Bus replacement services - Easter Weekend
It is going to be a busy Easter weekend in Wembley with the Emirates semi-finals taking place on Saturday (Manchester City v Liverpool k.o. 3.30pm) and Sunday (Chelsea vs Crystal Palace k.o. 4.30pm).
Euston Station will be closed throughout the weekend and this will prove particularly difficult for Manchester City and Liverpool supporters who use the West Coast line.
Mayors and supporters of both cities called on the FA to change the venue to no avail. The need for Wembley Stadium to hold as many events as possible to recoup the £757m cost of rebuilding the stadium. Hosting the FA Cup semi-finals was part of that day.
Network Rail say that the FA was given warning of the closure back in 2019.
The upshot is that 50,000-60,000 fans could be heading down to London by road on a Bank Holiday weekend.
On their website Network Rail say:
Over Easter (Friday 15 – Monday 18 April), Network Rail will be carrying out major upgrade works on sections of the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Scotland. As a result, there’ll be no trains to/from London Euston, some journeys will take longer and may involve a rail replacement service.
We strongly recommend you travel either side of the Easter weekend (15 – 18 April). If you need to travel, please make a reservation, plan ahead, and check the Avanti West Coast website before travelling.Fans travelling to the FA Cup Semi-Final are encouraged to consider alternative modes of transport to get to the match at Wembley. Any fans who need to travel by train should plan ahead, allow extra time for their journey, and check the National Rail website before they travel
Things will be easier for Sunday's semi-final as both teams are London-based.
Meanwhile Brent Council states:
We want everyone to enjoy their visit to Wembley and the match. However we will not tolerate anti-social behaviour, so please behave responsibly.
Brent Council and its partners are enforcing a No Street Drinking Zone on Olympic Way and the surrounding area for the Emirates FA Cup semi-finals weekend on Saturday 16 April (Liverpool v Manchester City) and Sunday 17 April (Crystal Palace v Chelsea) as part of the current Public Space Protection Order.
Fans drinking on Olympic Way and the surrounding streets will be asked to hand over their alcohol and enforcement action may be considered.
