• More than 300,000 people set to attend Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale
• Increased frequency on Merseyrail services to help get golf fans to and from the course
• Journeys will be busier than usual – make sure you plan ahead

Rail services are set to be stepped up and dedicated park and ride options put in place for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale next month.

With more than 300,000 golf fans expected at the world-famous event across the week, event organisers, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and local partners, including transport operators, are working hard to make sure journeys are as smooth as possible for residents and visitors.

Merseyrail services on the Southport line which serves Hillside station – just a short walk from the spectator entrance to the course – will operate at increased frequencies at the busiest times. Commercial bus services with stops close to the course will also be available throughout the championship.

Alongside this, event organisers have arranged a dedicated park and ride operation service, giving spectators another convenient option to travel to and from the course.

With roads expected to be particularly busy and no public parking available near the course, people are strongly encouraged to plan ahead and consider all available travel options before they set off.

Travel advice and information can be found on the Merseytravel website at:

Cllr Steve Foulkes, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Transport Committee, said:

“The Open Championship is one of the biggest and most prestigious sporting events in the world, and we are proud to once again welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Liverpool City Region.

“We are working closely with our partners and transport operators to help people get to and from Royal Birkdale as smoothly as possible, including enhanced rail services and dedicated park and ride options.

“With services expected to be extremely busy, it’s important that spectators plan ahead, check routes and allow extra time for their journeys.

“We want everyone to enjoy their visit, so we’d also ask people to be patient, follow travel guidance and be respectful of fellow passengers and the staff working hard to support this major event.”

Top travel tips

 Use public transport wherever possible – roads will be busy with no parking available close to the course

• Make sure you check routes and plan ahead
• Check operator websites and social media channels for up-to-date timetables
• Be prepared for last minute changes to services
• Allow extra time for your journeys – services will be much busier than usual
• Buy tickets in advance if possible – or use Tap and Go with your bank card on all Merseyrail services for speed and the cheapest ticket for your journey
• Don’t plan for the last service home – you’ll be stuck if you miss it!
• Be kind to transport staff – they will be working hard to get you there and back

What you need to know

RAIL

Merseyrail

 The Merseyrail network links Liverpool city centre with many areas of the wider region, including Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral and South Liverpool. It operates trains to the closest station to Royal Birkdale Golf Club – Hillside, just a five-minute walk from the main spectator entrance.

Merseyrail will be operating an enhanced service on the Southport branch of the Northern Line across the week. A 20-minute service will run between Hillside and Liverpool Central/Moorfields stations and between Southport and Hillside, which will increase to a 10-minute service at the busiest times.

To accommodate this increased frequency, there will be some changes to other services across the network throughout the week.

You can find full details of the service levels and changes on the Merseyrail website.

Northern

 Services on the Manchester Victoria to Southport line (via Wigan) are expected to be extremely busy across the week, please allow extra time for travelling.

Those travelling into Lime Street station can connect to the Merseyrail Northern Line services to Hillside at Liverpool Central and Moorfields.

More information on service changes can be found on the Northern website.

Before travelling check rail operator websites and Twitter accounts for more information

@merseyrail – www.merseyrail.org

@northernassist – www.northernrailway.co.uk

@TPEassist – www.tpexpress.co.uk

@avantiwestcoast – www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk

@LNRailway – www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

@tfwrail – www.tfwrail.wales

@eastmidrailway – www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

@NetworkRailLIV – www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/passengers/our-stations/liverpool-lime-street

@nationalrail – www.nationalrail.co.uk

BUS

Commercial Bus Services

Arriva and Stagecoach operate bus services in Sefton, offering another way to get to the course if you are staying locally.

The two main services that drop off and pick-up close to the course are the X2 (Stagecoach) and 47 (Arriva). You can find the timetables for these services linked below:

Stagecoach – X2 timetables

Arriva – 47 timetables

Park and Ride

There will be no public car parking at Royal Birkdale or in the immediate surrounding area.

Throughout the championship, event organisers have a park and ride service available at two sites with dedicated buses to transport spectators to and from the course.

Full details of this can be found on the Open Championship website.

Check bus operator websites and social media accounts for up-to-date schedule information.

@arrivanorthwest – www.arrivabus.co.uk

@stagecoachMCSL – www.stagecoachbus.com

@nationalexpress – www.nationalexpress.com

WALKING, CYCLING and E-SCOOTERS

If you live nearby or are staying local, walking and cycling will be some of the healthiest, quickest and easiest ways to get around.

Please help us by walking or cycling if you can, to ease some pressure on transport services and keep our air clean.

If you are staying in Liverpool City Centre during the event, E-scooters and E-bikes operated by Bolt are available for hire throughout Liverpool and can be located and unlocked by downloading the Bolt app. E-scooters are available to hire in the city centre and surrounding areas as well as key transport hubs and hospitals.

@boltapp – bolt.eu

AIRPORTS

Liverpool is connected to the world via John Lennon International Airport, which is less than 20 mins drive from the city centre.

Several regular bus services to Liverpool city centre operate from outside the terminal building, including the Arriva 500 service.

Up-to-date information about flights and how to travel to the city from either airport can be found on their websites.

@LPL_Airport – www.liverpoolairport.com

MERSEY TUNNELS

The Wallasey (Kingsway) and Birkenhead (Queensway) are cross-river road options to get from Wirral to Liverpool, with the Wallasey Tunnel providing the best link to the Royal Birkdale golf course.

Check Merseytravel social media channels for most up-to-date information on both tunnels.

@Merseytravel – www.merseytunnels.co.uk