With the Euros heading to the North West in 2028, I’m wondering how things are going to shape up, specifically on the Liverpool to Manchester (CLC) line.
Most international fans landing at Manchester Airport will inevitably end up at Piccadilly and then look for the quickest route to Liverpool. That leaves them funnelled onto the CLC, which is already suffering from capacity constraints—for example, the December 2023 Northern timetable alterations (terminating trains at Warrington instead of Manchester), especially when compared to the "recently" electrified Chat Moss and its small, albeit useful, four-tracking in sections.
With it being still largely unelectrified and at capacity, I can’t see how that route is going to handle the surge in match-day demand without issues. Are there ideas on how this might be managed? I wonder if they’ll implement dedicated, high-frequency shuttles between Liverpool South Parkway and Lime Street to clear the pressure for those arriving via Liverpool Airport, but even that doesn’t solve the bottleneck on the main line itself.
Realistically, with the limited time frame, maybe something like a few passing loops could be a big benefit. I say "realistically," but Network Rail is super busy with TRU; this can be seen by the reasoning for the delay of Liverpool Baltic station—but that's a story for another day.
It feels like if we don't have a solid plan to bypass the capacity issues on that corridor, the whole transport network for the tournament is going to be a massive headache.
I could just be overthinking this... but its just something that popped into my head.
Most international fans landing at Manchester Airport will inevitably end up at Piccadilly and then look for the quickest route to Liverpool. That leaves them funnelled onto the CLC, which is already suffering from capacity constraints—for example, the December 2023 Northern timetable alterations (terminating trains at Warrington instead of Manchester), especially when compared to the "recently" electrified Chat Moss and its small, albeit useful, four-tracking in sections.
With it being still largely unelectrified and at capacity, I can’t see how that route is going to handle the surge in match-day demand without issues. Are there ideas on how this might be managed? I wonder if they’ll implement dedicated, high-frequency shuttles between Liverpool South Parkway and Lime Street to clear the pressure for those arriving via Liverpool Airport, but even that doesn’t solve the bottleneck on the main line itself.
Realistically, with the limited time frame, maybe something like a few passing loops could be a big benefit. I say "realistically," but Network Rail is super busy with TRU; this can be seen by the reasoning for the delay of Liverpool Baltic station—but that's a story for another day.
It feels like if we don't have a solid plan to bypass the capacity issues on that corridor, the whole transport network for the tournament is going to be a massive headache.
I could just be overthinking this... but its just something that popped into my head.
