Merseyrail faced severe overcrowding on Thursday morning as thousands of golf fans traveled to the second day of The Open championship at Royal Birkdale. Commuters shared images of packed carriages, with one passenger describing being 'squashed in like sardines' on the 8:20am service from Liverpool South Parkway towards the city centre.
Passengers report 'absolute chaos'
One passenger told the Liverpool Echo: 'The train was really busy today and was the same yesterday. I was standing up next to lots of other passengers squashed in like sardines by the time the train reached Liverpool Central. There was clearly a lot of people on the train going to The Open, there should have been either an extra couple of services or extra carriages on each train.'
Another commuter shared a photo of a packed train from Liverpool Central to Hillside, stating: 'Central to Hillside is chaos as well, much busier than yesterday.' Social media users also voiced frustration, with one saying: '@merseyrail absolute chaos on the trains this morning! Cancelled trains, followed by four carriage trains turning up! Hundreds of people left on the platform in south Liverpool!'
Merseyrail response
Merseyrail said it was running a special 10-minute service during The Open to accommodate increased demand. A spokesperson stated: 'Our services are busier than usual this morning due to The Open. To help accommodate the increased demand, we’re running a special 10-minute service with additional capacity to support the event.'
However, some passengers reported cancellations and delays. The 9:04am from Southport to Hunts Cross, due at 10:11am, was cancelled. One user complained: '@merseyrail once again, nightmare. Train delayed 15 plus minutes with train before cancelled. Four carriages not eight, with a station full of people waiting for it as not been a train for nearly an hour. I was not able to get on train, too overcrowded. Majorly late once again.'
Strike action threat
Meanwhile, strike action could disrupt services from Saturday July 18 to Monday July 20. Union members are currently voting on a revised pay offer from Merseyrail, with the ballot closing at midday on Thursday. If strike action goes ahead, Merseyrail will operate a very limited service. However, services on the Saturday and Sunday strike days will be prioritised to support The Open. A 15-minute service will operate on the Southport line only, calling at Liverpool Central, Blundellsands and Crosby, Hillside (for Royal Birkdale), and Southport. Trains will run between 9am and 9pm, with a break in the middle of the day. No services will operate anywhere else on the Merseyrail network during those times.
