There are no trains to London from either city over the entire weekend
Labour have called for the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Manchester City next month to be moved from Wembley Stadium.
Liverpool progressed to the semi-final after securing a hard-fought win over Nottingham Forest in the quarter-final, while Pep Guardiola’s men cruised past Southampton with a 4-1 victory.
However, thousands of fans planning to go to London from the North West are facing a travel nightmare, with no trains running from either station for the entire weekend.
Scheduled railway works will be taking place from April 15 to 18
Engineering work taking place across several locations between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central, with work also taking place on the West Coast Main Line, Avanti West Coast confirmed that it will not be running any trains into London Euston over the weekend of April 15 to 18.
Services from Manchester Piccadilly will start and finish at Milton Keynes Central and run via Stoke-on-Trent, while trains from Liverpool Lime Street will start and terminate at Rugby.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, the Reds have been in talks with Man City and the Football Association (FA), and have asked for the venue to be changed in an attempt to ensure supporters are able to attend the game.
Both Liverpool metro mayor Steve Rotheram and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham have called for the match to be moved from Wembley to a stadium more suitable for fans travelling from the north west.
🔴 Labour’s Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell has also written to the FA chair Debbie Hewitt 👇https://t.co/fg84a4qncl
— Liverpool Echo (@LivEchonews) March 24, 2022
Now, Labour’s Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell has also written to the FA chair Debbie Hewitt about the situation.
She wrote: “When directed to use National Rail journey planner, a 5.30 kick off would see Manchester City fans travelling three and a half hours, and Liverpool fans travelling four and a half hours with two changes. The return journey is even worse, and it would be almost impossible for fans to get home to either Manchester or Liverpool on the night of the match.
“In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, fans shouldn’t have to struggle to pay extra costs for expensive travel or overnight stays to attend the Wembley match. It should be a priority for the FA to ensure that fans are not excluded from attending this game due to the difficulty of travel.”
The FA were reportedly made aware of travel disruption six months ago
It is also thought that Labour have asked the FA to clarify how long they have known about potential disruption, with reports suggesting that the the FA were made aware of travel disruption six months ago.
Labour have also asked about whether English football’s governing body would consider moving the game, ideally to a ground in the north west that is accessible for both sets of supporters.
Related links:
- Liverpool and Man City supporters’ groups issue joint statement on FA Cup train issues
- Chelsea fans can buy tickets for Real Madrid home leg and FA Cup semi-final
- Does anyone actually think the Magic of the FA Cup is dead?
