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Merseyrail Grand National Saturday

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Going to grand national on saturday from Liverpool Central, when does it start to get busy , anyone been , ie what time would be best to travel

Also do the trains have loos ? ( beer seal etc) :oops:
 
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Polarbear

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It will be busy on the Ormskirk line for most of the day from about 10:00 onwards.

Merseyrail usually put six car sets out all day on these trains when Aintree is running - you may not get a seat but the journey time from central Liverpool to Aintree is only around 20 minutes.

No, no loos on the trains, though there are facilities at Liverpool Central & Moorfields.
 

WCMLaddict

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It is a really big deal at Merseyrail. Getting anything out of their HR or marketing departments over last 2 weeks was almost impossible.
Busy bees ;)
 

73001

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It will be busy on the Ormskirk line for most of the day from about 10:00 onwards.

Merseyrail usually put six car sets out all day on these trains when Aintree is running - you may not get a seat but the journey time from central Liverpool to Aintree is only around 20 minutes.

No, no loos on the trains, though there are facilities at Liverpool Central & Moorfields.

They run extra trains as well, every 7 1/2 mins for a large portion of the day... the journey time is 16 mins so you should be ok for the toilet! The only queues are normally towards the end of the races but you wouldn't have to wait long... they are very organised and have a well rehearsed system.

http://www.merseyrail.org/aintreeraces
 

pemma

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7 car Meridian booked for the following EMT services on Saturday:

0845 departing Nottingham and arriving into Liverpool at 1131
1152 departing Liverpool and arriving into Nottingham at 1429
1545 departing Nottingham and arriving into Liverpool at 1835
1852 departing Liverpool and arriving into Nottingham at 2133

Connecting services operating for the Nottingham-Norwich sections.
 
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John55

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Going to grand national on saturday from Liverpool Central, when does it start to get busy , anyone been , ie what time would be best to travel

Also do the trains have loos ? ( beer seal etc) :oops:

The enhanced service runs from Liverpool at 10:40 then every 7 or 8 minutes until 14:10. Expect to stand. The extra trains tend to be less busy than the regular services. The quietest coach is the 3rd from the front if you can get on it. The trains are loaded from the rear at Central and from the front at Moorfields so the last to fill is no 3 as Central is the busier station.

Coming back there are usually portaloos at Aintree . The enhanced service runs from 16:20 to 19:35 at 6/9 minute intervals. As mentioned above the queueing is well managed at Aintree afterwards but they do shift a lot of people so there will be queueing until after 19:00.

Trains are as busy coming from Ormskirk as well and avoid the Preston-Ormskirk service as this is extraordinarily overcrowded.
 

CaptainHaddock

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7 car Meridian booked for the following EMT services on Saturday:

0845 departing Nottingham and arriving into Liverpool at 1131
1152 departing Liverpool and arriving into Nottingham at 1429
1545 departing Nottingham and arriving into Liverpool at 1835
1852 departing Liverpool and arriving into Nottingham at 2133

Connecting services operating for the Nottingham-Norwich sections.


I'm quite tempted to have a ride out to Liverpool on one of those, but wondered if anyone who's been in previous years can give some indication as to how busy they're likely to be. Surely there can't be that many people from Notts and Yorkshire going to Aintree?
 

ChrisTheRef

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I was just about to impart my wealth of knowledge but it looks like everything's been said!

Yes, 6 car trains on the Ormskirk line all day. Additional trains to Aintree form a 7.5 minute service from 11:47 to 14:02 and between 16:26 and 19:26. Additional trains run ECS if travelling against the flow of passengers.

Slight retimetabling is also in place at Ormskirk, Aintree and Brunswick - to prevent congestion at Liverpool Central.

There's going to be 8 toilet cubicles at Aintree and there are very limited toilet facilities at LVC and MRF. As mentioned, we don't have toilets on board so if possible, use facilities before reaching the station.
 

pemma

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I'm quite tempted to have a ride out to Liverpool on one of those, but wondered if anyone who's been in previous years can give some indication as to how busy they're likely to be. Surely there can't be that many people from Notts and Yorkshire going to Aintree?

Where exactly are you planning to go to and from using the Meridian?

On a normal Saturday the 08:45 from Nottingham to Liverpool can have a 80-90% loading on a 4 car 158 by the time it gets to Manchester.
 

CaptainHaddock

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Where exactly are you planning to go to and from using the Meridian?

On a normal Saturday the 08:45 from Nottingham to Liverpool can have a 80-90% loading on a 4 car 158 by the time it gets to Manchester.

To and from Sheffield. Generally I've found that on Saturdays loadings are determined by what football teams are playing where but with United at home and the Owls at Colchester I wouldn't have thought it'd be massively busy this saturday. For all the Grand National hype, it's only a race meeting!

It also seems strange for the Grand National to be scheduled on the day when Liverpool and Everton are playing a cup semi final at Wembley so most Scouse sports fans will miss the race meeting.
 

pemma

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It also seems strange for the Grand National to be scheduled on the day when Liverpool and Everton are playing a cup semi final at Wembley so most Scouse sports fans will miss the race meeting.

The Grand National and FA cup semi-finals have been scheduled to be the same weekend for months. Having Liverpool v Everton on the same weekend wouldn't have looked very likely months ago. Why the Merseyside Derby is on a Saturday and the London Derby is on a Sunday will be down to TV rights.

The Grand National is not a 1 day event. A lot of locals (both males and females) go on Ladies Day.
 

sonic2009

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Why the Merseyside Derby is on a Saturday and the London Derby is on a Sunday will be down to TV rights.

Wrong, Liverpool will never play a game on the 15th April due to the Hillsborough disaster falling on this date, this is why Liverpool are playing on the 14th April.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
 

dk1

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Can't wait & go every year. Route is always busy all day even from the Ormskirk end. Not sure yet whether going this way from Preston or into Liverpool first. No doubt we will decide on the day. Atmosphere on the trains is always great & you just join the crush & pack in where you can.

On the way back an excellent & policed queuing system takes place zig-zagging across & down the car park. Expect several trains to come load & go before you get onto one & this can take over 30 minutes at the busiest times after the 2nd from last race right up until around 2hrs after the last.

Full revenue protection is always in place & most years Merseyrail sponsor a live DJ/radio to keep everyone entertained whilst they wait & this works as by this time everybody is well & trully hammered :p.
 

Thomas6187

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I'm quite tempted to have a ride out to Liverpool on one of those, but wondered if anyone who's been in previous years can give some indication as to how busy they're likely to be. Surely there can't be that many people from Notts and Yorkshire going to Aintree?

It will be full up to Manchester. It will be full and standing, and then some, from Piccadilly, even with 7 cars.
 

dk1

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It will be full up to Manchester. It will be full and standing, and then some, from Piccadilly, even with 7 cars.

1st class was de-classified last year. Many didnt know so you may get more standing space & if you are really lucky a seat!
 

tony_mac

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To and from Sheffield. Generally I've found that on Saturdays loadings are determined by what football teams are playing where but with United at home and the Owls at Colchester I wouldn't have thought it'd be massively busy this saturday. For all the Grand National hype, it's only a race meeting!

It's a race meeting which will have over 70,000 people attending on Saturday - rather more than the average Sheffield football attendance!
 

Bevan Price

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I wonder if Saveaway tickets are valid? :D

Saveaway tickets will be valid throughout the Merseyrail area as on a normal Saturday.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
On the way back an excellent & policed queuing system takes place zig-zagging across & down the car park. Expect several trains to come load & go before you get onto one & this can take over 30 minutes at the busiest times after the 2nd from last race right up until around 2hrs after the last.
:p.

If the queues are very long and you have a Merseytravel Saveaway ticket or pass, you may find it quicker to walk to Old Roan (about 15 mins walk north from the racecourse) rather than join a queue at Aintree station. Local bus companies will also be running fast services from /to the city centre, although expect traffic congestion after the last race.
 

dk1

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Wonder if Northern will run more than a 153 every ~90 minutes towards Ormskirk :lol:

Just added a nodding donkey to the 153 last year. Full & standing throughout but the 2 conductors did a sterling job bringing in the dosh.
 

driver9000

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Just added a nodding donkey to the 153 last year. Full & standing throughout but the 2 conductors did a sterling job bringing in the dosh.

In previous years it was always a 153+156, don't know what possessed them to use a 142 last year. Hopefully the 156 will be back this year.
 

Solent&Wessex

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I have every confidence that TPE will do absolutely nothing about it at all, and as as result folk will no doubt be left behind all over the place on their routes with angry scenes breaking out. The usual "no more stock" excuses will be trotted out, despite the grossly overcrowded train trundling past Ardwick depot with many empty units sat there.
 

Chapeltom

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Sheffield Wednesday aren't at home. And they're massive apparently.

Damn right we are! Of the 2,000 headed to Colchester which includes me :) , I reckon only a hundred are going by train absolute max and even fewer on the Not London route, i.e. Ely, Stowmarket.

In all honesty, unless Wednesday/United were away to Tranmere its irrelevant where either Sheffield club is.
 

Tomnick

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1st class was de-classified last year. Many didnt know so you may get more standing space & if you are really lucky a seat!
We came back on the second Meridian working last year (think it was the 1852 then too?), having just missed the previous train by about 15 seconds. Had a 1st class coach to ourselves, apart from a small group of Sheffied United supporters at one end, and a small group of Sheffied Wed supporters at the other end - it wasn't a quiet journey, but it was at least fairly friendly until it all kicked off as they prepared to leave the train at Sheffield. There were plenty of seats to choose from though!
 

Failed Unit

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Do EMT use the 158(s) that was going to be used on the "Meridian" daigrams to make 6 coach services for some other diagrams?
 

ChrisTheRef

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If the queues are very long and you have a Merseytravel Saveaway ticket or pass, you may find it quicker to walk to Old Roan (about 15 mins walk north from the racecourse) rather than join a queue at Aintree station. Local bus companies will also be running fast services from /to the city centre, although expect traffic congestion after the last race.

Worth noting that the service is only half as frequent at Old Roan.
 

pemma

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Wonder if Northern will run more than a 153 every ~90 minutes towards Ormskirk :lol:

Northern claimed it was being 'upgraded' to a 142 as of the December 2011 timetable change, releasing the 153 to the Cumbria Coast. I don't know if that change occurred.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Do EMT use the 158(s) that was going to be used on the "Meridian" daigrams to make 6 coach services for some other diagrams?

More likely to be used to strengthen the 2 car services to 4 car. 6 car operation without SDO causes an issue at Liverpool South Parkway and the 158s having passenger doors at the very front and very back doesn't help. That's probably why they use a Meridian opposed to a HST.

The EMT timetable highlights the booked 4 car services but the EMT website is down at the moment so I can't check exactly which ones are booked for 2 car but there are still quite a lot of Liverpool-Nottingham services that are only booked for 2 cars.
 
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Failed Unit

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True, it is normally only 7 trains each way on a Saturday that are strengthened.

MF it is
0520, 0640, 0742, 0845, 1245, 1345, 1445 and 1545 ex Nottingham, so I suspect and spare 158s will try and do at least the 0945.

returns for interest,
0852, 0952, 10,52, 1152, 1552, 1652, 1752 and 1852.
 

CaptainHaddock

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1st class was de-classified last year. Many didnt know so you may get more standing space & if you are really lucky a seat!

I did wonder about that. I believe that there is a 1st class fare between SHF and MAN as TPE offer first class accommodation, but there isn't between MAN and LIV.

Does this therefore mean that between SHF and MAN you can only sit in first class with a first class ticket but once the train leaves MAN we can all pile into 1st class regardless of what ticket we hold?
 
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