Merseyrail says it has a “robust plan” in place to deal with the largest number of fans travelling to Everton’s new stadium to date this weekend.
This Saturday marks the first official men’s home game away from Goodison Park in 133 years as the Blues welcome AS Roma for their pre-season curtain raiser at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
It will also be the first time the 52,769-seater venue will operate at near full capacity, with tens of thousands of supporters expected to make use of the Merseyrail network. Ahead of the landmark fixture, the region’s rail operator has confirmed its service details for Saturday afternoon.
While the majority of fans are expected to use Sandhills, Merseytravel is keen to encourage supporters to use other locations to ensure they can get to and from the match quickly and efficiently.
Neil Grabham, Merseyrail managing director, said the station is expected to be extremely busy but plans are in place to manage the number of fans expected.
As the closest location, Sandhills will serve as the main hub for matchday travel. As the LDRS revealed last week, a new second entrance and pedestrian footbridge at the station has been constructed and will be open for the event to help manage the expected large crowds.