Everton's new stadium and the transport concerns that must be addressed

Sandhills Station, north of Liverpool city centre, shortly after Everton’s first test event at their new stadium. In the bitter, blustery cold of winter, supporters wait in their numbers for a train home.

It had been an uplifting evening in many ways on the banks of the River Mersey. The club’s new stadium, built at a cost of nearly £800million ($1.01bn), is magnificent — a potential catalyst for future growth not only for Everton, but the long-neglected area in which it resides.

Yet some of those waiting at Sandhills after the event quickly expressed concerns over what they had seen at the station, and the transport infrastructure in general around the stadium.

Anecdotal evidence from those in attendance suggests most supporters who left the test event early due to the cold were able to board trains at Sandhills quickly and safely. The bulk of the problems came in the short period soon after the match, between Everton’s under-18 side and Wigan Athletic, had finished.

Tony Scott runs the All Together Now Everton podcast and was one of those present at Sandhills. He recalls “waiting for over 40 minutes outside, lined up like cattle, in a so-called ‘fan zone’”, before finding himself “sandwiched” on a platform with his young son.

This was for an event where the capacity was capped at 10,000 spectators. Everton’s stadium will hold 53,000 fans on regular match days and the next test event, scheduled for the end of March, will see around 25,000 people in attendance.

In an open letter to Liverpool City Region metro mayor Steve Rotheram the next morning, the Everton Fans Forum described Sandhills Station as “dangerously overcrowded” and called on the combined authority overseeing the transport network to listen to their concerns.

“Right now, it’s a world-class stadium with second-class transport links,” Scott says.

Everton have taken a proactive approach to the issues raised last Monday, inviting all relevant stakeholders, including Rotheram’s combined authority, the city council, travel providers and fan groups to a meeting at their Royal Liver Building headquarters this Friday.

Many of those present will be pushing for urgent solutions in two areas.

Sandhills, situated less than a mile away from the new Everton stadium, will be one key focus. As the closest station to the ground and just a 15-minute walk away, it will serve as the main access point for many of those travelling by rail.

Sandhills sits under the jurisdiction of Merseytravel and Rotheram’s combined authority, but has received more than £1m in funding from Everton as part of the original planning agreement. Decisions on how that money has been allocated have largely been left to the combined authority and local transport providers.

It has been stressed by all key stakeholders, including the combined authority, that the transport plan for Everton’s new stadium remains a work in progress. Nobody believes the problems are insurmountable, provided steps are taken quickly to address issues as they arise.


Rotheram, the Mayor of Liverpool (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

A Liverpool City Region Combined Authority spokesperson told The Athletic: “The purpose of test events is to identify improvements and adjustments that can be made to ensure matchdays and large events progress smoothly and safely, particularly in terms of crowd management and managing the flow of passengers onto platforms.

“These test events will be subject to a comprehensive review with all organisations and partners involved.

“The queuing system in place at Sandhills station is modelled on the tried-and-tested arrangements used by operator Merseyrail for major events such as the Grand National (horse race) in Aintree.

“We’ll be taking on board comments from people who attended the event to see whether immediate steps can be taken to address the issues raised, and Mayor Rotheram is meeting with Everton Fans’ Forum and will publicly respond to specific concerns they have outlined.”

Rotheram’s “fan zone”, a crowd control measure at Sandhills largely made up of metal fences to help with congestion, was widely ridiculed when it was announced this month.

He and his team have been quick to point out since that the measures represent just the first stage of their plans for the station, and that additional measures will be rolled out in due course. These include “a staircase, footbridge and ramp with associated landings to access existing platforms from the corralling area,” according to planning documents submitted.

“Over the coming months the space will continue to be developed to become a welcoming and vibrant fan zone, with plans for new toilets, a fixed stage, food and refreshment areas and digital screens to enhance the visitor experience,” the spokesperson added.

Another station close to the new stadium, to help ease the burden on Sandhills, is not deemed as feasible in this financial climate. Carl Cashman, leader of the local Liberal Democrats, has proposed a hybrid solution involving a new tram network, but again this is likely to be too costly.

Rotheram’s combined authority has explored the possibility of using trackless trams (gliders) to take people from Liverpool’s city centre to the Everton Stadium.

“Mayor Rotheram has pledged to deliver a new rapid transport solution — similar to the Glider system operating in Belfast — linking the city centre with the new Everton stadium, as well as Anfield and Liverpool John Lennon Airport,” the spokesperson said. “Work is ongoing to fully develop the plans.”

It is hoped the new gliders will be operational by 2028 at the latest.

In the meantime, Everton supporter representatives, including the Fans Forum, are likely to push for amendments to the timetable at Sandhills. This would involve an increase in the amount of services into the station on matchdays and eight-car trains. Many of those running during the test event were only four carriages.

Eyebrows were raised at comments made by Rotheram during a debate on Radio Merseyside last week in which he stated that the “ownership of Everton and the uncertainty of whether the stadium would be completed” had hampered transport planning. “As soon as those ownership issues have been resolved, we’ve invested in a fan management zone,” he noted.

Rotheram pointed out that Everton chair the transport working group that was formed to preside over such matters.

The club have always maintained that the project was going to happen, and has remained on schedule. Construction was never halted and the decision was taken during the Covid-19 pandemic to continue with the project despite the challenges in front of them.

Everton do chair the transport working group, and have invested money into Sandhills, but decisions on the allocation of resources have almost exclusively been left to industry experts.

There is still a belief that Sandhills can cope with the demand on matchdays provided changes are made to schedules and plans.

Greg Suligowski, head of communications at Merseyrail told The Athletic: “Merseyrail’s priority is the safety of our customers. We are committed to working with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to make travel to and from Bramley Moore efficient as it can be. The test events are a key part of this process.

“As the Mayor has said, fans’ voices are an important part of that process, and we are working with partners to listen to feedback to ensure the service provided meets their needs.”

But the station has not been the only concern for supporters.

Everton and other stakeholders are still poring over the findings from the first test event. The club has received largely positive feedback on supporter experiences on site, but will continue to refine plans during the three-stage test event process.

Still, there remains significant work to do before the stadium opens officially at the start of next season.

Local businesses close to the new Everton Stadium have been among those to criticise Liverpool City Council’s new Experimental Parking Zone around the new site.

These restrictions, which came into force on the day of the first test event, will prohibit most fans from parking close to the new stadium. Under the scheme, around 3,000 businesses will be asked to apply for parking permits.

The Experimental Parking Zone came into effect last Monday during Everton’s first test event but can be adapted ahead of the new football season to factor in guidance from local businesses and residents.

The parking zone that has caused controversy (Liverpool City Council)

Writing on behalf of over 3,000 businesses and 30,000 residents, Blackstock Market called for “immediate action to reverse this damaging decision before irreversible harm is done”. The call from those businesses and fans is for restrictions to only apply on matchdays, rather than a 365-day plan.

A Liverpool City Council spokesperson told The Athletic: “We understand the concerns being raised about the Experimental Zone and although the measures can run for the next 18 months, we want to work with businesses and the public to see which measures can be improved before that point.

“Issues that are already being reviewed include the number of permits a business can apply for and the criteria for limited waiting, which currently stands at one hour. The provision of pay and display machines is also being explored. We are also working closely with colleagues at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on their plans for public transport provision.

“The test event at Everton Stadium presented the first real opportunity to begin making observations about the impact of the measures within the zone. These observations will be analysed and fed back to begin the process of assessing what modifications could be made. The council will continue this monitoring process up until August when the new football season begins.”

The Everton Fans Forum and Everton Disabled Supporters Association have written to the local authorities asking for clarity on parking for disabled fans close to the ground.

“Where one-hour limited parking is allowed in Limited Parking Areas, Blue Badge holders can park for as long as they need to, but they will need to clearly display their badge,” a response from Liverpool City Council read.

“This in addition to being able to park on yellow lines (unless there is another restriction) so long as a valid Blue Badge is displayed along with the blue parking clock, and the vehicle is not causing an obstruction.”

Everton have provided funding to help with dropped curbs and disability access for supporters close to the stadium, and will investigate the potential procurement of land for additional disability parking.

Fans have also called for improved street lighting on the walking routes close to the new stadium and back into Liverpool city centre. A solution is imminent, but supporters will want to other see tangible outcomes from Friday’s meeting.

Members of the Everton Fans Forum, Everton Disabled Supporters Association, Fan Advisory Board and Supporters Club committee will be present alongside the local authorities, transport providers and the summit.

There is confidence that the rest of the transport plan for the new stadium can stand up to scrutiny provided solutions are found on Sandhills Station and parking.

Everton are keen to emphasise the shuttle bus routes that will go from Liverpool city centre, Lime Street Station and Bootle to the stadium, as well as the pick-up and drop-off points for those services. There will be shuttle bus services for disabled supporters from Sandhills.

With a crowd of 25,000 due at the next test event in late March and the stadium set to open officially in August, the desire now will be for quick and urgent action to address the problems. Everton’s new stadium will host Euro 2028 games, while the club are keen to attract top music acts to the waterfront site.

Safety concerns cannot be allowed to impinge on supporters’ experiences and detract from what is an otherwise world-class venue. With less than six months to go until Everton’s debut season at the stadium, time is of the essence.

(Top photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)



Sumber

ARTIKEL TERKAITDARI PENULIS