Saints fans urged not to travel by train to Wembley

2 hours ago

Indy Almroth-WrightSouth of England

News image — South Western Railway has warned of long queues and said some fans may not be able to get on trains

Getty Images A group of male Southampton football fans holding a red and white banner that says 'we are going to wembley' they are a mix of ages and are all cheering. — South Western Railway has warned of long queues and said some fans may not be able to get on trains

Southampton football supporters are being urged to avoid travelling by train to the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley due to a reduced number of direct trains.

Major engineering work between Woking and Basingstoke means fewer trains will run on Saturday and Sunday between Southampton and London.

Stuart Meek, the chief operating officer at South Western Railway (SWR), said: "We are quite worried there are going to be very long queues and some customers may not be able to get on trains."

The firm said despite putting on an extra seven trains, those heading to the Southampton v Manchester City FA Cup semi-final on Saturday at 17:15 GMT should "absolutely seek alternatives".

Watch a special episode of Saints Social with Dell legend Mark Dennis and streamer and Saints fan Tyrone joining Jono Holmes and Lewis Coombes

A queuing system will be in place at Southampton Central station and supporters will need to join the line and wait for the next available service.

The engineering work will also impact those heading to the London Marathon on Sunday.

Meek said the £1m works had been planned "for a couple of years".

He said between the football and the marathon about 10,000 people were expected to travel on services to London.

"We are putting on extra trains but from previous occasions when we have done this it is not going to be enough," he said.

Meek added: "Trains are running via Havant – it's a long way round so it's going to be a couple of hours on the train and there will be an awful lot of people trying to get on them.

I would advise people absolutely to seek alternatives.

"The main problem is going to be the return from Waterloo in the evening – that will also depend on any extra time or penalties because that will delay fans getting to Waterloo."

SWR said those not attending the match and travelling to/from Southampton Central should consider travelling between 1300 and 1900 when trains are expected to be less busy.

SWR Blurred train travelling through a train station — The club has urged supporters to plan ahead to reach Wembley Stadium on time for kick-off on Saturday at 17:15 GMT

Southampton Football Club said: "Anyone travelling by rail should plan to arrive at Wembley stations no later than one hour prior to kick-off, to allow sufficient time to walk to and enter the stadium.

"Post-match, you're asked to leave the ground promptly and avoid opting for the last train of the day."

The club said its official club travel via coach had sold out.

Saints has an allocation of 35,950 tickets for the game.