Authorities happy with second EFC test event – but transport problems still persist

Everton FC staged its second test event yesterday (March 23) in the process to achieve a safety certificate for its £760m Bramley-Moore Dock ground ahead of next season, with authorities and the club declaring it a resounding success.

However, fans continued to raise concerns, mainly over transport issues in reaching and departing the 52,888-seat waterfront stadium.

The first test event, on February 17, welcomed 10,000 fans and many criticised transport failures at the end of the game, particularly crowd-handling procedures at the nearby Sandhills Merseryail station.

An Everton U21 team beat Bolton Wanderers B at Sunday’s event, which was designed to assess various operational aspects of the stadium and saw more than 25,000 fans experience the matchday facilities, ticketing, stewarding, and service operations.

After the first test event in February, this event was the first time that fan engagement activity was held in the expansive Plaza.

A key part of the event was the successful testing of the stadium’s evacuation procedures, when the game ended after 65 minutes and fans were asked to vacate the ground.

Colin Chong, Everton’s interim chief executive, said: “This was a hugely important step in our transition to Everton Stadium, and we are delighted with how the stadium and our protocols handled the increase in capacity.”

“Following the first test event we received a lot of positive feedback on the matchday experience elements and the food offer, while we also took on board some learnings from an operational perspective. We will continue to engage with local authorities, city stakeholders and fan groups about the long term travel plan, through the Transport Working Group.”

He added: “A special thanks to all those who took part in the evacuation exercise, as these tests will be vital in ensuring the safety and comfort of all supporters on matchdays. The cooperation and enthusiasm from supporters has been invaluable as we prepare to move into what will be a truly iconic home for our club.”

Merseyrail increased capacity from the normal four-car sets to eight-car services before and after the game, as well as more frequent services. It said, despite some busy trains on the Hunts Cross line and a trespasser on the tracks in the Seaforth area causing some minor disruption, the plan put in place, as part of the wider transportation strategy, for the event worked well.

Merseyrail COO,  Stephen Dodd, said: “We are pleased with how well this test event went, with thousands of customers travelling smoothly and safely via Sandhills station – thank you for following travel advice and for your patience.

“The feedback from this and the previous test event are invaluable as we continue to refine our matchday transport plans, ahead of the stadium’s official opening at the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season. These test events allow us to further improve the overall travel experience for fans.”

The rail operator said as preparations continue, extra services and eight-car trains will once again be in operation for the final test event in the summer. Merseyrail has also confirmed that it will be reviewing plans for additional services on the Hunts Cross line, given the demand during yesterday’s test event.

Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, came in for flak after the first event for what many fans perceived as inadequate crowd-handling systems at Sandhills.

He said: “I want to say a massive thank you to all the fans travelling to and from the new Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock today. It’s because of your patience and understanding that we’ve been able to get people where they need to be safely and smoothly.

“We’ve worked really closely with Everton, transport operators, the council – and, most importantly, fan groups – on travel planning.

“I’d personally like to thank all staff involved for their hard work. Rail and bus services have been stepped up – there’s even been more ferry crossings put on to help take Evertonians from one bank of the royal blue Mersey to the other.

“The region’s transport network carried over half the people attending today’s event – 500 on Mersey Ferries, over 2,000 on dedicated shuttle bus services and more than 12,000 by train.

“There were some challenges, particularly around traffic congestion – as well as a trespasser on the Merseyrail network which temporarily disrupted rail services – but the purpose of these test events is to help us see what works, what doesn’t, and what needs improving.

“Over the coming weeks we’ll keep looking at what we can do better, and listening to fan feedback, so that we can build on today’s success and get ready for the first league game of next season in August.”

After the game fans still complained about long queues at Sandhills and ‘dangerous’ numbers of people on the platform, with many describing it as a “shambles”.

One, from Everton fan TV site, restrictedefc,  used a black cab to reach the ground, covering the short distance from Lime Street rail station to Bramley-Moore, which took 40 minutes due to heavy traffic congestion, which he described as “horrendous”.

Ahead of the game transport authority, Merseytravel, tweeted: “Traffic congestion approaching the stadium is quite heavy – if you’re travelling from Liverpool city centre, if you can, then walking could be your best option.”

Twitter user, @_JK_ responded: “Merseytravel ‘walking could be your best option’ – quote for the ages there, fellas.”

Many fans opted to walk from the ground after the game directly into the city, encountering problems at the nearby historic Bascule bridge, over the Leeds Liverpool Canal, on Regent Road. A traffic light system was in operation to regulate the number of people crossing the bridge, due to weight restrictions, adding further delays to the journey.

One fan said: “It might be funny on a dry Sunday afternoon, but not when it’s p***ing down on a Tuesday night when you’ve just lost in the 90th minute.”