345 services run regularly between Queen Square bus station and the Aintree area. 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 4 and Saturday 5 April only.
Which roads are closed?
A number of diversions and traffic management measures will be in place including temporary closures. Heavy traffic is expected on the A59.Ormskirk Road, as well as Park Lane between Bridle Road and Ormskirk Road, will be closed between 15:00 and 21:00 on all three festival days. Melling Road will be closed at the junction of Seeds Lane to Aintree Lane.
What are the police saying?
Chief Inspector Kevin Chatterton from Merseyside Police said: "It's going to be busy, it's the biggest horse race in the world, so plan properly before and after. "I would urge anyone to use public transport."Give yourself extra time to travel and look after your property, and if you see anything suspicious, speak to an officer."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Children to go free on buses in West of England during summer holiday
Children in the West of England will be able to travel on buses for free during the school summer holiday, the region's mayor has announced. The offer could benefit around 150,000 young people aged five to 15 in Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority said. No bus pass or registration will be required to access the scheme, which is due to run from July 19 to September 5. Mayor of the West of England Helen Godwin, who announced the plans at Hengrove Play Park in south Bristol on Monday, said the initiative would 'help people save money and encourage greener travel', as well as 'inspire the next generation of bus passengers'. Ms Godwin, who was elected mayor last month, added: 'With free travel for 150,000 kids, local families will more easily have busloads of fun during the school holidays.' Pupils from Perry Court E-ACT Academy joined local council leaders at the announcement, alongside bus operators including First Bus, Stagecoach and Bath Bus Company. The initiative is subject to final approvals and would apply to all registered commercial and supported bus services, with limited exemptions such as airport routes. It will be funded through a share of the £13.5 million Bus Grant awarded to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority by the Department for Transport. Children under five already travel free on most services in the West of England, while fares for five to 15-year-olds are currently capped at £1 per journey.


The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Children to have free bus travel in west of England during summer holidays
Children under the age of 16 will be able to travel for free on buses in the west of England during the school summer holidays in a move benefiting about 150,000 young people. The West of England combined authority (Weca) – covering Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire – plus North Somerset will allow children aged from five to 15 to travel for free with no bus pass or registration required. The move, designed to alleviate cost of living pressures and to encourage people to consider public transport, is the first of its kind in England outside London, where children under 16 can travel free. Announcing the scheme at a play park in south Bristol, the recently elected Labour mayor for the West of England, Helen Godwin, said the offer should alleviate cost pressures for families struggling with the cost of living. 'It's right that we help people save money and encourage greener travel, and this scheme would do just that,' Godwin said. 'With free travel for 150,000 kids, local families will more easily have busloads of fun during the school holidays. This is just the start for a new chapter for the West of England. As well as helping people have a great time over the summer, our first steps on transport should help inspire the next generation of bus passengers.' Bath Bus Company, First Bus and Stagecoach were part of the announcement, which featured one of the hundreds of new zero-emission electric buses to be rolled out in the region over the coming months and years. Raya, the head girl at the primary school Perry Court E-Act academy in Hengrove, Bristol, said: 'I don't live that close to my friends – so I will be able to meet up with them more often. Also, I can go into town and get stuff for secondary school in September.' Cyrus, the head boy at the school, said: 'This is really helpful as I have a lot of brothers and sisters, but it costs a lot to use the bus – so my mum will find this really helpful. My grandad can use his bus pass, and I can go with him for free into town.' It was announced last week that West of England would receive £752m of transport funding for improved buses, more trains, and to explore mass transit in the region. Critics argued that the West of England was shortchanged in receiving less than other authorities, including the smaller Tees Valley authority area. The free bus travel will be funded using some of the £13.5m of bus grant funding secured from the Department for Transport by Weca, separate from last week's cash injection announced by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves. The school holidays are due to start on 19 July. The proposed free travel offer would run from then until 5 September across the West of England and North Somerset, which is hoping to join the combined authority.


Scotsman
17 hours ago
- Scotsman
Hundreds of bus drivers strike for six weeks from today as Stagecoach cancels services
More than 400 bus drivers are taking strike action across six weeks. Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Stagecoach services in the west of Scotland will be hit by cancellations and disruption as drivers start six weeks of industrial action from today. More than 400 drivers at depots in Ayr, Arran, Ardrossan and Kilmarnock are taking industrial action. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A row of parked Stagecoach buses | Getty Images They will not work again until July 21, forcing Stagecoach to run a limited service in the affected areas. More than 40 bus services have been cancelled across Ayrshire during a previous round of strikes last month. Stagecoach had previously said the industrial action by more than 400 Unite members 'will disrupt our services and inconvenience our customers'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The firm said in a statement last month: 'We're working hard to minimise the impact of this disruption, but unfortunately, the limited services we're running will affect customers travelling in and around Ayrshire. 'We're very sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding.' Unite said previously around 430 Stagecoach drivers will take action after last minute pay talks did not lead to an improvement in an 'unacceptable' 4% pay offer previously rejected by members. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The union said buses operating out of several depots in Ayr, Arran, Ardrossan and Kilmarnock servicing bus routes in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Glasgow, would be affected. Siobhan McCready, Unite industrial officer, said last month: 'Stagecoach West Scotland have not improved their pay offer in six months. The drivers are being asked to fund a pay rise by working longer hours, taking longer unpaid breaks and losing a week of annual leave. 'This is simply unacceptable and it will not be tolerated by Unite.' She added: 'Widespread and prolonged industrial action is set to hit bus services across the west of Scotland because this company doesn't seem capable of listening to its workers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's not right that the drivers are the lowest paid across the whole of the Stagecoach group. 'Our members deserve a fair rate and that's what we are determined to get for them.' Unite said members voted by 98 per cent to take industrial action after rejecting the 4 per cent pay offer that was tabled in November. A Stagecoach spokesperson previously said Ayrshire staff have rejected a two-year pay deal involving an increase to their hourly pay rate of 11.8 per cent. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad