New Everton stadium fan zone planned at train station

The new fan zone is being planned at the nearest station next to the new Bramley-Moore stadium

A fan zone is being proposed at a train station next to Everton's new stadium to cope with "increased footfall".

Transport operator, Merseytravel has submitted plans to Liverpool City Council to create a fan management zone at Sandhills Station, the nearest to the club's new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock.

The new zone will be a "key transport hub" for visiting fans getting to and from the stadium and Liverpool city centre.

Measures include developing a new pedestrian waiting area to safely manage passengers at periods of peak demand.

'Likely high demand'

According to documents submitted to the local authority, the organisation has developed plans with Everton, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, British Transport Police, Liverpool City Council and Merseyrail to deal with the increased footfall.

An operational management statement said although the platforms could accommodate and process the volume of predicted additional passengers expected to use the services in a reasonable time period, the access to the platforms was "constrained" which placed a limitation on the number of passengers on the platform at times of "likely high demand".

The zone would be located on land owned by Merseytravel adjacent to the station and used at the end of football matches and other major events, until they can be dispatched safely onto train services.

During the rest of the year, the zone would revert back to its current use, which is for storage of rail related equipment or activity related to the operation of rail replacement bus services.

A date has yet to be confirmed for the plans to be considered by Liverpool City Council's planning department.

The Merseyside club have said the 52,888-capacity stadium remains on schedule to be completed by the end of 2024.