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Tuesday 18 Nov 2014

Passengers advised to allow more time when using Birmingham New Street station in the build-up to Christmas

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With Birmingham’s famous Christmas Market underway and the number of visitors to the city increasing, passengers are being advised to allow for more time to catch their trains at New Street station.

Almost five million people visited the market last year, putting increased pressure on the rail network and the station which is in the process of being redeveloped.

The Christmas Market runs until Monday 22 December and, combined with the seasonal increase in shoppers, helps to create one of the busiest times of the year in the city.

To handle the increased passenger numbers - which sees the number of people using the station each day average around 180,000 - crowd control measures will be in place at the station to safely move people between the concourse area and platforms and extra staff will be on hand to provide assistance.

Steve Lewis, station manager at Birmingham New Street, said: “The Christmas Market and festive period are great for Birmingham but put a significant pressure on the station to safely manage much higher passenger numbers and sudden large surges of people trying to catch their train.

“One Friday last year saw an increase of 55,000 people using the station compared to normal and while the station team did a fantastic job of helping to keep people on the move, there was inevitable disruption to some passengers.

“Our advice is to always allow for extra time to make your train and check before you travel. Specialist crowd management staff will be in place across the station to manage passenger flows as well as extra station staff to provide advice and information.”

For the latest information regarding rail services visit www.nationalrail.co.uk; for specific Birmingham New Street station information visit www.facebook.com/birminghamnewstreet or follow @NetworkRailBHM.