Extra trains running for racegoers to the Grand National

Train operator Northern will be helping racegoers gallop to the Grand National festival at Aintree this week, with extra trains running to get customers safely to the races and back home again.

Tens of thousands of racegoers are expected to descend on Liverpool for the annual Grand National festival, which kicks off today (Thursday, April 3).  

With more than 60,000 people expected to make their way to Aintree tomorrow (Saturday), and over 70,000 people on Saturday, Northern has stepped in to boost capacity across its network. 

The train operator has scheduled extra services into Liverpool Lime Street and Ormskirk from towns and cities across the North.  

From Lime Street, customers can head to Liverpool Central and connect onto Merseyrail for the 15-minute journey to Aintree station.  

Northern will also have extra staff on hand to help with the anticipated demand.  

Extra trains will run between Preston and Ormskirk on both days, where customers can connect with Merseyrail trains to Aintree.  

Extra Northern trains will run on both Friday and Saturday: 

• From Preston to Ormskirk at 0934 and 1134 

• From Ormskirk back to Preston at 1918 and 2118 

As well as these extra trains, Northern will be strengthening some existing services. There will be extra carriages on some trains to and from Liverpool: 

• Wigan North Western to and from Liverpool Lime Street via St Helens Central 

• Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport on Saturday evening 

Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern, said: “We’re delighted to be providing some extra horsepower to help get racegoers to the Grand National and safely home again. 

“The Grand National is one of the biggest sporting events in our calendar, and we’re working closely with our partners at Merseyrail and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to ensure the event is a success. 

“With increased capacity and the extra services that we’ve been able to provide, we’re making it easier than ever for racing fans to enjoy the excitement of the day.  

“Driving to the festival is going to be difficult, so we’re encouraging everybody to back a winner and get home by train!” 

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.