ScotRail has urged Liam Gallagher fans to plan ahead and consider their travel options ahead of the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s show at Hampden Park on Sunday, 26 June.
Concert goers traveling from Glasgow Central to Mount Florida or Kings Park, the closest stations to Hampden, are being advised that due to the temporary timetable currently in place on Sundays, a reduced hourly service will be in place between the stations, and customers should travel early if they can or consider alternative means of transport.
The train operator is reminding customers that services across Scotland on Sunday, 26 June will be disrupted due to strike action on Saturday, 25 June, by Network Rail members of RMT, which means that signal boxes across the country will open at different times throughout the day on Sunday, 26 June.
Signal boxes are key pieces of infrastructure located across the rail network that control train movements, their use is critical to ensure that the railway can operate safely.
While large signalling centres in the Central Belt will be able to operate from 07.15, this will not be the case at signal boxes elsewhere and it may well be later in the day before many routes are able to operate as normal. This is particularly the case for routes beyond the Central Belt, so customers should check their journey before travel.
Network Rail engineering work is taking place in the Haymarket and Barrhead areas, which means buses will replace trains between Edinburgh Waverley and Linlithgow, Edinburgh Waverley and Falkirk Grahamston, and between Edinburgh Waverley and Bathgate, as well as between Glasgow Central and Kilmarnock and between Glasgow Central and East Kilbride. Customers travelling from Carlisle and Dumfries are advised to consider alternate means of transport.
The train operator is urging customers check their entire journey and know what alternative transport is available to them when heading home, as there will be no trains departing Mount Florida or Kings Park back to Glasgow Central after the event finishes due to the temporary timetable currently in place. There will also be no trains out of the city centre after the concert ends at 10.30pm.
A queuing system will be in place at Glasgow Central prior to the concert. To reduce the need to queue on the day, customers are encouraged to buy their ticket to Mount Florida or Kings Park in advance via the mTicket system on the ScotRail app.
Buying tickets through the mTickets system means people can buy their tickets from the comfort of their home or on the way to the station and it will instantly become available on their mobile device.
ScotRail will have extra staff on the ground to assist customers, and the train operator is reminding customers that the carrying and consumption of alcohol is prohibited on ScotRail services.
Phil Campbell, ScotRail Head of Customer Operations, said:
“We’ll be doing what we can to help Liam Gallagher fans travel to Hampden Park on Sunday, but customers should plan ahead as services will be impacted by Saturday’s Network Rail RMT strike action, engineering work near Haymarket and Barrhead, and by the temporary timetable we currently have in place.
“Services between Glasgow Central and Mount Florida, and between Glasgow Central and Kings Park are expected to be exceptionally busy due the reduced temporary Sunday timetable, so we’re encouraging customers to travel to the stadium early if they can or consider what alternative transport is available.
“Customers should also be aware that there will be no trains from Mount Florida or Kings Park after the event finishes, so we urge everyone to plan ahead, check their entire journey, and know their travel options.”