Media centre

Friday 6 Dec 2013

Weekend passengers asked to leave more time for their journeys at New Street

Region & Route:

Passengers travelling from Birmingham New Street station on Friday nights and weekends are being asked to allow extra time for their journeys and take extra care on the station owing to the huge increase in passengers using the station to visit the city over the Christmas period.

From today (Friday December 6) Network Rail will be implementing crowd control measures at the station over weekends to prevent overcrowding on the platforms. At busy times, passengers may be asked to wait a short while on the station concourse to allow platforms to clear.

Steve Lewis, Network Rail station manager said: “We would urge passengers to allow extra time to catch their train from New Street over the next few weekends while we manage the huge increase in passengers using the station.

“The safety of passengers is our priority and last Friday we saw nearly 200,000 passengers use the station, a 75,000 increase on a typical day. We would appreciate their patience while we implement these crowd control measures which are there for the safety of all passengers using the station.”

Over the next three Friday nights and weekends up until Christmas, crowd control measures will be in place at New Street station at the following times:

Friday 1500-2300

Saturday 0900-2300

Sunday 1100-2300

Chief Inspector Kevin Marshall, British Transport Police (BTP) Sector Commander for the West Midlands, added:

“BTP has a number of ongoing operations and patrol strategies in and around Birmingham New Street railway station to assist our partners at Network Rail and the Train Operating Companies in the run up to the Festive period, which is traditionally an extremely busy time for the rail network.

“Safer Travel Team officer are patrolling the German Market and officers are carrying out late-night train patrols, particularly on routes towards the East Midlands.

“We have additional officers on duty in order to provide visibility and reassurance for passengers and rail staff and we will work with industry colleagues to support their crowd management operation at Birmingham New Street station.

“I would also urge passengers to plan their journeys home carefully and allow some extra time as it might take slightly longer to navigate your way through the busy station and onto platforms and trains during the busy period.

“Clearly, we want people using the rail network at this time of the year to enjoy themselves but it is also important to drink responsibly and don't put yourself in a position where you might cause annoyance to others or become a victim of crime yourself.”