Media centre

Thursday 26 Nov 2015

Passengers advised to plan their travel as Manchester gears up for Christmas crowds

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

With Manchester’s famous Christmas market underway and the number of visitors to the city set to increase over the festive season, Network Rail is urging passengers to plan their journeys and allow more time to catch their trains at Manchester’s stations.

Millions of people visit the market every year, putting increased pressure on the rail network in and out of the city. This year the Christmas market runs from 14 November until 22 December and, combined with the seasonal increase in shoppers, helps to create one of the busiest times of the year in the city.

While there is lots of space inside Manchester Piccadilly station, crowd control measures will still be in use at busy times to safely access the platform areas and trains. Extra staff will be on hand to provide assistance.

Scott Green, station manager at Manchester Piccadilly station, said: “The Christmas market and festive season are great for Manchester but put significant pressure on staff to safely manage much higher passenger numbers and sudden surges of people trying to catch their train.

“Every year we carefully plan for and safely manage big increases in passenger numbers. While the station has more than enough space to handle the expected crowns, we have to be prepared to put queuing measures in place to get to the platform areas, should we need to.

“Our advice to passengers is always allow extra time to make your train, don’t rely on your last service and check before you travel. There will be extra staff in place across the station to provide advice and information and help keep passengers safe.”

John Fryer, events manager for Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “The run up to Christmas is always an exciting and busy time, with plenty to see and do across the region.

“We would encourage anyone heading out to visit one of the many events that are on to plan their journey in advance and give themselves extra travel time, as the roads and public transport networks will most likely be busier than normal.

“And if you’re out late into the evening please check the last train, tram and bus operating times to ensure you can get home safely.

“Throughout the festive season we’ll have plenty of staff in and around the city centre to say hello and provide travel information and advice.

“People can also follow our social media accounts for the latest information affecting travel or sign up to our weekly email alert, covering major events and planned changes affecting roads, buses, trains and trams.”

The weekend of 27, 28 and 29 November is likely to be the first extra busy weekend in the build-up to Christmas. There are several big events taking place over the three days including the now annual ‘Black Friday’ retail sale; Manchester City’s home match against Southampton; and Duran Duran and Paul Weller’s show at Manchester Arena.

For the latest information regarding rail services visit www.nationalrail.co.uk; for specific Manchester Piccadilly station information visit www.facebook.com/manchesterpiccadilly or follow @NetworkRailMAN.