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Friday 29 Oct 2021

Passengers urged to ‘think in threes’ as Birmingham Christmas market returns

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: Central

Passengers using Birmingham New Street station are being urged to ‘think in threes’ when the city’s famous Frankfurt Christmas market returns next week.

Huge numbers are expected to travel in and out of the city by train for the festive event which opens on Thursday 4 November.

Millions of people are expected to visit Birmingham for the market until 23 December, which last year had to be cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Network Rail is advising rail travellers to follow these three tips for the smoothest journey possible.

• Plan your journey and check before you travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk  
• Take an earlier train home – later services will be extremely busy
• Remember Network Rail's motto of ‘Be safe, be patient, be kind’ when travelling

During 2019’s opening weekend, more than half a million people used Birmingham New Street station, and after a year off station staff have been busy preparing for its comeback.

While the stalls and attractions are a great addition to the city, it can mean trains and platforms are much busier at the station.

As with previous years, queuing systems may be used at exceptionally busy times to safely allow people to board their trains home.

Passengers who can are expected to wear a face covering in busy stations and on trains so everyone can travel in confidence. For the latest Government advice visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus. 

Meanwhile, enhanced cleaning procedures will remain in place to stop the spread of Covid-19, with hand sanitiser on the station concourse.

Steven Ireland, head of stations and security for Network Rail’s Central route, said: “We’ve loved welcoming passengers back to the station over the last few months and the fact the Christmas market is coming back is a huge boost after the tough 18 months we’ve all had.

“It means the festive season has started, but it also means the busiest time of the year is here for our station team. To make everyone’s journey as smooth as it can be, I’m urging passengers to follow our three golden rules to make travelling in and out of the city as easy as possible. There will be extra staff in place across the station to provide advice and information and help keep passengers safe throughout the festive season.”

To plan journeys in advance and find out train times home passengers should check www.nationalrail.co.uk.

To find out more about what Network Rail is doing to stop the spread of Covid-19 visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/coronavirus/.

For more information on the Frankfurt Christmas market visit www.thebfcm.co.uk.