Transport to new Everton stadium 'functioning well'

BBC News

11 hours ago

Everton's inaugural fixture at Hill Dickinson stadium took place at the weekend, with more than 50,000 fans watching the Blues play AS Roma.Saturday's game was the first full-capacity match at the 53,000-seater stadium on the Mersey waterfront, following Everton's move from Goodison Park.It follows concerns, in recent month, over how large crowds of supporters would travel to and from the new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock.Fans who attended the match have been sharing their views on the available public transport and the parking options at the event, with a city councillor saying the travel infrastructure "functioned well".
Parking
Amy Wilson, who is a blue-badge holder, drove to the game and parked in a side street near the ground."We got back to where we parked with no difficulties," she said, adding the road surface was accessible with drop kerbs and tactile pavements in place."It took about seven or eight minutes from leaving the stadium wall to getting back to the car," she said."It was pretty empty by the time we got back to where we parked, so there were no difficulties in getting away from the side streets."We know it won't be like that every game, and we were probably quite lucky to have found that space, but the day was pretty successful for me as a blue-badge holder."
Trains
Neil Vaughn caught the train, but said a lack of taxis meant he had to walk back into the city centre to pick up his rail connection."When I left the stadium there were no taxis available anywhere near the ground, when we were led to believe there would be drop-off and pick-up points," he said."We had to walk to Moorfields station when we got on the train. The trains were absolutely ram-packed."We expected that, but I think they really need to get the taxi situation - and drop-off pick-up points - sorted out for future games."In a post on X on Saturday, Merseyrail shared footage of crowds moving through Sandhills station, the nearest station to the football ground, and thanked travellers for their cooperation.
Buses
Peter MacFarlane, from The Blue Room podcast, caught the bus - which he described as "plain sailing"."Myself and my dad got the 918, which is the new service which goes from Kirkby," he said."It was just £2 journey - really smooth - and had the added bonus of going past Goodison Park on the way."After passing Goodison Park, it was "straight through to the new stadium" with no stops, he said.However, on the way home he said had a "slight issue", after finding all the Kirby buses had already left and he had to take the Bootle bus instead.
Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson said feedback from Merseyrail had indicated services at Sandhills station had worked "really well"."Shuttle buses, road closures and the parking restrictions equally functioned well," he told BBC Radio Merseyside's Kev Duala."I think we've got into a good place, but there is still more we are going to focus on improving over the next couple of weeks and beyond."I'm sure over the football season ahead little things will keep on popping up because it's new for everyone."This is years of planning and it was absolutely fantastic to see how Saturday went, but, most importantly, just how much Evertonians really enjoyed being in the brand new stadium."
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